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A spectral decomposition of the fluorescence emission from labelled receptors within cells, together with a simple but accurate data analysis of their mutual Förster resonant energy transfer, can provide high-resolution real-time imaging of the fate of intracellular proteins.
For integrated photonics to take off, light signals zooming around optical chips must be successfully isolated from one another. Scientists at Stanford University have now designed a miniature one-way valve for light that uses photonic transitions and is potentially compatible with silicon-chip CMOS fabrication processes.
The use of fluorescent tagging and nanoscale waveguides looks set to make real-time DNA sequencing a realistic proposition. Commercial devices based on nanophotonics are expected in 2010.
The year 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the first report of white-light supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibre. This result had a tremendous impact on the field of nonlinear fibre optics and continues to open up new horizons in photonic science. Here we provide a concise and critical summary of the current state of nonlinear optics in photonic crystal fibre, identifying some of the most important and interesting recent developments in the field. We also discuss several emerging research directions and point out links with other areas of physics that are now becoming apparent.
The demonstration that lasing at high-k wavevectors is possible in a quantum cascade laser may open new avenues for the design of intersub-band devices.
Using clever device engineering, European researchers have created vertically emitting microcavity lasers, potentially paving the way towards powerful terahertz sources and detectors useful for imaging and biological sensing.
By applying an extremely large magnetic field to break a semiconductor's energy bands into discrete levels, researchers have shown that it is possible for terahertz quantum cascade lasers to operate at unprecedented temperatures and wavelengths.
Optical communication makes good use of sensitive avalanche photodiodes, typically made from group III–V semiconductor compounds. New research shows that silicon may be a viable alternative material for realizing such detectors with better performance.
How can we capture ultrafast optical signals in real time? A time lens is one possibility — able to image the temporal profile of a short optical signal, analogous to a conventional lens. Such a device has now been created on a silicon chip.
Recent research suggests that plasmonics may offer a route to the development of modulators with terahertz bandwidths, many orders of magnitude faster than today's devices.
