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Vol. 12 ， Issue 1 ， 2023
- Abstract：The 4 m diameter SiC aspheric mirror emerges due to a series of technological breakthroughs in blank mirror preparation, asphere fabrication, and testing, as well as cladding and coating, laying the groundwork for future research into large SiC mirrors for astronomical observation.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Photothermal effect in a gas-filled hollow-core fiber may result in agile mid-infrared optical modulators for broadband phase modulation and high extinction ratio intensity modulation.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：The ionizing radiation possesses extremely strong penetration capability, which poses serious risk on the health of the human body and jeopardize electronics. Here the authors demonstrate that MAPbI3/epoxy composites prepared by a simple method show high radiation shielding performance.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：All-perovskite tandem cells are attractive candidates for next-generation photovoltaic technology as they hold the potential to combine high-efficiency with low weight and reduced energy-payback times. Now, researchers show that such tandem cells can be engineering to be bifacial, allowing them to utilize stray light reflected off the surrounding environment, resulting in a 17% boost in the power output.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：The complex Maxwell stress tensor theorem has been developed to relate the imaginary optical force, reactive strength of canonical momentum and total optical force of a nanoparticle, which is essential to perfect optical force efficiency.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Sub-nanometer-resolved TERS provides a systematic way for investigating tip-molecule interaction and molecular motions, enabling a promising approach to examine on-surface reaction mechanisms and catalysis at the microscopic level.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Microsphere-assisted microscopy utilizing a microsphere in immediate proximity of the specimen boosts the imaging resolution mainly as a result of an increase in the effective numerical aperture of the system.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：The realisation of on-chip light sources paves the way towards the full integration of Si-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Advances in metal-halide perovskite semiconductors have significantly influenced light-current conversion technologies. The excellent structural and compositional tunability of perovskites, coupled with their exceptional quantum yields for photoluminescence, make them a promising candidate for optoelectronic devices.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：A BP/CdS heterostructure-based artificial photonic synapse with an ultra-low power consumption is proposed, presenting great potential in high-performance neuromorphic vision systems.
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Published：2024-04-28
News & Views
- Abstract：The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 was awarded to French physicist Alain Aspect, American physicist John F. Clauser, and Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger, in recognition of their contributions to the research of quantum information, a clear indication that we are entering the era of quantum information.In China, a scientist has played herald in quantum research since as early as the 1980s. He introduced quantum optics and quantum informatics to China, a virgin land in terms of quantum research back then. That scientist is Academician Guangcan Guo.Out of personal interests and his good sense as a scientist, Prof. Guo took it upon himself to take on quantum optics when little was known about it in China. He trained many students and launched China's first academic conference on quantum optics, which helped to accelerate the development of quantum optics in China.In the early 1990s, he took on another challenge, shifting his research focus to the emerging subject of quantum informatics. His work helped to establish China's current leading position in this interdisciplinary field. Today, China leads the world in quantum USB drives and quantum chips.Now in his 1980s, Prof. Guo is still working tirelessly at the front line of scientific research, doing science popularization, and teaching students. He is ready for the third big challenge of his life—to reveal the mysteries of the classical world and the quantum world.Next, please follow "Light People" into the mysterious "quantum world", and feel the beauty of science.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：In this Information Age, computers and mobile phones are important carriers of data transmission and many scientists work hard to speed up that process. Professor Peter Delfyett of the University of Central Florida has done just that. A member of the US National Academy of Engineering, he developed the world's fastest and most powerful mode-locked semiconductor laser. I have known Professor Delfyett since 2011, when he took part in the CIOMP-OSA International Summer Session. His sincere and friendly attitude, humorous and optimistic nature and excellent academic style left a deep impression. Driven by curiosity, human beings are constantly exploring the unknown, and asking questions. Einstein once suggested, defining what the problem is can be more important than solving it. And this is what Professor Delfyett has been advocating: pursue the ultimate academic goal, ask questions, believe in yourself and never give up. In addition, he has been striving to integrate industry and scientific research, so that scientific research results can truly benefit mankind. And now, please follow Light People to the latest cutting-edge progress in optics.
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Published：2024-04-28
Light People
Research Highlight
- Abstract："New" electro-optical (EO) crystals are hard to find, "old" EO crystals are scarce and each has its own problems, and the demand for high-performance EO crystals by higher power, higher repetition rate, and narrower pulse width laser is realistic and urgent. The EO performance of KTP was recognized as soon as it was discovered, but after more than 40 years of development, the reports, and products of EO devices based on KTP are less than those of other EO crystals, even though KTP is now almost the cheapest nonlinear optical crystal material. In this paper, based on our understanding of the crystal structure of predecessors and ourselves, especially the understanding and practice of quasi-one-dimensional ionic conduction mechanism, we think that crystal growth is the most important reason that affects the controllability of crystal performance. Through a series of science and technology, we realize the growth of large-size crystals with high-optical uniformity, then reduce the absorption of KTP to a very low level, and grow crystals with resistance to electric damage and laser damage. On this basis, reducing the conductivity and improving the uniformity of optical, electrical, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric properties are emphasized. The extinction ratio, piezoelectric ringing effect, and thermal influence of the EO switch based on KTP crystal are tested, and some publicly available progress of using KTP EO devices in high-repetition rate laser is listed. Finally, we are looking forward to the development of KTP EO crystal for the laser system to EO generator for integrated optics.
