{"title":"Dispersive optical activity for spectro-polarimetric imaging","authors":"Zhijie Cao, Siwei Sun, Jingxuan Wei, Yong Liu","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01766-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01766-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A spectro-polarimetric imaging approach leverages optical rotatory dispersion in natural crystals to encode spectral information into polarization states. The system demonstrates effectiveness in laboratory and outdoor field experiments, showing potential for biological microscopy, machine vision, and remote sensing applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143452102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“QuanTour” illuminates Europe with single photons: celebrating the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025","authors":"Fei Ding","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01745-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01745-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Witness the journey of a solid-state quantum light source travelling across Europe and beyond—like an Olympic torch relay in the quantum realm.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"88 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143426976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhenyu Wan, Ziyi Tang, Xi Zhang, Miles J. Padgett, Jian Wang
{"title":"Compact and reciprocal probe-signal-integrated rotational Doppler velocimetry with fiber-sculpted light","authors":"Zhenyu Wan, Ziyi Tang, Xi Zhang, Miles J. Padgett, Jian Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01747-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01747-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In recent years, with the clarification of the mechanism of the rotational Doppler effect (RDE), there has attracted extensive attention to its development of applications, especially in the detection of the angular velocity of rotating objects. On the other hand, optical fiber technology is widely applied in laser velocimetry from beam delivery to scattered light collection, aiding the miniaturization of instruments. Here we report the first all-fiber rotational Doppler velocimetry (AF-RDV) with a single probe based on a fabricated mode-sculpted fiber-optic element. The constructed AF-RDV can be operated in two reciprocal schemes wherein exchanging the illuminating mode and detected mode. Using this, we experimentally demonstrate the mode-changing dependent nature of the RDE. Particularly, the results suggest that the rotational Doppler shift can be observed by mode-filtering the scattered signal even with a non-twisted probe light. We also show the achromatic property of the RDE by scanning the incident wavelength, enabling the AF-RDV within an ultra-broadband operation range. The AF-RDV exhibits favorable performance for detecting spinning rough surfaces. It may provide an exciting new practical sensing instrument with significant prospects for monitoring angular motion in both research and industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143434993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A hybrid single quantum dot coupled cavity on a CMOS-compatible SiC photonic chip for Purcell-enhanced deterministic single-photon emission","authors":"Yifan Zhu, Runze Liu, Ailun Yi, Xudong Wang, Yuanhao Qin, Zihao Zhao, Junyi Zhao, Bowen Chen, Xiuqi Zhang, Sannian Song, Yongheng Huo, Xin Ou, Jiaxiang Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-024-01676-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-024-01676-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The ability to control nonclassical light emission from a single quantum emitter by an integrated cavity may unleash new perspectives for integrated photonic quantum applications. However, coupling a single quantum emitter to cavity within photonic circuitry towards creation of the Purcell-enhanced single-photon emission is elusive due to the complexity of integrating active devices in low-loss photonic circuits. Here we demonstrate a hybrid micro-ring resonator (HMRR) coupled with self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) for cavity-enhanced deterministic single-photon emission. The HMRR cavity supports whispering-gallery modes with quality factors up to 7.8×10<sup>3</sup>. By further introducing a micro-heater, we show that the photon emission of QDs can be locally and dynamically tuned over one free spectral ranges of the HMRR ( ~ 4 nm). This allows precise tuning of individual QDs in resonance with the cavity modes, thereby enhancing single-photon emission with a Purcell factor of about 4.9. Our results on the hybrid integrated cavities coupled with two-level quantum emitters emerge as promising devices for chip-based scalable photonic quantum applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143417479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Keeping them distant for ultimate brightness","authors":"Maximilian Stremel, Markus Suta","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01760-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01760-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While strong absorption is best achieved with high activator concentrations, luminescence brightness typically suffers in that case due to energy migration and concentration quenching. The teams around Xia and Zhong have reported about an aphthitalite-type Eu-activated phosphate that breaks with this paradigm and enables the sustainment of high photoluminescence quantum yields (>40%) up to concentrations as high as 70 mol% Eu. Mixing of that phosphor with a low (0.8%) and high (70%) Eu fraction results in almost natural white light with excellent color rendition and correlated color temperature that could serve as a new instructive concept for next-generation phosphor-converted white LEDs.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143401289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Colour triad in rare-earth doped glass: a step toward volumetric displays","authors":"Yiyuan Zhu, Renren Deng","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01763-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01763-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Full-colour tuning in rare-earth doped monolithic tellurite glass is realised via excitation pulse modulation, enabling a novel platform for laser-based transparent displays. This advancement demonstrates the potential of upconversion emission for future display technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143401288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Universal conservation laws of the wave-particle-entanglement triad: theory and experiment","authors":"Ziheng Ding, Yaohao Deng, Shao-Ming Fei, Si-Qi Zhou, Xiaojiong Chen, Ziwen Rui, Zhihao Ma, Yunlong Xiao, Jianwei Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01759-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01759-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>When observed, a quantum system exhibits either wave-like or particle-like properties, depending on how it is measured. However, this duality is affected by the entanglement of the system with its quantum memory, raising a fundamental question: how are wave–particle duality and entanglement related? Here, we broaden the scope of wave–particle duality to include entanglement, introduce universal conservation laws for the wave–particle–entanglement triad, and perform demonstrations on silicon–integrated nanophotonic quantum chips. Our experiments not only mark the first confirmation of universal conservation laws but also highlight the potential of integrated photonics for exploring complex quantum phenomena in high-dimensional systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143393168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hao Zhan, Ben Wang, Minghao Mi, Jie Xie, Liang Xu, Aonan Zhang, Lijian Zhang
