Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.585914
Georgios Nousios, Odysseas Tsilipakos, Thomas Christopoulos, Jose F Algorri, Walter Fuscaldo, Francesco Dell'Olio, Emmanouil E Kriezis, Dimitrios C Zografopoulos
{"title":"Lasing in strongly resonant metasurfaces with fluorescent dyes: quasi-dark and bright optical states and the reabsorption effect.","authors":"Georgios Nousios, Odysseas Tsilipakos, Thomas Christopoulos, Jose F Algorri, Walter Fuscaldo, Francesco Dell'Olio, Emmanouil E Kriezis, Dimitrios C Zografopoulos","doi":"10.1364/OE.585914","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.585914","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A light-emitting metasurface for highly efficient lasing in the visible is proposed and thoroughly theoretically studied. The metasurface comprises split-square slots etched in a thin TiO<sub>2</sub> layer and periodically arrayed in a subdiffractive lattice. The slots are filled with highly fluorescent rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecules in a methanol matrix, providing optically pumped gain under pulsed excitation. Lasing is enabled by a slot-type quasi-bound state in the continuum (qBIC) offering enhanced light-matter interaction. Through a meticulous design process, the lasing threshold is minimized by mitigating reabsorption losses and effectively coupling the pump light to a bright mode exhibiting significant angular dispersion. This enables relaxed resonant pumping conditions at the desired wavelength by appropriately choosing the incidence angle. To assess the lasing response, a rigorous temporal coupled-mode theory (CMT) framework is employed, which is adapted to organic dye gain media accounting for the critical reabsorption effect. The proposed metasurface laser has a very low lasing threshold of 1 kW/cm<sup>2</sup> and remarkably high efficiency of 15% at 570 nm.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"37308-37319"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.614445
Sun-Goo Lee, Wook-Jae Lee
{"title":"Near-unity light absorption at normal incidence via a single critically coupled unidirectional guided resonance in all-dielectric zero-contrast gratings.","authors":"Sun-Goo Lee, Wook-Jae Lee","doi":"10.1364/OE.614445","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.614445","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Perfect light absorption under one-sided illumination in a conventional two-port planar photonic system typically requires either a reflecting element or a pair of degenerate resonances. In this study, we show that near-perfect light absorption can be achieved by exploiting a single critically coupled Γ-point unidirectional guided resonance (UGR) in an all-dielectric zero-contrast grating (ZCG), without requiring either a reflecting element or a pair of degenerate resonances. Because downward radiation is suppressed, the ZCG effectively behaves as a one-port system, enabling near-perfect absorption (≥ 99%) of normally incident light from the top, whereas light incident from the bottom is predominantly reflected. We present an analytical expression, <i>A</i><sub>max</sub> = <i>F</i><sub><i>η</i></sub><i>F</i><sub><i>r</i></sub>, which separately quantifies the effects of radiation asymmetry <i>F</i><sub><i>η</i></sub> and critical coupling <i>F</i><sub><i>r</i></sub> on the maximum absorptance at resonance. This relation shows that near-perfect absorption can be maintained despite deviations from the ideal UGR condition, the exact critical-coupling condition, or both, provided that <i>F</i><sub><i>η</i></sub><i>F</i><sub><i>r</i></sub> ≥ 0.99. This analytical prediction is confirmed by finite-element simulations. Our findings provide valuable insight for developing high-performance all-dielectric light absorbers based on UGRs for diverse optoelectronic applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"37007-37017"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149112849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.609350
Xuan Xiao, Hao Tan, Guigang Li, Liwen Chen, Zhen Cai, Donglin Ma
{"title":"Optical design of a transmissive ultra-widefield non-mydriatic confocal fundus imaging system.","authors":"Xuan Xiao, Hao Tan, Guigang Li, Liwen Chen, Zhen Cai, Donglin Ma","doi":"10.1364/OE.609350","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.609350","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A fully transmissive ultra-wide-field non-mydriatic confocal fundus imaging system design is proposed for retinal imaging under pupil diameters smaller than 3 mm. Real-ray tracing and conjugate relationship analyses are employed, providing a theoretical basis for the optical design and optimization of the system. Based on this analysis, a fully transmissive coaxial architecture integrating ultra-wide-field imaging and multispectral compatibility is designed. An internal focusing mechanism is further introduced to compensate for refractive errors through axial translation of a focusing lens without changing the overall system length. The proposed design achieves a simulated retinal field angle of 189.06° with a working distance of 15 mm and supports multispectral imaging at 488 nm, 520 nm, 635 nm, and 785 nm. Optical simulation results indicate near diffraction-limited imaging performance across the full field. The retinal resolution remains better than 15 μm over a refractive compensation range from -15 D to +15 D. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed design achieves the largest single-frame field of view for transmissive confocal fundus imaging systems while maintaining non-mydriatic operation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"37740-37757"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149112933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.613255
