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Random-number generators are important in digital information systems. However, the speed at which current sources operate is much slower than the typical data rates used in communication and computing. Chaos in semiconductor lasers might help to bridge the gap.
The spin Hall effect, an interaction between particles because of their intrinsic spin, is a central tenet in the field of spintronics. The direct observation of an optical equivalent of the spin Hall effect is now reported.
Coupled optical resonators are one approach to slowing the propagation of light. An array of more than 100 such resonators has now been demonstrated using a photonic crystal. Such a structure can slow light down to below 1% of its speed in a vacuum.
The ability to perform low-power, continuous-wave nonlinear optics, in particular four-wave mixing, is demonstrated in doped-silica-glass waveguide ring resonators. The device's low loss and ease of manufacture may make the approach suitable for nonlinear all-optical photonic integrated circuits.
Femtosecond-scale synchronization using mode-locked lasers has been limited to periods of just a few minutes. Now it is shown that, by combining a number of laser techniques, sub-10-fs-precision synchronization of remote lasers and microwave sources is possible for more than 10 hours.
Researchers have demonstrated the first photonic-crystal system with light emitters that experience three-dimensional photonic and electronic confinement.
The development of the pixelated polarization camera is enabling dynamic interferometry, a new metrology technique that is insensitive to vibration and suits use in an industrial environment.
Nadya Anscombe talks to Wolfgang Osten, director of the Institute for Applied Optics, about the challenges that optical metrology faces in keeping pace with demands from industry.
The demonstration that Airy beams can transport small particles along curved paths of light may lead to a wealth of new applications in optical micromanipulation. Nature Photonics spoke to Kishan Dholakia from the University of St Andrews in Scotland about the idea.
By introducing a radial chirp in the dimension of the cells surrounding the central core, researchers now demonstrate a low-dispersion photonic-crystal fibre that could overcome the long-standing problem of ultrashort-pulse delivery.
A bifacial dye-sensitized solar cell that can efficiently generate electricity when illuminated from either side may help bring down the cost of solar energy production.
Improvements in interferometry have made it a powerful and attractive technique for characterizing tiny devices based on microelectromechanical systems.
The advent of three-dimensional optical metrology has brought many benefits to industrial quality control of aircraft engines, according to the turbine-blade manufacturer GE.
