The fifth anniversary of Advanced Photonics
On the Cover: Terahertz polarization sensing, chirality enhancement, and specific binding based on metasurface sensors for biochemical detection: a review [Invited]
Advanced Imaging | Open for Submissions Now!
On the Cover: Coherent free-electron light sources
On the Cover: Achieving higher photoabsorption than group III-V semiconductors in ultrafast thin silicon photodetectors with integrated photon-trapping surface structures

As we mark the fifth anniversary of Advanced Photonics, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude for the remarkable journey we have undertaken together with our authors, readers, reviewers, Editorial Board, and publishers.

The image shows the application of multifunctional and multitype metasurfaces in biochemical sensing. In the middle of the image, it is shown that metasurfaces with different functions generate different chiral light fields under the excitation of incident THz waves so that various biomolecules on the surface can be detected.

A general concept of optical undulator which consists of micro- or nano-scale photon quasi-particles, provides the modulation force necessarily for free electron radiation emission. It paves the way toward compact free electron coherent light sources.

The cover image illustrates a novel engineering technique utilizing photon-trapping surface structures to experimentally demonstrate an extraordinary improvement of photoabsorption in thin silicon that surpasses the inherent absorption e?ciency of gallium arsenide for a broad spectrum of wavelengths.

AP Highlights
Gigahertz-rate switchable wavefront shaping by LNOI-empowered metasurface
Researchers demonstrate reconfigurable ultra-highspeed wavefront shaping with a metasurface driven by photonic integrated circuits
Advanced Photonics
  • Apr. 26, 2024
  • Vol. 6, Issue 1 (2024)
AI Highlights
AI-accelerated advanced SIM imaging
Understanding the intricate and rapidly evolving dynamics within cells is crucial for advancements in life sciences research. One pivotal aspect is the ability to quickly and accurately capture structural changes within living cells, which is instrumental in unraveling biological processes and investigating pathologies. Structure Illumination Microscopy (SIM) emerges as a powerful tool in dynamically observing living samples due to its ability to surpass the optical diffraction limit, its labeling of samples does not require specific fluorescent dyes. and its minimal phototoxicity.
Advanced Imaging
  • Apr. 25, 2024
  • Vol. 1, Issue 1 (2024)
On the Cover
Ultra-compact on-chip polarization controller
As a basic property of photons, polarization state (SOP) has been widely used in communication, optical coherence tomography, medical diagnosis, remote detection, material analysis and other fields. The polarization controller is the key element in the polarization applications, which can be realized by rotating wave plate and birefringence effect, but the traditional discrete optical components have some problems such as great volume, slow speed and poor reconfigurability. This cover article presents a novel polarization controller on the silicon substrate, which is ultra-compact, large tolerance and easy to regulate. The basic principle is that the horizontal and vertical polarization components of light waves can be converted into each other by using the mode hybrid effect of ridged silicon optical waveguide. By using MZI structure and phase shifter, the energy ratio and phase difference of two polarization components can be controlled, and the conversion between arbitrary polarization states can be realized. Due to the perfect symmetry of its structure, this work has obtained the highest range of polarization extinction ratio (PER) reported so far, and has wide application prospects in related fields.
Photonics Research
  • Apr. 25, 2024
  • Vol. 12, Issue 2 (2024)
Community-News
HB11 collaborates on ‘Equations of State’ experiments at PALS, Czech Republic
Proton-boron fuel requires implosion to burn. In order to build a correct model of the implosion process driven by a high energy laser, we need to understand the material properties and behaviour of the boron fuel under extreme pressures and temperatures. This is no simple task as we’re talking about millions of atmospheric pressures and millions to billions of Kelvins (degrees), occurring after petawatts (1,000 trillion watts) of energy have passed through fuel no bigger than a millimetre in size.
High Power Laser Science and Engineering
  • Apr. 24, 2024
  • Vol. , Issue (2024)
Editors' Picks
Highly efficient conversion from classical guided waves to topological chiral edge states
The photonic topological insulator, which is the electromagnetic analogy of the topological insulator in electronic systems, has attracted a great deal of attention due to its topologically protected one-way transport of edge states. In the quantum Hall effect system in which the time-reversal symmetry is broken through external magnetic fields, the topological chiral edge states and topological one-way waveguides have the best robustness due to their unique features of free backscattering and immunity against sharp bends and defects. However, the high-efficiency coupling and conversion between topological chiral edge states and classical guided waves, which are essential for feeding energies into and extracting signals from these topological waveguides, have not been well studied.
Chinese Optics Letters
  • Apr. 19, 2024
  • Vol. 22, Issue 2 (2024)
Newest Articles
Optical pulse repetition rate division using an optoelectronic oscillator

