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The application of d.c. fields across p–i–n junctions in silicon ridge waveguides leads to crystal symmetry breaking. This induces a second-order optical nonlinear susceptibility that enables phase-only modulation and second-harmonic generation with an efficiency of ∼13% W–1 at 2.29 µm.
Reabsorption losses in luminescent solar concentrators can be avoided by the use of indirect-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures. The technology has been used to demonstrate flexible luminescent solar concentrators with performance comparable to flat concentrators.
A solution-processed organic phototransistor is operated at 100-frame-per-second rates with external quantum efficiencies above 100%. Dynamic range as high as 103 dB was shown for 30-frame-per-second operation.
Measurement of the forces that arise from quantum vacuum fluctuations between closely spaced surfaces typically requires large apparatus, making applications difficult. Now, an experiment on a silicon chip to measure the Casimir force has been realized.
Weak coupling of light to the microscopic magnetic order in antiferromagnetic materials makes their optical characterization notoriously difficult. Now, a table-top magneto-optical technique has been developed for detecting the vector direction of antiparallel-aligned magnetic moments in a metallic antiferromagnet.
Stimulated emission double depletion addresses the issue of background in super-resolution imaging and quantitative microscopy through implementation of a two-pulse sequence in a modified stimulated emission depletion set-up. The measured background intensity is removed from each voxel in the acquired images thanks to time-resolved detection.
Constructive interference is observed in the inelastically backscattered Raman radiation from nanostructured media. The effect is studied at a macroscopic scale and is explained in the context of Rayleigh–Raman random walks inside strongly scattering materials.
A passively mode-locked laser system featuring cavity filtering and cavity-enhanced nonlinear interactions within an integrated microring resonator produces nanosecond optical pulses with a spectral width of 104.9 MHz.