Fibre optics and optical communications articles from across Nature Portfolio

Yu Tokizane and colleagues report single-channel 112-Gbps wireless transmission at 560 GHz using a fibre-packaged soliton microcomb as a low-phase-noise optical reference. This work demonstrates a practical approach to stable terahertz wireless links beyond 350 GHz, supporting future photonic 6 G backhaul systems

An analytical framework is established to reveal resolution limits in random media. Based on this, researchers design a tapered-fiber-based resonant leaky-mode spectropolarimeter achieving tens-of-femtometer resolution and full-Stokes measurement.

A hybrid photonic–electronic synergy integrates photonics-assisted THz generation, high-power traveling wave tube amplification, and diversity reception, enabling kilometer-scale 335 GHz wireless communication with a record 61,248 Gbit s^-1·m rate–distance product.

This work introduces thin, mechanically compliant high-aspect-ratio silica fibers that enable enhanced sensitivity to external stimuli, outperforming conventional optical fibers and opening new possibilities for advanced monitoring technologies.

The authors demonstrate a 226-GHz all-photonic wireless link over 1.4 km, achieving a record-high net-rate-distance product of 214.2 Gbits⁻¹ km using broadband photonic/plasmonic components and a dual-sideband receiver that boosts SNR by 2 dB, showing strong turbulence resilience and exciting sub-THz deployment potential.

SDM based on multi-core fiber is a promising approach for capacity scaling in submarine cables. Yingyu Chen, Jinkai Zhou, and colleagues report the field validation of a deployed 7-core fiber submarine link, achieving 410.5 Tbit/s over 140 km with C + L band cladding-pumped MC-EDFAs.

Photonic topological structures based on solid-state Chern insulators allow light to flow in only one direction along their edges, making them intrinsically resistant to scattering and localization by imperfections. Now, a photonic version of a Chern insulator has been realized in a complex multi-core fibre.

Andres Biondi Vaccariello explains how a femtosecond laser can machine channels in optical fibres to allow their use as gas sensors.