Waveguides

3D-printed photonic lantern enables compact spatial mode (De-)multiplexing

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Optical waves propagating through air or multi-mode fiber can be patterned or decomposed using orthogonal spatial modes, with far-ranging applications in imaging, communication, and directed energy. Yet the systems that perform these wavefront manipulations are cumbersome and large, restricting their utilization to high-end applications. The development of a free-standing microscale photonic lantern spatial mode (de-)multiplexer … Read more

High-intensity spatial-mode steerable frequency up-converters for on-chip integrated photonics

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The field of integrated photonics is experiencing a revolution with the development of high-intensity spatial-mode steerable frequency up-converters, as discussed in a recent study published in Opto-Electronic Science. These devices play a pivotal role in on-chip integration, enabling control over photon spatial modes, frequencies, angular momenta, and phases—all essential for advanced quantum entangled states, photon … Read more

High-speed wavefront shaping achieved with integrated metasurface and photonic waveguide

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Over the past decade, metasurfaces deploying two-dimensional artificial nanostructures have emerged as a groundbreaking platform to manipulate light across various degrees of freedom. These metasurfaces exhibit significant potential in foundational scientific research and industrial applications. Compared to the static control of optical fields, dynamic optical field control introduces new control variables in the time domain, … Read more

New approach to chiral light transmission in waveguides with high efficiency

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In non-Hermitian systems, two or more eigenvalues and eigenstates of a resonant system coalesce at Exceptional points (EPs). Dynamic encircling of EPs has received significant interest in recent years, as it leads to highly nontrivial phenomena, such as chiral transmission, in which the final state of the system depends on the encircling handedness. Previously, chiral … Read more

Photonic gratings extend lifetime of quantum fluids for enhanced optical simulations

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Condensed matter systems and photonic technologies are regularly used by researchers to create microscale platforms that can simulate the complex dynamics of many interacting quantum particles in a more accessible setting. Some examples include ultracold atomic ensembles in optical lattices, superconducting arrays, and photonic crystals and waveguides. In 2006 a new platform emerged with the … Read more

Researchers develop hybrid waveguide devices for enhanced control of optical signals

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Researchers have developed a new way to control and manipulate optical signals by embedding a liquid crystal layer into waveguides created with direct laser writing. The new devices enable electro-optical control of polarization, which could open new possibilities for chip-based devices and complex photonic circuits based on femtosecond-written waveguides. “Laser writing of waveguides and electro-optical … Read more