Light: Science & Applications

List of Papers (Total 2,491)

Gigahertz-rate thin-film lithium niobate receiver for time-bin quantum communication

Time-bin encoded quantum states of light are crucial for quantum technology applications. The integration of manipulation functionalities into chip-scale devices is essential for deploying scalable, high-performace, and cost-effective quantum networks. Here we develop a fully integrated, high-throughput quantum receiver based on the thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform...

Statically foveated freeform OST-HMD system with wide FOV and high perceived resolution

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) based on the well-established rectilinear sampling method are subject to the inherent trade-off between wide field of view (FOV) and high spatial resolution. This challenge limits their broader application due to constraints in manufacturing high-resolution displays and the substantial data bandwidth required for rendering, storage, and transmission...

Decoding chirality at the nanoscale with momentum-space polarimetry

Engineering optical chirality at the nanoscale has unlocked a wide range of light-matter interactions, with implications for the controlled manipulation of photonic degrees of freedom, ultrasensitive enantiomer detection, structured illumination microscopy, and quantum communication. Efficient characterization of chiral nanostructures is therefore of paramount importance, as it...

Spaceborne snapshot compressive hyperspectral imaging

Hyperspectral remote sensing images provide rich spatial and spectral information about the Earth’s surface, making them an essential tool for Earth observation. However, existing spaceborne hyperspectral payloads experience slow acquisition speeds and generate large data volumes, posing significant challenges for real-time applications. Moreover, the complex optical design and...

Reversible optical data storage and encryption enabled by phase-change and hydrogel integration

Phase-change materials and hydrogels, which are emerging as versatile, low-cost, high-speed materials with large-area processing capabilities, are key building blocks for next-generation optical information storage and multi-level encryption. Here, we introduce a hybrid platform that synergistically integrates directly laser-written antimony trisulfide (Sb₂S₃) with a humidity...

Super-resolution image projection over an extended depth of field using a diffractive decoder

Image projection systems must be efficient in data storage, computation and transmission while maintaining a large space-bandwidth-product (SBP) at their output. Here, we introduce a hybrid image projection system that achieves extended depth-of-field (DOF) with improved resolution, combining a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based digital encoder with an all-optical...

Phonon-polaritonic skyrmions: transition from bubble- to Néel-type

Optical skyrmions are members of the emerging topological branch of solid-state physics and photonics, allowing for control over topological light textures through light-matter interactions. However, in nanophotonics their practical application has been severely limited by high inherent losses in plasmonic materials, resulting in the lack of tunability between different...

On the precision models of fringe projection profilometry: unification, simplification and connection

Fringe projection profilometry (FPP) is one of the most prominent non-interferometric high-precision 3D shape measurement techniques for measuring dimensions ranging from 1 mm to 1 m, with increasing applications in precision engineering. Thorough theoretical understanding of the precision of the prevailing FPP methods is critical when facing the challenges of higher precision...

Helical opto-thermoviscous flows drive out-of-plane rotation and particle spinning in a highly viscous micro-environment

Contact-free and object-agnostic three-dimensional (3D) rotation remains a challenge at both the micro and nanoscale, with broad relevance to advanced imaging, biology, microrobotics, and materials science. Specifically, precise 3D rotation is desirable in diffusion-suppressing environments, where conventional micromanipulation methods fail. Here we introduce an opto...

Surpassing kilometer-scale terahertz wireless communication beyond 300 GHz enabled by hybrid photonic–electronic synergy

Terahertz (THz) bands are critical for next-generation wireless fronthaul/backhaul applications. However, they face a fundamental coverage range limitation due to low emission power, severe path loss, and poor receiving sensitivity, especially in photonics-assisted THz systems beyond 300 GHz. To address this limitation, we develop a 335 GHz continuous-wave traveling wave tube...

Directional dark field for nanoscale full-field transmission X-ray microscopy

Dark-field X-ray imaging visualizes structural inhomogeneities through small-angle scattering, but existing directional methods are confined to the micrometer scale. While recent advances have extended dark field capabilities to nanoscale transmission X-ray microscopy, directional scattering retrieval – critical for characterizing anisotropic nanostructures – has remained...

Quadratic few-cycle solitons on chip

Experiments in a dispersion-engineered nanophotonic lithium niobate waveguide have demonstrated two-color soliton compression to few-cycle duration by exploiting cascaded second-order nonlinearity. These results open new opportunities to study quadratic soliton dynamics in integrated platforms and for applications in on-chip photonic signal processing.

