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Goulielmakis, E. (2012). Attosecond photonics: Extreme ultraviolet catastrophes. Nat. Photon., 6(3), 142–143.
Abstract: Extreme ultraviolet attosecond pulses, which emerge from the interaction of atoms with intense laser fields, play a central role in modern ultrafast science and the exploration of electron behaviour. Recent work now shows that catastrophe theory can help optimize the properties of these pulses.
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Usmani, I., Clausen, C., Bussières, F., Sangouard, N., Afzelius, M., & Gisin, N. (2012). Heralded quantum entanglement between two crystals. Nat. Photon., 6(4), 234–237.
Abstract: Quantum networks must have the crucial ability to entangle quantum nodes. A prominent example is the quantum repeater, which allows the distance barrier of direct transmission of single photons to be overcome, provided remote quantum memories can be entangled in a heralded fashion. Here, we report the observation of heralded entanglement between two ensembles of rare-earth ions doped into separate crystals. A heralded single photon is sent through a 50/50 beamsplitter, creating a single-photon entangled state delocalized between two spatial modes. The quantum state of each mode is subsequently mapped onto a crystal, leading to an entangled state consisting of a single collective excitation delocalized between two crystals. This entanglement is revealed by mapping it back to optical modes and by estimating the concurrence of the retrieved light state. Our results highlight the potential of crystals doped with rare-earth ions for entangled quantum nodes and bring quantum networks based on solid-state resources one step closer.
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Hase, M., Katsuragawa, M., Constantinescu, A. M., & Petek, H. (2012). Frequency comb generation at terahertz frequencies by coherent phonon excitation in silicon. Nat. Photon., 6, 243–247.
Abstract: High-order nonlinear light–matter interactions in gases enable the generation of X-ray and attosecond light pulses, metrology and spectroscopy1. Optical nonlinearities in solid-state materials are particularly interesting for combining optical and electronic functions for high-bandwidth information processing2. Third-order nonlinear optical processes in silicon have been used to process optical signals with bandwidths greater than 1 GHz (ref. 2). However, fundamental physical processes for a silicon-based optical modulator in the terahertz bandwidth range have not yet been explored. Here, we demonstrate ultrafast phononic modulation of the optical index of silicon by irradiation with intense few-cycle femtosecond pulses. The anisotropic reflectivity modulation by the resonant Raman susceptibility at the fundamental frequency of the longitudinal optical phonon of silicon (15.6 THz) generates a frequency comb up to seventh order. All-optical >100 THz frequency comb generation is realized by harnessing the coherent atomic motion of the silicon crystalline lattice at its highest mechanical frequency.
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Schwarz, B. (2010). Lidar: Mapping the world in 3D. Nat. Photon., 4(7), 429–430.
Abstract: A high-definition LIDAR system with a rotating sensor head containing 64 semiconductor lasers allows the efficient generation of 3D environment maps at unprecedented levels of detail.
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Kosako, T., Kadoya, Y., & Hofmann, H. F. (2010). Directional control of light by a nano-optical Yagi–Uda antenna. Nat. Photon., 4, 312–315.
Abstract: The plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles can direct light from optical emitters in much the same way that radiofrequency antennas direct the emission from electrical circuits. Recently, rapid progress has been made in the realization of single-element antennas for optical waves. Because most of these devices are designed to optimize the local near-field coupling between the antenna and an emitter, the possibility of modifying the spatial radiation pattern has not yet received as much attention. In the radiofrequency regime, a typical antenna design for high directivity is the Yagi–Uda antenna, which essentially consists of a one-dimensional array of antenna elements driven by a single feed element. By fabricating a corresponding array of nanoparticles, similar radiation patterns can be obtained in the optical regime. Here, we present the experimental demonstration of directional control of radiation from a nano-optical Yagi–Uda antenna composed of appropriately tuned gold nanorods.
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