Light-Science & Applications最新文献

{"title":"Photon–photon chemical thermodynamics of frequency conversion processes in highly multimode systems","authors":"Huizhong Ren, Georgios G. Pyrialakos, Qi Zhong, Fan O. Wu, Mercedeh Khajavikhan, Demetrios N. Christodoulides","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01856-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01856-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Frequency generation in highly multimode nonlinear optical systems is inherently a complex process, giving rise to an exceedingly convoluted landscape of evolution dynamics. While predicting and controlling the global conversion efficiencies in such nonlinear environments has long been considered impossible, here, we formally address this challenge even in scenarios involving a very large number of spatial modes. By utilizing fundamental notions from optical statistical mechanics, we develop a universal theoretical framework that effectively treats all frequency components as chemical reactants/products, capable of undergoing optical thermodynamic reactions facilitated by a variety of multi-wave mixing effects. These photon–photon reactions are governed by conservation laws that directly determine the optical temperatures and chemical potentials of the ensued chemical equilibria for each frequency species. In this context, we develop a comprehensive stoichiometric model and formally derive an expression that relates the chemical potentials to the optical stoichiometric coefficients, in a manner akin to atomic/molecular chemical reactions. This advancement unlocks new predictive capabilities that can facilitate the optimization of frequency generation in highly multimode photonic arrangements, surpassing the limitations of conventional schemes that rely exclusively on nonlinear optical dynamics. Notably, we identify a universal regime of Rayleigh–Jeans thermalization where an optical reaction at near-zero optical temperatures can promote the complete and entropically irreversible conversion of light to the fundamental mode at a target frequency. Our theoretical results are corroborated by numerical simulations in settings where second-harmonic generation, sum-frequency generation and four-wave mixing processes can manifest.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143933334","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":"Transverse mode coupling in monolithic few-mode fiber laser oscillators.","authors":"Binyu Rao,Jinbao Chen,Zefeng Wang,Hao Li,Baolai Yang,Rong Zhao,Xinyu Ye,Hengyu Tang,Meng Wang,Zhixian Li,Zilun Chen,Jianqiu Cao,Hu Xiao,Wei Liu,Pengfei Ma,Tianfu Yao","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01862-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01862-6","url":null,"abstract":"Transverse mode instability (TMI), induced by nonlinear thermal-optical coupling, poses a primary challenge for the power scaling of fiber lasers. In the fiber oscillator, a sealed resonant cavity, TMI could become particularly complex due to the mode competition during the laser oscillation. While traditional theories of TMI predominantly address two-mode coupling, this paper explores the TMI phenomena in few-mode fiber oscillators utilizing a holistic approach that includes solving steady-state thermal-optic coupling equations. The simulation shows that there is a non-monotonic correlation between bending loss and the TMI threshold, which is contrary to the monotonic associations suggested by two-mode interaction theory. When one high-order mode experiences net gain, fluctuations of the TMI threshold would occur, leading to the amplification of a new mode within the uncoupled frequency region, thus affecting the gain saturation. By designing the linewidth of a low-reflection grating (LR), the modal power management in the uncoupled frequency domain can be achieved. An excessively broad LR linewidth exacerbates mode coupling within the shared frequency region, thus exacerbating TMI. To validate the theoretical simulation, we carefully fabricated LRs and optimized the fiber coiling to elevate the TMI threshold. Through careful optimization of LR linewidth and bending radii, we achieved a record-breaking laser output of 10.07 kW using a monolithic fiber oscillator, with no observable evidence of TMI. Our work demonstrates that modal power redistribution in independent frequency domains offers a novel approach to mitigating TMI in high-power fiber lasers. Additionally, it provides new insights into mode decoupling strategies pertinent to fiber communications.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"50 1","pages":"187"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932735","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":"Advancing inorganic electro-optical materials for 5 G communications: from fundamental mechanisms to future perspectives.","authors":"Hao Wang,Long Chen,Yao Wu,Suwan Li,Guanlong Zhu,Wei Liao,Yi Zou,Tao Chu,Qiuyun Fu,Wen Dong","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01851-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01851-9","url":null,"abstract":"In the 5 G era, the demand for high-capacity and fast fiber-optic communication underscores the importance of inorganic optical materials with high electro-optical (EO) coefficients, rapid responses, and stability for efficient electro-optical modulators. The exploration of novel EO materials and their applications remains in the early stages. At present, research mainly focuses on the performance of EO materials and devices. However, the EO coefficients of different preparation methods for the same material and different materials vary significantly. Currently, a crucial gap lies in understanding the link between the EO effect and ferroelectric polarization, hindering advancements in ferroelectric material optimization. This article offers a comprehensive insight into the EO effect, initially discussing ferroelectric polarization and its relationship to the phenomenon. It then reviews standard inorganic ABO3 metal oxide ferroelectric ceramics and thin films, followed by an examination of emerging ferroelectrics such as HfO2-based polymorph ferroelectrics and ZnO/AlN-based materials. The article concludes by addressing the challenges in investigating ferroelectric EO mechanisms and provides an outlook on the future of EO material research, including a review of the latest developments in EO effect mechanisms and their optimization for light modulation, as well as an exploration of potential areas for high-performance EO materials research.