Recently, a teleportation scheme using a two-mode squeezed state to teleport a photonic qubit, so called a “hybrid” approach, has been suggested and experimentally demonstrated as a candidate to overcome the limitations of all-optical quantum information processing. We find, however, that there exists the upper bound of fidelity when teleporting a photonic qubit via a two-mode squeezed channel under a lossy environment. The increase of photon loss decreases this bound, and teleportation better than this limit is impossible even when the squeezing degree of the teleportation channel becomes infinity. Our result indicates that the hybrid scheme can be valid for fault-tolerant quantum computing only when the photon loss rate can be suppressed under a certain limit.

We report on AlGaN-based tunnel heterojunctions grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy enabling fully transparent UVC LEDs by eliminating the absorbing p-AlGaN and p-GaN layers. Furthermore, the electrical characteristics can be improved by exploiting the higher conductivity of n-AlGaN layers as well as a lower resistance of n-contacts. UVC LEDs with AlGaN:Mg/AlGaN:Si tunnel junctions exhibiting single peak emission at 268 nm have been realized, demonstrating effective carrier injection into the AlGaN multiple quantum well active region. The incorporation of a low band gap interlayer enables effective tunneling and strong voltage reduction. Therefore, the interlayer thickness is systematically varied. Tunnel heterojunction LEDs with an 8 nm thick GaN interlayer exhibit continuous-wave emission powers >3 mW near thermal rollover. External quantum efficiencies of 1.4% at a DC current of 5 mA and operating voltages of 20 V are measured on-wafer. Laterally homogeneous emission is demonstrated by UV-sensitive electroluminescence microscopy images. The complete UVC LED heterostructure is grown in a single epitaxy process including in situ activation of the magnesium acceptors.

Black phosphorus (BP), a typical mono-elemental and two-dimensional (2D) material, has gathered significant attention owing to its distinct optoelectronic properties and promising applications, despite its main obstacle of long-term stability. Consequently, BP-analog materials with long-term chemical stability show additional potential. In this contribution, tin sulfide (SnS), a novel two-elemental and 2D structural BP-analog monochalcogenide, has been demonstrated to show enhanced stability under ambient conditions. The broadband nonlinear optical properties and carrier dynamics have been systematically investigated via Z-scan and transient absorption approaches. The excellent nonlinear absorption coefficient of 50.5×10 3cm/GW, 1 order of magnitude larger than that of BP, endows the promising application of SnS in ultrafast laser generation. Two different decay times of τ1～873fs and τ2～96.9ps allow the alteration between pure Q switching and continuous-wave (CW) mode locking in an identical laser resonator. Both mode-locked and Q-switched operations have been experimentally demonstrated using an SnS saturable absorber at the telecommunication window. Femtosecond laser pulses with tunable wavelength and high stability are easily obtained, suggesting the promising potential of SnS as an efficient optical modulator for ultrafast photonics. This primary investigation may be considered an important step towards stable and high-performance BP-analog material-based photonic devices.

For crystals, depressed cladding waveguides have advantages such as preservation of the spectroscopic as well as non-linear properties and the capability to guide both horizontal and vertical polarization modes, but fabrication is always quite time consuming. In addition, it is usually difficult to couple modes propagating in different depressed cladding waveguides through evanescent field overlap, so it is often required to dynamically reconfigure photonic waveguide devices using external fields for classical or quantum applications. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the single-scan femtosecond laser transverse writing of depressed cladding waveguides to form a 2×2 directional coupler inside lithium niobate crystal, which is integrated with two deeply embedded microelectrodes on both sides of the interaction region to reconfigure the coupling. By focal field engineering of the femtosecond laser, we specially generate a three-dimensional longitudinally oriented ring-shaped focal intensity profile composed of 16 discrete spots to simultaneously write the entire cladding region. The fabricated waveguides exhibit good single guided modes in two orthogonal polarizations at 1550 nm. By applying voltage to the deeply embedded microelectrodes fabricated with the femtosecond laser ablation followed by selective electroless plating, we successfully facilitate the light coupling from the input arm to the cross arm and thus actively tune the splitting ratio. These results open new important perspectives in the efficient fabrication of reconfigurable complex three-dimensional devices in crystals based on depressed cladding waveguides.

Submicron-meter size GaAsBi disk resonators were fabricated with the GaAsBi/GaAs single-quantum-well (QW)-structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The GaAsBi/GaAs QW revealed very broad photoluminescence signals in the wavelength range of 1100–1400 nm at 300 K. The 750 nm diameter and 220 nm thick disk resonators were optically pumped and exhibited lasing characteristics with continuous wave operation at room temperature. To our knowledge, it is the first demonstration of a lasing wavelength longer than 1.3 μm with a maximum value of 1.4 μm in a GaAsBi/GaAs material system. The lasing wavelength spans about 130 nm by adjusting the disk diameter, covering almost the entire O band. The ultrasmall GaAsBi disk lasers may have great potential for highly dense on-chip integration with large tunability in the O band.