Andrew T Rider, John A Frith, Andrew Stockman
{"title":"Why the colours of modern displays can look so different to different observers.","authors":"Andrew T Rider, John A Frith, Andrew Stockman","doi":"10.1364/OE.613255","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.613255","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Normal human colour vision depends on photon absorption in three types of cone photoreceptors (sensors) with different spectral sensitivities. Colour vision is therefore trichromatic. Triplets of primary lights can be mixed to reproduce colours that fall inside the colour space or gamut delimited by each triplet. Older displays with broadband primaries produce a small colour gamut and a relatively limited range of colours, but the colours generally appear similar to different observers. Modern displays with narrowband primaries produce a larger gamut and a wider range of colours, but the colours often appear different to different observers. These mismatches (or observer metamerism failures) stem from individual differences in colour vision caused by physiological and genetic variability in the population. Here we use our model of those differences to simulate their effects on the colours produced by a large range of display types. Substantial colour differences are predicted for narrowband displays, especially for observers with forms of red-green colour vision deficiency and those with aged lenses. Noticeable differences are also predicted for some observers whose colour vision deviates from the mean observer but would otherwise be classified as normal, including some who might be engaged in colour-critical industries.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"38458-38481"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.606203
Chi Sun, Xiaoli Jing, Jidong Xue, Zhongshan Zhang, Rui You
{"title":"Physics-aware depth estimation network for dense, accurate, and fast metasurface-based structured light microsystem.","authors":"Chi Sun, Xiaoli Jing, Jidong Xue, Zhongshan Zhang, Rui You","doi":"10.1364/OE.606203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.606203","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Structured light (SL)-based three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction has been extensively utilized across various domains, including artificial intelligence, surveying, and precision manufacturing. In recent years, metasurface-facilitated structured light microsystems exhibit better performance in FOV, high resolution,and ultracompact volume than traditional optical projectors. However, the reconstructed point cloud data is always sparse and low-accuracy due to the limited number of projected dots depend on the fabrication size of the metasurface. In this work, we proposed a physics-aware depth estimation network for accurate depth and disparity estimation. To build a high-quality meta-optics structured light virtual dataset for training the network, our approach proposes a forward imaging process that integrates accurate meta-diffractive propagation modeling. Specifically, we achieve an absolute depth error of 0.173 mm and improve the depth-estimation accuracy by 42.56% in standard deviation compared with the common SGBM algorithm, achieving high-accuracy 3-D measurement for the recovery of the fine details of complex surfaces. Such a physics-aware depth estimation network promises accurate, fast, and dense 3-D imaging results with a compact metasurface SL module.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"36797-36814"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.605887
Robert Holcomb, Chengyong Feng, Jake Bromage
{"title":"Controlling supercontinuum generation with tandem neural network-based models.","authors":"Robert Holcomb, Chengyong Feng, Jake Bromage","doi":"10.1364/OE.605887","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.605887","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>White light continuum (WLC) generation in nonlinear media is governed by strongly nonlinear and coupled physical processes, making the selection of experimental parameters to achieve a desired output challenging. In our experiments, we generate WLC in an undoped YAG crystal using tunable subpicosecond, 1-µm laser pulses. We demonstrate a tandem neural network framework as an inverse model for WLC generation and find that the model successfully converges to reproduce desired outputs, despite nonunique experimental parameters. We further used the model to study the range over which we can optimize the system. These results highlight both the utility and limitations of neural-network-based inverse design for nonlinear optical systems and provide physical insight into WLC generation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"36787-36796"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.605317
Min Gao, Xiao Yang, Weiya Jia, Linxin Liu, Guihua Lu, Lai Wei, Bei Zhang, Can Li, Feng Zhao
{"title":"SERS substrate for detecting toxic malachite green molecules based on a multilayer Ag/Cu/Ag nanosphere shell array.","authors":"Min Gao, Xiao Yang, Weiya Jia, Linxin Liu, Guihua Lu, Lai Wei, Bei Zhang, Can Li, Feng Zhao","doi":"10.1364/OE.605317","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.605317","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The design of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates critically requires large-area, spatially uniform distributions of electromagnetic hot spots to ensure high SERS enhancement and broad applicability across analytical, environmental, and biomedical domains. However, conventional fabrication approaches, largely reliant on top-down micro- and nanofabrication techniques, are inherently expensive and involve multistep, labor-intensive processes, which impedes scalability and commercial viability. In