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"2 1","pages":"190"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932736","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":"Spatial incoherence-driven optical reconstruction of holograms with observer shift-invariance","authors":"Yeo Ju Sohn, Daeho Yang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01823-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01823-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Coherence preserves phase consistency between wavefields, enabling accurate recording and reconstruction in holography. Although recent advances in computational optics have realized holographic data acquisition using incoherent light by computationally retrieving information, optical reconstruction still requires partially coherent light sources. We demonstrate a hologram that reconstructs 3-dimensional distribution utilizing incoherence. By decomposing incoherent light into infinitesimal coherent lights and calculating their propagations, the incoherent sum is optimized to resemble the desired 3-dimensional scene, whereas individual coherent lights reconstruct completely different intensities. Incoherence provides high image quality and a wide eyebox, with the reconstructed intensity remaining shift-invariant under pupil displacement, allowing a 1000-fold expansion of the eyebox. We confirm the shift-invariance through a proof-of-concept experiment and demonstrate real-time synthesis of incoherent holograms using a neural network, significantly reducing computational costs. Our method could inspire new approaches in photonics using incoherent light and be practically adopted in holographic displays.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"67 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143933331","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":"All-optical permittivity-asymmetric quasi-bound states in the continuum","authors":"Rodrigo Berté, Thomas Possmayer, Andreas Tittl, Leonardo de S. Menezes, Stefan A. Maier","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01843-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01843-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Resonances are usually associated with finite systems—the vibrations of clamped strings in a guitar or the optical modes in a cavity defined by mirrors. In optics, resonances may be induced in infinite continuous media via periodic modulations of their optical properties. Here we demonstrate that periodic modulations of the permittivity of a featureless thin film can also act as a symmetry-breaking mechanism, allowing the excitation of photonic <i>quasi</i>-bound states in the continuum (<i>q</i>BICs). By interfering two ultrashort laser pulses in the unbounded film, transient resonances can be tailored through different parameters of the pump beams. We show that the system offers resonances tunable in wavelength and quality-factor, and spectrally selective enhancement of third-harmonic generation. Due to a fast decay of the permittivity asymmetry, we observe ultrafast dynamics, enabling time-selective near-field enhancement with picosecond precision. Optically induced permittivity asymmetries may be exploited in on-demand weak to ultrastrong light-matter interaction regimes and light manipulation at dynamically chosen wavelengths in lithography-free metasurfaces.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"116 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143915304","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":"Nonlocal phase-change metaoptics for reconfigurable nonvolatile image processing","authors":"Guoce Yang, Mengyun Wang, June Sang Lee, Nikolaos Farmakidis, Joe Shields, Carlota Ruiz de Galarreta, Stuart Kendall, Jacopo Bertolotti, Andriy Moskalenko, Kairan Huang, Andrea Alù, C. David Wright, Harish Bhaskaran","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01841-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01841-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The next generation of smart imaging and vision systems will require compact and tunable optical computing hardware to perform high-speed and low-power image processing. These requirements are driving the development of computing metasurfaces to realize efficient front-end analog optical pre-processors, especially for edge detection capability. Yet, there is still a lack of reconfigurable or programmable schemes, which may drastically enhance the impact of these devices at the system level. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a reconfigurable flat optical image processor using low-loss phase-change nonlocal metasurfaces. The metasurface is configured to realize different transfer functions in spatial frequency space, when transitioning the phase-change material between its amorphous and crystalline phases. This enables edge detection and bright field imaging modes on the same device. The metasurface is compatible with a large numerical aperture of ~0.5, making it suitable for high resolution coherent optical imaging microscopy. The concept of phase-change reconfigurable nonlocal metasurfaces may enable emerging applications of artificial intelligence-assisted imaging and vision devices with switchable multitasking.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909723","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":"Efficient generation of Bessel-Gauss attosecond pulse trains via nonadiabatic phase-matched high-order harmonics","authors":"Mingxuan Li, Xiangyu Tang, Huiyong Wang, Jialong Li, Wentao Wang, Jiaao Cai, Jieda Zhang, Xinyue San, Xinning Zhao, Pan Ma, Sizuo Luo, Cheng Jin, Dajun Ding","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01845-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01845-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Generating Bessel-Gauss beams in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) with attosecond pulse durations poses a significant challenge due to the limitations of conventional transmission optical components. Here, we propose a novel approach to produce such beams by inducing an annular EUV source through high-order harmonic generation (HHG) under nonadiabatic phase-matching conditions. The resulting light pulse maintains temporal coherence and manifests attosecond pulse trains as confirmed by the reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions (RABBIT) measurements. Macroscopic HHG calculations reproduce the measured spatiotemporal structures, demonstrating the plasma-induced spatial modulation on the formation of an annular source. Propagation simulations further confirm the feasibility of this approach for generating attosecond Bessel-Gauss beams, presenting exciting prospects for various applications in EUV photonics and attosecond science.