In this work, a model based on the optical rectification effect and the photocurrent surge effect is proposed to describe the terahertz emission mechanism of the layered GaTe crystal. As a centrosymmetric crystal, the optical rectification effect arises from the breaking of the inversion symmetry due to lattice reorganization of the crystal’s surface layer. In addition, the photocurrent surge originating from the unidirectional charge carrier diffusion—due to the noncubic mobility anisotropy within the layers—produces terahertz radiation. This is confirmed by both terahertz emission spectroscopy and electric property characterization. The current surge perpendicular to the layers also makes an important contribution to the terahertz radiation, which is consistent with its incident angle dependence. Based on our results, we infer that the contribution of optical rectification changes from 90% under normal incidence to 23% under a 40° incidence angle. The results not only demonstrate the terahertz radiation properties of layered GaTe bulk crystals, but also promise the potential application of terahertz emission spectroscopy for characterizing the surface properties of layered materials.

The synergy of a plasmonic tip and fiber-based structure light field excitation can provide a powerful tool for Raman examination. Here, we present a method of Raman spectrum enhancement with an Ag-nanoparticles (Ag-NPs)-coated fiber probe internally excited via an azimuthal vector beam (AVB), which is directly generated in a few-mode fiber by using an acoustically induced fiber grating. Theoretical analysis shows that gap mode can be effectively generated on the surface of the Ag-NPs-coated fiber probe excited via an AVB. The experimental result shows that the intensity of Raman signal obtained with analyte molecules of malachite green by exciting the Ag-NPs-coated fiber probe via an AVB is approximately eight times as strong as that via the linear polarization beam (LPB), and the activity of the AVB-excited fiber probe can reach 10 11 mol/L, which cannot be achieved by LPB excitation. Moreover, the time stability and reliability are also examined, respectively.

Bio-imaging generally indicates imaging techniques that acquire biological information from living forms. Recently, the ability to detect, diagnose, and monitor pathological, physiological, and molecular dynamics is in great demand, while scaling down the observing angle, achieving precise alignment, fast actuation, and a miniaturized platform become key elements in next-generation optical imaging systems. Optofluidics, nominally merging optic and microfluidic technologies, is a relatively new research field, and it has drawn great attention since the last decade. Given its abilities to manipulate both optic and fluidic functions/elements in the micro-/nanometer regime, optofluidics shows great potential in bio-imaging to elevate our cognition in the subcellular and/or molecular level. In this paper, we emphasize the development of optofluidics in bio-imaging, from individual components to representative applications in a more modularized, systematic sense. Further, we expound our expectations for the near future of the optofluidic imaging discipline.

Hybrid square/rhombus-rectangular lasers (HSRRLs) consisting of a Fabry–Perot (FP) cavity and a square/rhombus microcavity (SRM) are proposed and demonstrated for realizing single-mode lasing with a wide wavelength tuning range. The SRM is a deformed square microcavity with a vertex extended to the FP cavity to control the coupled mode field pattern in the FP cavity. Single-mode operation with a side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) over 45.3 dB is realized, and a wide wavelength tuning range of 21 nm with SMSR >35 dB is further demonstrated by adjusting the injection currents of the SRM and the FP cavity simultaneously. Furthermore, a 3-dB modulation bandwidth of 14.1 GHz and an open-eye diagram at 35 Gb/s are demonstrated for the HSRRL.

Transparent ceramics are emerging as future materials for lasers, scintillation, and illumination. In this paper, an interesting and surprising phenomenon in YAG transparent ceramics is reported. UV light leads to significant changes in the microstructure of open volume defects and nano clusters as well as in the optical properties. Light-induced lattice relaxation is suggested as the mechanism behind this intriguing behavior. The complex F-type color center with broad absorption bands is caused by the aliovalent sintering additives (Ca2+/Mg2+) and Fe ion impurities. Two individual peaks in the thermoluminescence spectra illustrate both shallow and deep level traps. From positron annihilation lifetime data, vacancy clusters and nanovoids are detected and characterized, although these free-volume defects could not be observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The solarization induced by UV irradiation is associated with a change in the structure and size of defect clusters due to lattice relaxation. Therefore, this work shows how UV irradiation leads not only to a change in the charge state of defects, but also to a permanent change in defect structure and size. It significantly affects the optical properties of YAG ceramics and their performance in lasers and other optical applications. These results are crucial for advancing transparent ceramics technology.