An approach for frequency division of an optical pulse train (OPT) based on an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated

An approach for frequency division of an optical pulse train (OPT) based on an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. When the OPT is injected into the OEO, a microwave signal with a frequency equaling fractional multiples of the repetition rate of the OPT is generated. This signal is then fed back to the OEO, maintaining its oscillation, while simultaneously serving as the control signal of a Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM) in the OEO. The MZM acts as an optical switch, permitting specific pulses to pass through while blocking others. As a result, the repetition rate of the OPT is manipulated. A proof-of-concept experiment is carried out. Frequency division factors of 2 and 3 are successfully achieved. The phase noises of the OPT before and after the frequency division are investigated. Compared to previously reported systems, no external microwave source and sophisticated synchronization structure are needed.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Chinese Optics Letters,Vol. 22, Issue 4
  • 043902 (2024)
Review of bio-inspired image sensors for efficient machine vision

With the rapid development of sensor networks, machine vision faces the problem of storing and computing massive data. The human visual system has a very

With the rapid development of sensor networks, machine vision faces the problem of storing and computing massive data. The human visual system has a very efficient information sense and computation ability, which has enlightening significance for solving the above problems in machine vision. This review aims to comprehensively summarize the latest advances in bio-inspired image sensors that can be used to improve machine-vision processing efficiency. After briefly introducing the research background, the relevant mechanisms of visual information processing in human visual systems are briefly discussed, including layer-by-layer processing, sparse coding, and neural adaptation. Subsequently, the cases and performance of image sensors corresponding to various bio-inspired mechanisms are introduced. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of implementing bio-inspired image sensors for efficient machine vision are discussed.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Advanced Photonics,Vol. 6, Issue 2
  • 024001 (2024)
Butler matrix enabled multi-beam optical phased array for two-dimensional beam-steering and ranging

Based on the wavelength transparency of the Butler matrix (BM) beamforming network, we demonstrate a multi-beam optical phased array (MOPA) with an emitti

Based on the wavelength transparency of the Butler matrix (BM) beamforming network, we demonstrate a multi-beam optical phased array (MOPA) with an emitting aperture composed of grating couplers at a 1.55 μm pitch for wavelength-assisted two-dimensional beam-steering. The device is capable of simultaneous multi-beam operation in a field of view (FOV) of 60° × 8° in the phased-array scanning axis and the wavelength-tuning scanning axis, respectively. The typical beam divergence is about 4° on both axes. Using multiple linearly chirped lasers, multi-beam frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) ranging is realized with an average ranging error of 4 cm. A C-shaped target is imaged for proof-of-concept 2D scanning and ranging.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Photonics Research,Vol. 12, Issue 5
  • 912 (2024)
Beyond 200-Gb/s O-band intensity modulation and direct detection optics with joint look-up-table-based predistortion and digital resolution enhancement for low-cost data center interconnects

We propose a joint look-up-table (LUT)-based nonlinear predistortion and digital resolution enhancement scheme to achieve high-speed and low-cost optical

We propose a joint look-up-table (LUT)-based nonlinear predistortion and digital resolution enhancement scheme to achieve high-speed and low-cost optical interconnects using low-resolution digital-to-analog converters (DACs). The LUT-based predistortion is employed to mitigate the pattern-dependent effect (PDE) of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), while the digital resolution enhancer (DRE) is utilized to shape the quantization noise, lowering the requirement for the resolution of DAC. We experimentally demonstrate O-band intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD) transmission of 124-GBd 4 / 6-level pulse-amplitude modulation ( PAM ) -4 / 6 and 112-GBd PAM-8 signals over a 2-km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) with 3 / 3.5 / 4-bit DACs. In the case of 40-km SSMF transmission with an SOA-based preamplifier, 124-GBd on-off-keying (OOK)/PAM-3/PAM-4 signals are successfully transmitted with 1.5 / 2 / 3-bit DACs. To the best of our knowledge, we have achieved the highest net data rates of 235.3-Gb / s PAM-4, 289.7-Gb / s PAM-6, and 294.7 Gb / s PAM-8 signals over 2-km SSMF, as well as 117.6-Gb / s OOK, 173.8-Gb / s PAM-3, and -231.8 Gb / s PAM-4 signals over 40-km SSMF, employing low-resolution DACs. The experimental results reveal that the joint LUT-based predistortion and DRE effectively mitigate the PDE and improve the signal-to-quantization noise ratio by shaping the noise. The proposed scheme can provide a powerful solution for low-cost IM/DD optical interconnects beyond 200 Gb / s.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Advanced Photonics Nexus,Vol. 3, Issue 3
  • 036007 (2024)
Advanced Photonics Photonics Insights