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909725","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":"MINFLUX nanoscopy enhanced with high-order vortex beams","authors":"Xiao-Jie Tan, Zhiwei Huang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01822-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01822-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Minimal photon fluxes (MINFLUX) nanoscopy has emerged as a transformative advancement in superresolution imaging, enabling unprecedented nanoscale observations across diverse biological scenarios. In this work, we propose, for the first time, that employing high-order vortex beams can significantly enhance the performance of MINFLUX, surpassing the limitations of the conventional MINFLUX using the first-order vortex beam. Our theoretical analysis indicates that, for standard MINFLUX, high-order vortex beams can improve the maximum localization precision by a factor corresponding to their order, which can approach a sub-nanometer scale under optimal conditions, and for raster scan MINFLUX, high-order vortex beams allow for a wider field of view while maintaining enhanced precision. These findings underscore the potential of high-order vortex beams to elevate the performance of MINFLUX, paving the way towards ultra-high resolution imaging for a broad range of applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"96 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909722","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":"Azimuthally-variant perfect vector beams for the control of arbitrary phase and polarization ring patterns","authors":"Andrea Vogliardi, Gianluca Ruffato, Daniele Bonaldo, Simone Dal Zilio, Filippo Romanato","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01859-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01859-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Perfect vortices, recognized for their distinct ring profile that remains independent of the topological charge, present significant challenges in generation due to the precise control needed over both phase and polarization. In this work, we introduce and validate a new approach for generating these beams, allowing the selection of different azimuthally-variant phase gradients and vector states, thereby enabling full control over the phase and polarization patterns of perfect vortices. Using dual-functional silicon metaoptics, we achieve the compact generation of a novel class of perfect vortices, termed azimuthally-variant perfect vector beams. The optical characterization of the generated beams, performed through a filtering method, confirms their intrinsic azimuthally-variant vectorial nature. These beams exhibit unique properties that promise valuable applications in optical tweezing, the manipulation of low-refractive-index particles, the trapping of cold atoms, and high-capacity communications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143910266","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 chip-integrated comb-based microwave oscillator","authors":"Wei Sun, Zhiyang Chen, Linze Li, Chen Shen, Kunpeng Yu, Shichang Li, Jinbao Long, Huamin Zheng, Luyu Wang, Tianyu Long, Qiushi Chen, Zhouze Zhang, Baoqi Shi, Lan Gao, Yi-Han Luo, Baile Chen, Junqiu Liu","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-01795-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01795-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Low-noise microwave oscillators are cornerstones for wireless communication, radar and clocks. The employment and optimization of optical frequency combs have enabled photonic microwave synthesizers with unrivalled noise performance and bandwidth breaking the bottleneck of those electronic counterparts. Emerging interest is to use chip-based Kerr frequency combs, namely microcombs. Today microcombs built on photonic integrated circuits feature small size, weight and power consumption, and can be manufactured to oscillate at any frequency ranging from microwave to millimeter-wave band. A monolithic microcomb-based microwave oscillator requires integration of lasers, photodetectors and nonlinear microresonators on a common substrate, which however has still remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate the first, fully hybrid-integrated, microcomb-based microwave oscillator at 10.7 GHz. The chip device, powered by a customized microelectronic circuit, leverages hybrid integration of a high-power DFB laser, a silicon nitride microresonator of a quality factor exceeding 25 × 10⁶, and a high-speed photodetector chip of 110 GHz bandwidth (3 dB) and 0.3 A/W responsivity. Each component represents the state of the art of its own class, yet also allows large-volume manufacturing with low cost using established CMOS and III-V foundries. The hybrid chip outputs an ultralow-noise laser of 6.9 Hz intrinsic linewidth, a coherent microcomb of 10.7 GHz repetition rate, and a 10.7 GHz microwave carrier of 6.3 mHz linewidth – all the three functions in one entity occupying a footprint of only 76 mm². Furthermore, harnessing the nonlinear laser-microresonator interaction, we observe and maneuver a unique noise-quenching dynamics within discrete microcomb states, which offers immunity to laser current noise, suppression of microwave phase noise by more than 20 dB, and improvement of microwave power by up to 10 dB. The ultimate microwave phase noise reaches −75/−105/−130 dBc/Hz at 1/10/100 kHz Fourier offset frequency. Our results can reinvigorate our information society for communication, sensing, imaging, timing and precision measurement.</p>","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143889736","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}