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Transparent displays find increasing use in a variety of applications that project information to a viewer. Here, Hsu and colleagues realize a transparent display that uses nanoparticles for a wavelength-selective scattering of incoming light.

The thermal-draw technique offers fibre devices with a multiplicity of geometries, but these are constrainted to being translationally symmetric. Here, the authors disrupt this symmetry by applying selective capillary instability, resulting in electrically connected spherical photodetecting elements.

Materials exhibiting three-dimensional (3D) linear dispersion relations between frequency and wavevector are expected to display a wide range of interesting phenomena. 3D linear point degeneracies between two bands (“Weyl points”) have yet to be observed. Based on analytical and numerical analysis, researchers predict Weyl point formation in 3D photonic crystals.

The integration of silicon optoelectronic devices in a fibre platform has great potential, but drawing such fibres is difficult. Using a simple, low cost and scalable method, Hou et al. fabricate a metre-long crystalline silicon-core, silica-clad fibre from a preform not containing elemental silicon.

Scientists theoretically show infrared to X-ray sources that can be implemented on-chip by scattering high-energy electrons with graphene plasmons and predict that they are capable of producing tunable radiation.

A textile fibre computer combining sensing, memory, processing and communication in a 5-g mass has been developed, enabling distributed computation on the human body through garments.

Miniaturized components have significant potential for portable applications. Here, the authors demonstrate a spectrometer and hyperspectral imager based on photonic-crystal slabs which can enable single-shot imaging on a compact chip.

A study demonstrates full energy–momentum matching, and enhanced interaction, between free electrons and photons through a continuum of flatband resonances, realized in a silicon-on-insulator photonic crystal slab.

Silicon nanospheres could be of interest for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Here, Gumenniket al. demonstrate a nanosphere fabrication process based on an optical fibre drawing technique that is able to produce p and n-type spheres paired into rectifying bispherical junctions.

Here the authors show that radiation emitted by individual electrons can be controlled by shaping the electron wavepacket. They present feasible examples for applications including collimated and monochromatic X-ray emission from specially shaped electrons.

A general framework for incorporating and correcting for nonclassical electromagnetic phenomena in nanoscale systems is presented.

The two dimensional magnetoplasmon edge state has been observed for a long time, but its nature is yet to be uncovered. Here, Jin et al. report that such a state is actually topological protected, analogous to the chiral Majorana edge state in a p-wave topological superconductor.

Despite their relevance for quantum technology, photon-pair sources are difficult to control. A theoretical proposal shows how photon pairs can be created from vacuum fluctuations in time-dependent systems, potentially enabling heralded single-photon frequency combs.

Researchers realize a zero-angular-momentum radial-emission laser by filling a cylindrical photonic crystal fibre cavity with a microfluidic gain medium. Control of the electromagnetic fields is provided by electrically contacted and independently addressable liquid-crystal microchannels in the fibre.

Theoretical and experimental studies reveal that light can be confined within a planar dielectric photonic crystal slab even though the frequency of this optical bound state is inside the continuous spectrum of extended states from the same symmetry group.

Exceptional points are singularities in non-Hermitian systems that can produce unusual effects, and it is shown that a Dirac cone in a photonic crystal can generate a continuous ring of exceptional points through flattening the tip of the cone.

Crystal symmetries may protect single Dirac cones on the surface of a photonic crystal, creating a photonic analogue of a three-dimensional solid-state topological insulator.

The angle of Cherenkov radiation in one-dimensional photonic crystals can be controlled by making use of constructive interference. This feature allows new design of particle detectors with improved performance.

A piezoelectric fibre woven into a machine-washable fabric converts tenuous sound pressure into electric signals and is used to listen to cardiac sound, determine the source direction of a sound, and record and play back audio.

A nanophotonic radiation interference system transforms a tungsten filament into a highly efficient thermal emitter for lighting applications.

Application-specific computational hardware helps to solve the limitations of conventional electronics in solving difficult calculation problems. Here the authors present a general heuristic algorithm to solve NP-Hard Ising problems in a photonics implementation.