{"title":"Experimental benchmarking of quantum state overlap estimation strategies with photonic systems","authors":"Hao Zhan, Ben Wang, Minghao Mi, Jie Xie, Liang Xu, Aonan Zhang, Lijian Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01755-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01755-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Accurately estimating the overlap between quantum states is a fundamental task in quantum information processing. While various strategies using distinct quantum measurements have been proposed for overlap estimation, the lack of experimental benchmarks on estimation precision limits strategy selection in different situations. Here we compare the performance of four practical strategies for overlap estimation, including tomography-tomography, tomography-projection, Schur collective measurement and optical swap test using photonic quantum systems. We encode the quantum states on the polarization and path degrees of freedom of single photons. The corresponding measurements are performed by photon detection on certain modes following single-photon mode transformation or two-photon interference. We further propose an adaptive strategy with optimized precision in full-range overlap estimation. Our results shed new light on extracting the parameter of interest from quantum systems, prompting the design of efficient quantum protocols.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143393169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guohao Chen, Jingsheng Miao, Xingyu Huang, Zhenghao Zhang, Zhuixing Xue, Manli Huang, Nengquan Li, Xiaosong Cao, Yang Zou, Chuluo Yang
{"title":"High-power-efficiency and ultra-long-lifetime white OLEDs empowered by robust blue multi-resonance TADF emitters","authors":"Guohao Chen, Jingsheng Miao, Xingyu Huang, Zhenghao Zhang, Zhuixing Xue, Manli Huang, Nengquan Li, Xiaosong Cao, Yang Zou, Chuluo Yang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01750-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01750-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>White organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) show very promising as next-generation light-sources, but achieving high power efficiency (PE) and long operational lifetime remains challenging because of the lack of stable blue emitters that can harvest all triplet (T<sub>1</sub>) excitons for light emission. Herein, we propose integrating stable azure multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescent (MR-TADF) emitters into tri-color hybrid WOLEDs to tackle these issues. By meticulously selecting MR-TADF emitters and precisely tuning the exciton recombination zone, the optimized tri-color devices based on BCzBN-3B achieve color-stable white light emission with maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE<sub>max</sub>) and maximum PE (PE<sub>max</sub>) of 34.4% and 101.8 lm W<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Furthermore, the LT<sub>90</sub>, defined as the time for the luminance to drop to 90% of its initial value at 1000 cd m<sup>−2</sup>, reaches 761 h. In addition, a hybrid WOLED with deep blue emitter developed using our strategy achieves a high color rendering index of 88 and an EQE<sub>max</sub> of 30.6%, further demonstrating the versatility and effectiveness of our approach. The record-breaking efficiency and ultra-long lifetime underscore the success of hybrid white-light devices by incorporating robust blue MR-TADF emitters. These advancements open new avenues for commercialization of hybrid WOLEDs, presenting promising solutions for energy-efficient lighting and display technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143385239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Omri Meron, Uri Arieli, Eyal Bahar, Swarup Deb, Moshe Ben Shalom, Haim Suchowski
{"title":"Shaping exciton polarization dynamics in 2D semiconductors by tailored ultrafast pulses","authors":"Omri Meron, Uri Arieli, Eyal Bahar, Swarup Deb, Moshe Ben Shalom, Haim Suchowski","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01748-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01748-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The ultrafast formation of strongly bound excitons in two-dimensional semiconductors provides a rich platform for studying fundamental physics as well as developing novel optoelectronic technologies. While extensive research has explored the excitonic coherence, many-body interactions, and nonlinear optical properties, the potential to study these phenomena by directly controlling their coherent polarization dynamics has not been fully realized. In this work, we use a sub-10 fs pulse shaper to study how temporal control of coherent exciton polarization affects the generation of four-wave mixing in monolayer <span>({rm{WS}}{{rm{e}}}_{2})</span> under ambient conditions. By tailoring multiphoton pathway interference, we tune the nonlinear response from destructive to constructive interference, resulting in a 2.6-fold enhancement over the four-wave mixing generated by a transform-limited pulse. This demonstrates a general method for nonlinear enhancement by shaping the pulse to counteract the temporal dispersion experienced during resonant light–matter interactions. Our method allows us to excite both 1s and 2s states, showcasing a selective control over the resonant state that produces nonlinearity. By comparing our results with theory, we find that exciton-exciton interactions dominate the nonlinear response, rather than Pauli blocking. This capability to manipulate exciton polarization dynamics in atomically thin crystals lays the groundwork for exploring a wide range of resonant phenomena in condensed matter systems and opens up new possibilities for precise optical control in advanced optoelectronic devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143385238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}