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Published：2024-04-28
Review
- Abstract：SiC semiconductor is the focus of recent international research. It is also an important raw material for China to achieve carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality. After nearly 20 years of research and development, we focus on the three types SiC crystals, n-type, p-type and semi-insulating, indicating the development of Shandong University for crystal growth. And defects control, electrical property, atomic polishing, and corresponding device authentication all obtain great progress. Total dislocation density of 6-inch n-type substrates decreases to 2307 cm−2, where BPD (Basal Plane Dislocation) lowers to 333 cm−2 and TSD (Threading Screw Dislocation) 19 cm−2. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) (0004) rocking curves is only 14.4 arcsec. The resistivity reaches more than 1E + 12 Ω·cm for semi-insulating SiC and lower than 20 mΩ·cm for n-type SiC. The impurity concentrations in 6-inch high-purity semi-insulating (HPSI) SiC crystals reach extreme low levels. The devices made of various substrate materials have good performance.
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Published：2024-04-28
Reviews
- Abstract：Birefringent optical elements that work in deep ultraviolet (DUV) region become increasingly important these years. However, most of the DUV optical elements have fixed birefringence which is hard to be tuned. Here, we invent a birefringence-tunable optical hydrogel with mechano-birefringence effect in the DUV region, based on two-dimensional (2D) low-cobalt-doped titanate. This 2D oxide material has an optical anisotropy factor of 1.5 × 10–11 C2 J−1 m−1, larger than maximum value obtained previously, leading to an extremely large specific magneto-optical Cotton-Mouton coefficient of 3.9 × 106 T−2 m−1. The extremely large coefficient enables the fabrication of birefringent hydrogel in a small magnetic field with an ultra-low concentration of 2D oxide material. The hydrogel can stably and continuously modulate 303 nm DUV light with large phase tunability by varying the strain (compression or stretching) from 0 to 50%. Our work opens the door to design and fabricate new proof-of-concept DUV birefringence-tunable element, as demonstrated by optical hydrogels capable of DUV modulation by mechanical stimuli.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Being capable of sensing broadband infrared (IR) light is vitally important for wide-ranging applications from fundamental science to industrial purposes. Two-dimensional (2D) topological semimetals are being extensively explored for broadband IR detection due to their gapless electronic structure and the linear energy dispersion relation. However, the low charge separation efficiency, high noise level, and on-chip integration difficulty of these semimetals significantly hinder their further technological applications. Here, we demonstrate a facile thermal-assisted tellurization route for the van der Waals (vdW) growth of wafer-scale phase-controlled 2D MoTe2 layers. Importantly, the type-II Weyl semimetal 1T′-MoTe2 features a unique orthorhombic lattice structure with a broken inversion symmetry, which ensures efficient carrier transportation and thus reduces the carrier recombination. This characteristic is a key merit for the well-designed 1T′-MoTe2/Si vertical Schottky junction photodetector to achieve excellent performance with an ultrabroadband detection range of up to 10.6 µm and a large room temperature specific detectivity of over 108 Jones in the mid-infrared (MIR) range. Moreover, the large-area synthesis of 2D MoTe2 layers enables the demonstration of high-resolution uncooled MIR imaging capability by using an integrated device array. This work provides a new approach to assembling uncooled IR photodetectors based on 2D materials.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Phonon-assisted photon upconversion (UPC) is an anti-Stokes process in which incident photons achieve higher energy emission by absorbing phonons. This letter studies phonon-assisted UPC in twisted 2D semiconductors, in which an inverted contrast between UPC and conventional photoluminescence (PL) of WSe2 twisted bilayer is emergent. A 4-fold UPC enhancement is achieved in 5.5° twisted bilayer while PL weakens by half. Reduced interlayer exciton conversion efficiency driven by lattice relaxation, along with enhanced pump efficiency resulting from spectral redshift, lead to the rotation-angle-dependent UPC enhancement. The counterintuitive phenomenon provides a novel insight into a unique way that twisted angle affects UPC and light-matter interactions in 2D semiconductors. Furthermore, the UPC enhancement platform with various superimposable means offers an effective method for lighting bilayers and expanding the application prospect of 2D stacked van der Waals devices.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Multicolor imaging allows protein colocalizations and organelle interactions to be studied in biological research, which is especially important for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Here, we propose a multicolor method called excitation-resolved stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (ExR-STORM). The method, which is based on the excitation spectrum of fluorescent dyes, successfully separated four spectrally very close far-red organic fluorophores utilizing three excitation lasers with cross-talk of less than 3%. Dyes that are only 5 nm apart in the emission spectrum were resolved, resulting in negligible chromatic aberrations. This method was extended to three-dimensional (3D) imaging by combining the astigmatic method, providing a powerful tool for resolving 3D morphologies at the nanoscale.