Cherenkov detectors are used to detect high energy particles and their performance capabilities depend heavily on the material used. Here, the authors propose use of a Brewster-optics-based angular filter for a detector with increased sensitivity and particle identification capability.

The limits of topological protection in photonic systems remain unclear. Here, Gao et al. construct photonic topological edge states and probe their robustness against a variety of defect classes, including some common time-reversal-invariant photonic defects that can break the topological protection.

Vacuum fluctuations in the vicinity of nanophotonic structures can lead to the conversion of a free electron into a polariton and a high-energy photon, whose frequency can be controlled by the electromagnetic properties of the nanostructure.

Graphene plasmons have gained significant interest thanks to their high field confinement and low phase velocity. Here the authors show theoretically that charge carriers propagating in graphene can excite plasmons through a quantum Čerenkov emission process in two dimensions, in the form of plasmonic shock waves.

Implementation of digital electronics into fibres can enable real time monitoring of human physiological functions. Loke et al. show how digital functionalities can be incorporated into thin flexible polymeric fibre strands and applied for on-body machine-learning and intelligent textiles.

Extracting light from silicon is a longstanding challenge. Here, the authors report an experimental demonstration of free-electron-driven light emission from silicon nanogratings and investigates the feasibility of a compact, all-silicon tunable light source integrated with a silicon field emitter array.

While modifications of emission and absorption rates are commonplace in photonics, similar manipulations of emitter transition frequencies are challenging. Here, 2D polaritons in graphene are predicted to enable non-vertical electronic transitions in a quantum well, controlling the transition frequencies by inducing an effective non-locality.

Though additive manufacturing methods are highly attractive for the high-throughput fabrication of 3D electronic materials and devices, printing multimaterial devices remains a serious challenge. Here, the authors report optoelectronic multimaterial filaments for 3D-printed optoelectronics.

Porous polymer fibers show great potential for a range of applications, but their simple structures typically limit their functionality. Here, the authors combine a thermal drawing process with polymer solution phase separation to fabricate porous multimaterial fibers with complex internal architectures.

Micro-electromechanical systems fabrication techniques are based on silicon micromachining processes, resulting in rigid and low aspect ratio structures. Here the authors demonstrate a flexible, high aspect ratio micro-electromechanical system in fibre enabled by an electrostrictive ferrorelaxor terpolymer layer.

The quest for on-chip optical isolators has recently spawned many new isolator structures. However, there has been some confusion about the requirement of nonreciprocity. Here, we review the essential characteristics of an isolator.

Optics played a key role in the discovery of geometric phase. It now joins the journey of exploring topological physics, bringing bosonic topological states that equip us with the ability to make perfect photonic devices using imperfect interfaces.

Calculating the amount of radiation that can ultimately be extracted from free electrons near an arbitrary material structure is a challenge. Now, an upper limit to the spontaneous photon emission of electrons is demonstrated, regardless of geometry.

Opals do it, even biomolecules do it, so why can't self-assembly be harnessed to create photonic crystals with near-perfect order? A new technique shows that absolute order may not require absolute control.

A scalable thermal drawing process is used to integrate light-emitting and photodetecting diodes into textile-ready polymer fibres, which can be woven into fabrics with possible optical communication and health monitoring applications.

The authors theoretically investigate a novel form of a Doppler effect in homogeneous systems with positive refractive index that occurs under certain conditions. It is suggested that this Doppler effect can be experimentally separated from other Doppler effects by using polaritons such as those found in graphene.

Applying the mathematical concept of topology to the wave-vector space of photonics yields exciting opportunities for creating new states of light with useful properties such as unidirectional propagation and the ability to flow around imperfections.

The fascinating wave phenomenon of ‘bound states in the continuum’ spans different material and wave systems, including electron, electromagnetic and mechanical waves. In this Review, we focus on the common physical mechanisms underlying these bound states, whilst also discussing recent experimental realizations, current applications and future opportunities for research.