Reviews & Analysis

New themes such as quantum effects and nonlocality presented at the Sixth International Conference on Surface Plasmon Photonics along with new work in traditional fields indicate that plasmonics is not slowing down yet.

This article reviews recent progress in the use of silicon nitride and Hydex as non-silicon-based CMOS-compatible platforms for nonlinear optics. New capabilities such as on-chip optical frequency comb generation, ultrafast optical pulse generation and measurement using these materials, and their potential future impact and challenges are covered.

Cavity-enhanced high-harmonic generation has been extended to the ∼10 nm wavelength range by using a pierced cavity mirror for outcoupling. This light source has the potential to realize further advances in precision extreme-ultraviolet spectroscopy and attosecond physics.

The web of optical fibre networks deployed across Europe is proving useful for experiments in optical metrology and sensing in addition to their primary use of carrying Internet data and telephone calls.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is normally associated with the enhanced electric fields that arise near metal nanoparticle surfaces. The contribution of field gradients has been unclear, but new research provides insights into their effect.

Co-propagating a signal with its phase conjugate along an optical fibre link makes it possible to mitigate unwanted nonlinear distortions and improve the signal-to-noise ratio in long-haul optical communication systems.

The spin of the nitrogen–vacancy centre in diamond is a powerful resource for quantum control. However, control over its charge state lags far behind. Appropriating electrical gating techniques used in quantum-dot devices could bridge this gap.

Scientists experimentally demonstrate a scheme that allows the number of qubits encoded per photon to be varied while keeping the overall quantum information constant. They also propose the inverse 'splitting' process.

Small-scale quantum computers made from an array of interconnected waveguides on a glass chip can now perform a task that is considered hard to undertake on a large scale by classical means.

Organic photovoltaics offer the tantalizing promise of low-cost plastic coatings that can be applied to building surfaces and roofing to generate electricity sustainably. Now, the demonstration that the addition of organic dyes can improve device performance by energy-transfer processes offers an exciting new opportunity.

Enhancing magneto-optic effects may help to reduce the size of photonic devices. Recent research by several groups shows that the features of metal optical components can be exploited to enhance typically weak magneto-optic effects.

Nanophotonics is of both fundamental and applied importance. This field has a wide range of applications, including light-emitting devices and optical integrated circuits.

Using a pump–probe technique, scientists have experimentally demonstrated a nonlinear imaging scheme that permits the super-resolution imaging of nonfluorescent samples, making it promising for use with unstained specimens.

Deformed optical resonators that support chaotically propagating modes have been shown to store more light energy than conventional cavities.

Cooling materials using interaction with light has come a long way in the past 20 years. Researchers at the recent 2013 Photonics West showed that they can cool new types of materials and more can be expected in the future using new approaches.

This Review summarizes the simultaneous transmission of several independent spatial channels of light along optical fibres to expand the data-carrying capacity of optical communications. Recent results achieved in both multicore and multimode optical fibres are documented.

The damping of surface plasmons hinders the realization of nanophotonic devices. Researchers have now uncovered some of the mid-infrared damping mechanisms for plasmons in graphene, which offer a number of unique and interesting properties.