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Complementary to mainstream cardiac imaging modalities for preclinical research, photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) can provide functional optical contrast with high imaging speed and resolution. However, PACT has not been demonstrated to reveal the dynamics of whole cardiac anatomy or vascular system without surgical procedure (thoracotomy) for tissue penetration. Here, we achieved non-invasive imaging of rat hearts using the recently developed three-dimensional PACT (3D-PACT) platform, demonstrating the regulated illumination and detection schemes to reduce the effects of optical attenuation and acoustic distortion through the chest wall; thereby, enabling unimpeded visualization of the cardiac anatomy and intracardiac hemodynamics following rapidly scanning the heart within 10 s. We further applied 3D-PACT to reveal distinct cardiac structural and functional changes among the healthy, hypertensive, and obese rats, with optical contrast to uncover differences in cardiac chamber size, wall thickness, and hemodynamics. Accordingly, 3D-PACT provides high imaging speed and nonionizing penetration to capture the whole heart for diagnosing the animal models, holding promises for clinical translation to cardiac imaging of human neonates.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Active metasurfaces are emerging as the core of next-generation optical devices with their tunable optical responses and flat-compact topography. Especially for the terahertz band, active metasurfaces have been developed as fascinating devices for optical chopping and compressive sensing imaging. However, performance regulation by changing the dielectric parameters of the integrated functional materials exhibits severe limitations and parasitic losses. Here, we introduce a C-shape-split-ring-based phase discontinuity metasurface with liquid crystal elastomer as the substrate for infrared modulation of terahertz wavefront. Line-focused infrared light is applied to manipulate the deflection of the liquid crystal elastomer substrate, enabling controllable and broadband wavefront steering with a maximum output angle change of 22° at 0.68 THz. Heating as another control method is also investigated and compared with infrared control. We further demonstrate the performance of liquid crystal elastomer metasurface as a beam steerer, frequency modulator, and tunable beam splitter, which are highly desired in terahertz wireless communication and imaging systems. The proposed scheme demonstrates the promising prospects of mechanically deformable metasurfaces, thereby paving the path for the development of reconfigurable metasurfaces.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：As a fundamental characteristic of physical entities, wave‒particle duality describes whether a microscopic entity exhibits wave or particle attributes depending on the specific experimental setup. This assumption is premised on the notion that physical properties are inseparable from the objective carrier. However, after the concept of the quantum Cheshire cats was proposed, which makes the separation of physical attributes from the entity possible, the premise no longer holds. Furthermore, an experimental demonstration of the separation of the wave and particle attributes inspired by this scenario remains scarce. In this work, we experimentally separated the wave and particle attributes of a single photon by exploiting the quantum Cheshire cat concept for the first time. By applying a weak disturbance to the evolution of the system, we achieve an effect similar to the quantum Cheshire cat and demonstrated the separation of the wave and particle attributes via the extraction of weak values. Our work provides a new perspective for the in-depth understanding of wave‒particle duality and promotes the application of weak measurements in fundamentals of quantum mechanics.
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Published：2024-04-28 - Abstract：Solitons are self-reinforcing localized wave packets that manifest in the major areas of nonlinear science, from optics to biology and Bose–Einstein condensates. Recently, optically driven dissipative solitons have attracted great attention for the implementation of the chip-scale frequency combs that are decisive for communications, spectroscopy, neural computing, and quantum information processing. In the current understanding, the generation of temporal solitons involves the chromatic dispersion as a key enabling physical effect, acting either globally or locally on the cavity dynamics in a decisive way. Here, we report on a novel class of solitons, both theoretically and experimentally, which builds up in spectrally confined optical cavities when dispersion is practically absent, both globally and locally. Precisely, the interplay between the Kerr nonlinearity and spectral filtering results in an infinite hierarchy of eigenfunctions which, combined with optical gain, allow for the generation of stable dispersion-less dissipative solitons in a previously unexplored regime. When the filter order tends to infinity, we find an unexpected link between dissipative and conservative solitons, in the form of Nyquist-pulse-like solitons endowed with an ultra-flat spectrum. In contrast to the conventional dispersion-enabled nonlinear Schrödinger solitons, these dispersion-less Nyquist solitons build on a fully confined spectrum and their energy scaling is not constrained by the pulse duration. Dispersion-less soliton molecules and their deterministic transitioning to single solitons are also evidenced. These findings broaden the fundamental scope of the dissipative soliton paradigm and open new avenues for generating soliton pulses and frequency combs endowed with unprecedented temporal and spectral features.
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Published：2024-04-28
Original Articles
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