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A superconducting nanowire acting as a single-photon detector and as a microwave delay line is used to demonstrate an imaging device at the single-photon level with sub-20-µm spatial resolution and 50-ps temporal resolution.
Coherent diffractive imaging of periodic samples is demonstrated with a tabletop, 13.5 nm high-harmonic source. With a novel image reconstruction technique, the record high spatial resolution of 12.6 nm is achieved in the extreme-ultraviolet region.
The spatial phase and direction of extreme-ultraviolet light are controlled by an all-optical modulator based on argon gas. It works by using an infrared pulse to control the spatial and spectral phase of the free induction decay in the gas system.
The conversion of shaped near-infrared pulses to shaped, energetic, multi-octave-spanning mid-infrared pulses lasting as little as 1.2 optical cycles is made possible by adiabatic difference frequency generation.
The temporal structure of the polarization and carrier-envelope phase slip of high-harmonic waveforms generated in bulk gallium selenide within the duration of a single multi-terahertz driving pulse can be controlled by the crystal symmetry.
The Kerr effect in graded-index multimode fibres drives a spatial beam self-cleaning phenomenon that withstands fibre bending and does not necessitate dissipative processes such as stimulated scattering.
Reabsorption losses have long been holding back the commercial viability of luminescent solar concentrators. Now, non-toxic silicon-based quantum dots with enhanced Stokes shift may enable the technology to enjoy practical implementation.
Coherent backscattering experiments indicate that spontaneous Raman scattering is a coherent process that can lead to macroscopically observable interference phenomena in disordered solid-state samples.
Lasers play a pivotal role in photonics, but claims of lasing are not always as robust and informative as they should be. A new trial policy at Nature Photonics aims to rectify this shortcoming.
The mathematics of manifolds is providing inspiration for creating exotic states of light with unique properties such as robustness against disorder and unidirectional propagation.
The underlying principles and unique optical applications of structures exhibiting near-zero dielectric permittivity and/or magnetic permeability are reviewed. The timely relevance to nonlinear, non-reciprocal and non-local effects is highlighted.
Terahertz (THz) pulses are generated by irradiating a metal wire with femtosecond laser pulses. For incident laser energy of 3 mJ, a THz pulse with energy of 28 μJ is obtained from a 10-cm-long wire. The spectrum of the THz pulse covers 0.1–1.5 THz.