Random fiber lasers have attracted extensive attention due to their rich physical properties and wide applications. Here, a novel random fiber laser (RFL) using a cascaded fiber loop mirror (FLM

Random fiber lasers have attracted extensive attention due to their rich physical properties and wide applications. Here, a novel random fiber laser (RFL) using a cascaded fiber loop mirror (FLM) is proposed and presented. A cascaded FLM with ten FLMs is simulated by the transfer matrix method and used to provide the random feedback. Multiple spikes are observed in both the simulated and measured reflection spectra. The RFL operates in a single longitudinal mode near the threshold and a time-varying multi-longitudinal mode at higher pump powers. The RFL exhibits a time-varying radio frequency spectrum. The Levy-Gaussian distribution transition is observed as in many RFLs. The operation mechanism of the lasing longitudinal modes and the impact of complex mode competition and mode hopping on the output characteristics are discussed through experimental and theoretical results. This study unveils a new artificial random feedback structure and paves a new way for the realization of RFLs, which should be a novel platform for multidisciplinary studies in complex systems.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Advanced Photonics Nexus

High-order Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) petal-like beams have become a topic of significant interest due to their potential application in next generation optical trapping, quantum optics, and materia

High-order Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) petal-like beams have become a topic of significant interest due to their potential application in next generation optical trapping, quantum optics, and materials processing technologies. In this work we demonstrate the generation of high-order LG beams with petal-like spatial profiles and tunable orbital angular momentum (OAM) in the mid-infrared wavelength region. These beams are generated using idler-resonant optical parametric oscillation (OPO) in a KTiOAsO4 (KTA) crystal. By adjusting the length of the resonant cavity, the OAM of the mid-infrared idler field can be tuned and we demonstrate tuning in the range 0 ~ ±10. When using a maximum pump energy of 20.2 mJ, the maximum output energy of high-order modes LG0,±5, LG0,±8 and LG0,±10 were 0.8 mJ, 0.53 mJ and 0.46 mJ respectively. The means by which high-order LG modes with petal-like spatial profiles and tunable OAM were generated from the OPO is theoretically modelled by examining the spatial overlap efficiency of the beam waists of the pump and resonant idler fields within the center of KTA crystal. The methodology presented in this work offers a simple and flexible method to wavelength convert laser emission and generate high-order LG modes.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Advanced Photonics Nexus

In the field of long-wave infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging, vital for applications such as military surveillance and medical diagnostics, metalenses show immense potential for compact, lightweigh

In the field of long-wave infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging, vital for applications such as military surveillance and medical diagnostics, metalenses show immense potential for compact, lightweight, and low-power optical systems. However, to date, the development of LWIR broadband achromatic metalenses with dynamic tunable focus, which are suitable for both coaxial and off-axis applications, remains a largely unexplored area. Herein, we have developed an extensive database of broadband achromatic all-As2Se3 microstructure units for the LWIR range. Utilizing this database with the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, we have designed and demonstrated LWIR broadband achromatic metalenses capable of coaxial and off-axis focusing with three dynamic tunable states. This research may have potential applications for the design of compact, high-performance optical devices, including those with extreme depth-of-field and wide-angle imaging capabilities.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Chinese Optics Letters,Vol. 22, Issue 8
  • (2024)

Lasers from ¹I₆ to ³F₄ transitions were first demonstrated in a Pr³⁺:YLF crystal by inserting a birefringent filter. Output powers up to 2.44 W, 2.10 W, 2.01 W and 2.42 W were obt

Lasers from ¹I₆ to ³F₄ transitions were first demonstrated in a Pr³⁺:YLF crystal by inserting a birefringent filter. Output powers up to 2.44 W, 2.10 W, 2.01 W and 2.42 W were obtained at 691.7 nm, 701.4 nm, 705.0 nm and 708.7 nm. Their slope efficiencies were 19.8%, 16.5%, 15.8% and 19.4%, respectively. The Mx² and My² factors were measured to be 2.29 and 2.03 at 691.7 nm, 2.23 and 1.86 at 701.4 nm, 2.31 and 2.08 at 705.0 nm, and 2.41 and 2.04 at 708.7 nm, with corresponding power fluctuations of less than 5.3%, 5.6%, 5.8%, and 2.9%.show less

  • Apr.27,2024
  • Chinese Optics Letters,Vol. 22, Issue 8
  • (2024)