this work, we report the scalable synthesis of Ag/Cu/Ag spherical shell ordered arrays via nanosphere lithography with a cost-effective, reproducible, and operationally simple bottom-up strategy. Using rhodamine 6G as a model Raman-active probe, we systematically investigate the influence of Cu layer thickness on SERS performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the substrate incorporating a 10 nm Cu interlayer delivers optimal enhancement, achieving a detection limit of 10<sup>-9</sup> M and an analytical enhancement factor of 5.36 × 10<sup>8</sup>. Furthermore, the platform enables sensitive detection of malachite green, a hazardous aquaculture contaminant, at concentrations as low as 10<sup>-8</sup> M. Mechanistic analysis reveals that the pronounced SERS signal amplification originates from strong plasmonic coupling between the inner and outer Ag layers, which collectively generate highly localized and intense electromagnetic hot spots across the curved shell surface. These findings provide a rational, structure-property-guided framework for engineering high-density hot spot architectures, thereby advancing the practical deployment of SERS in surface catalysis, biosensing, and environmental monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"37082-37095"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.605273
Gizem Alpakut, Mehmet Burcin Unlu, Bora Akgun, Seydi Yavas
{"title":"Single platform femtosecond laser microfabrication of multilayer glass microfluidic devices.","authors":"Gizem Alpakut, Mehmet Burcin Unlu, Bora Akgun, Seydi Yavas","doi":"10.1364/OE.605273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.605273","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fabrication of glass microfluidic devices typically involves complex multi-step workflows that require intermediate chemical or mechanical processing. In this study, we present a single-platform femtosecond laser fabrication approach for multilayer glass microfluidic devices. The proposed method combines microchannel fabrication, inlet/outlet port drilling, and hermetic laser welding in a single fabrication workflow. Debris-free microchannels with dimensions of approximately 50 μm × 50 μm were produced using air-assisted material removal. For glass bonding, a spiral scanning-based welding strategy was employed, and fluidic testing confirmed leak-free operation up to 70 μL/min, corresponding to an estimated pressure drop of approximately 2.5 bar. The presented approach provides a fully laser-based route for rapid prototyping of multilayer glass microfluidic devices without requiring chemical processing or intermediate surface treatment steps.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"38337-38350"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.607450
Yuting Wei, Chunqi Jin, Qidai Chen
{"title":"Reconfigurable spatial-frequency transfer in long-wave infrared imaging.","authors":"Yuting Wei, Chunqi Jin, Qidai Chen","doi":"10.1364/OE.607450","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.607450","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Long-wave infrared (LWIR) imaging is widely used in night vision and thermal target recognition, but often suffers from noise and blurred edges. Here, we present a distributed Bragg reflector-liquid crystal (DBR-LC) framework for reconfigurable optical preprocessing of LWIR images. By combining the angle-dependent phase response of DBRs with the electrically tunable refractive index of an LC cavity, programmable spatial-frequency optical transfer functions are realized through angular-spectrum engineering. The framework enables switchable low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-stop filtering for selective denoising and edge detection within a compact, low-power platform, establishing a foundation for reconfigurable optical computing and intelligent infrared imaging systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"37954-37970"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Optics expressPub Date : 2026-10-05DOI: 10.1364/OE.611157
Stepan M Trushin, Takahiro Ito, Shuma Ito, Satoshi Iwamoto, Yasutomo Ota
{"title":"Flatband localization in disordered one-dimensional moiré photonic crystal bilayers.","authors":"Stepan M Trushin, Takahiro Ito, Shuma Ito, Satoshi Iwamoto, Yasutomo Ota","doi":"10.1364/OE.611157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.611157","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flatband wave localization is a hallmark phenomenon in moiré photonic crystals and offers a new route to tight light confinement. However, the influence of structural disorder on flatband light localization has remained largely unexplored. In this work, we investigate one-dimensional moiré photonic crystal bilayers and demonstrate that magic distances - specific interlayer separations at which the bandwidth of an optical band is sharply minimized - remain well defined even in the presence of disorder. To address the high computational cost of direct electromagnetic simulations, we introduce a tight-binding model for moiré photonic crystal bilayers, which quantitatively reproduces flatband formation, bandwidth narrowing at magic distances, and localization properties over a wide parameter space. By examining a large ensemble of distorted photonic crystals, we find that wave localization accompanied by sharp bandwidth narrowing can be recovered in each realization by tuning the interlayer separation, even under disorder. The robustness of magic distances provides an encouraging foundation for implementing photonic devices based on moiré light confinement.</p>","PeriodicalId":19691,"journal":{"name":"Optics express","volume":"34 20","pages":"38011-38020"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149113253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}