Bio-chemical molecular detection in the nanoscale, based on alloyed nanorods (NRs) with tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) properties and high chemical stability, has attracted particular interest. In this work, alloyed Au-Ag NRs with tunable aspect ratios were achieved by annealing Au nanobipyramid-directed Au@Ag core-shell NRs. The core-shell NRs were encapsulated within mesoporous silica outer shells to avoid fusion or aggregation. The structural stability of fully alloyed Au-Ag NRs, including chemical and thermal stability, is remarkably improved compared with that of Au@Ag core-shell NRs. The alloyed NRs would maintain the rod-like structure after being incubated in etchant solution, while Au@Ag core-shell NRs would decay into nanobipyramids. Additionally, fully alloyed NRs present stable morphology under annealing at high temperatures of up to 600°C in air. Benefiting from excellent structural and chemical stabilities, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect based on alloyed NRs is stable in harsh environments. Taking advantage of tunable SPR properties (600–1800 nm) and excellent stability, the obtained nanostructures can serve as drug carriers. The perfect photo-thermal effect induced by the particular SPR of alloyed NRs can improve the release efficiency of drugs.

Raman and Brillouin lasers based on a high-quality (high-Q) whispering gallery mode microresonator (WGMR) are usually achieved by employing a tunable single-frequency laser as a pump source. Here, we experimentally demonstrate visible Raman and Brillouin lasers using a compact microresonator/ZrF4 BaF2 LaF3 AlF3 NaF (ZBLAN)-fiber hybrid system by incorporating a WGMR with a fiber-compatible distributed Bragg reflector/fiber Bragg grating to form a Fabry–Perot (F-P) fiber cavity and using a piece of Pr:ZBLAN fiber as gain medium. The high-Q silica-microsphere not only offers a Rayleigh-scattering-induced backreflection to form the ～635 nm red laser oscillation in the F-P fiber cavity, but also provides a nonlinear gain in the WGMR itself to generate either stimulated Raman scattering or stimulated Brillouin scattering. Up to six-order cascaded Raman lasers at 0.65 μm, 0.67 μm, 0.69 μm, 0.71 μm, 0.73 μm, and 0.76 μm are achieved, respectively. Moreover, a Brillouin laser at 635.54 nm is clearly observed. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of visible microresonator-based lasers created by combining a Pr:ZBLAN fiber. This structure can effectively extend the laser wavelength in the WGMR to the visible waveband and may find potential applications in underwater communication, biomedical diagnosis, microwave generation, and spectroscopy.

This paper describes the specially designed geometry of a dry-etched large-wedge-angle silica microdisk resonator that enables anomalous dispersion in the 780 nm wavelength regime. This anomalous dispersion occurs naturally without the use of a mode-hybridization technique to control the geometrical dispersion. By fabricating a 1-μm-thick silica microdisk with a wedge angle as large as 56° and an optical Q-factor larger than 107, we achieve a visible Kerr comb that covers the wavelength interval of 700–897 nm. The wide optical frequency range and the closeness to the clock transition at 698 nm of Sr87 atoms make our visible comb a potentially useful tool in optical atomic clock applications.

Achieving electromagnetic wave scattering manipulation in the multispectral and broad operation band has been a long pursuit in stealth applications. Here, we present an approach by using single-layer metasurfaces composed of space-variant amorphous silicon ridges tiled on a metallic mirror, to generate high-efficiency dual-band and ultra-wideband photonic spin-orbit interaction and geometric phase. Two scattering engineered metasurfaces have been designed to reduce specular reflection; the first one can suppress both specular reflectances at 1.05–1.08 μm and 5–12 μm below 10%. The second one is designed for an ultra-broadband of 4.6–14 μm, which is actually implemented by cleverly connecting two bands of 4.6–6.1 μm and 6.1–14 μm. Furthermore, the presented structures exhibit low thermal emission at the same time due to the low absorption loss of silicon in the infrared spectrum, which can be regarded as an achievement of laser–infrared compatible camouflage. We believe the proposed strategy may open a new route to implement multispectral electromagnetic modulation and multiphysical engineering applications.

Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) hexagonal optical micro-/nanocavities can be utilized as high-quality (Q) resonators for realizing compact-size low-threshold lasers. In this paper, the progress in WGM hexagonal micro-/nanocavity lasers is reviewed comprehensively. High-Q WGMs in hexagonal cavities are divided into two kinds of resonances propagating along hexagonal and triangular periodic orbits, with distinct mode characteristics according to theoretical analyses and numerical simulations; however, WGMs in a wavelength-scale nanocavity cannot be well described by the ray model. Hexagonal micro-/nanocavity lasers can be constructed by both bottom-up and top-down processes, leading to a diversity of these lasers. The ZnO- or nitride-based semiconductor material generally has a wurtzite crystal structure and typically presents a natural hexagonal cross section. Bottom-up growth guarantees smooth surface faceting and hence reduces the scattering loss effectively. Laser emissions have been successfully demonstrated in hexagonal micro-/nanocavities synthesized with various materials and structures. Furthermore, slight deformation can be easily introduced and precisely controlled in top-down fabrication, which allows lasing-mode manipulation. WGM lasing with excellent single-transverse-mode property was realized in waveguide-coupled ideal and deformed hexagonal microcavity lasers.