Quantum topology emerges at near field

Mapping the total angular momentum of light bound to nanophotonic structures enables the creation of single-photon states with rich topological textures. This approach opens new opportunities for generating high-dimensional entanglement and provides a promising route toward robust quantum information processing.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Bridging the gap in silicon photonics: quantum dot lasers and the end of the optical isolator

Experiments in quantum dot lasers have demonstrated that optimized devices can withstand extreme levels of optical feedback without succumbing to coherence collapse. These results pave the way for a new generation of compact, isolator-free photonic integrated circuits.

On-chip solitons are gaining new colors

The first experimental demonstration of single-pump multicolor solitons using a triple-microring configuration has been reported recently. This original approach expands the potential of optical frequency comb technology for photonics and time-frequency metrology.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Ion agent mitigates efficiency roll-off in near-infrared electroluminescence for practical bioimaging and information encryption

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) are promising emitters for next-generation light-emitting diodes (LEDs), yet PQD-based near-infrared (NIR) LEDs still suffer from low external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) and severe efficiency roll-off. This limitation arises from the trade-off between enhancing carrier transport with conductive ligands and preserving PQD surface integrity during...

Subarray programmable terahertz metasurface for optical logic and high-order amplitude modulation

Integrated terahertz (THz) communication-sensing-computing systems require reconfigurable platforms that can simultaneously support logic operations and signal modulation. Here, we propose a subarray programmable THz metasurface that elevates the subarray to the minimum addressable unit. Within each subarray, a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) serves as the active...

All-in-one optically interactive soft robots with embedded liquid crystal holography

Soft robots capable of self-driven information transmission hold great promise for enabling intelligent interactions that better emulate the behavior of living organisms; however, achieving such systems remains elusive. Here, we present an all-in-one optically interactive soft robot that seamlessly integrates holographic command encoding, encryption, and display with on-demand...

Beyond the visible: metal-ion-doped inorganic UV phosphors for advanced photonics

Inorganic ultraviolet (UV) luminescent materials doped with metal ions (including rare-earth and heavy main-group metal ions) exhibit distinctive electronic transitions, excellent photostability, and tunable emission characteristics, making them highly promising for applications in optoelectronics, environmental remediation, and biomedicine. Recent progress in metal-ion-doped UV...

Active steering of cathodoluminescence through a generalized Smith–Purcell effect

Optical metasurfaces can shape the near fields of energetic electrons, enabling Smith–Purcell (SP) emission. We introduce a generalized SP effect relying on finite periodic arrays whose elements possess individually tunable polarizabilities, allowing us to explore higher-order SP radiation. By controlling the amplitude and phase of each of the elements, we show through rigorous...

Attosecond three-stage formation and coherent exciton dynamics in a two-dimensional material under strong field

Excitons play a crucial role in optical properties of two-dimensional materials. While significant progress has been made in understanding exciton dynamics on femtosecond timescales, the microscopic details of the earliest stages of exciton formation and evolution remain elusive. Here we explore the ultrafast processes of exciton formation, evolution and dissociation in monolayer...

Multifunctional fiber-optic theranostic probe for closed-loop tumor photothermal therapy

The combination of optical fiber and phototheranostic agents has emerged as a promising strategy to address the challenges of limited light penetration depth and systemic toxicity of nanomaterials. However, the multiplexing potential of fiber-optic probes remains underrated, resulting in enlarged incisions, repeated invasive procedures, and a lack of real-time therapeutic...

Dye-sensitized cascaded energy transfer for amplified 1525 nm luminescence in highly doped lanthanide nanoparticles

Lanthanide-based probes for second near-infrared (NIR-II) luminescence imaging enable deep-tissue penetration with minimal autofluorescence. However, their broader application is hindered by intrinsic limitations such as low brightness and weak absorption. To address these, we developed a dye-sensitized construct, NaErF4@NaYF4:50%Yb@ICG. This design harnesses population dynamics...

A hybrid-frequency programmable synthetic-dimension simulator with rich coupling on a single chip

High-performance photonic chips provide a powerful platform for analog computing, enabling the simulation of high-dimensional physical systems using low-dimensional devices with additional synthetic dimensions. The realization of large-scale complex simulations necessitates an architecture capable of rich coupling configurations (encompassing symmetric, asymmetric and long-range...

Topological control of chirality and spin with structured light

Structured light beams with engineered topological properties offer a powerful means to control spin angular momentum (SAM) and optical chirality, key quantities shaped by spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in light. Such effects are commonly associated with non-paraxial focusing or light-matter interfaces. Here, we demonstrate that higher-order Poincaré modes carrying a tunable...