Pub Date : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1186/s40104-025-01335-1
Shijia Li, Jiawei Zhang, Lin Han, Ye Yu, Abdallah A Mousa, Weiyun Zhu, Jing Leng, Fei Xie, Shengyong Mao
Background: The gayal (Bos frontalis), a semi-domesticated bovine species, demonstrates exceptional adaptability to lignocellulose-rich diets dominated by bamboo, suggesting the presence of a specialized gastrointestinal microbiome. However, the functional mechanisms underlying this host-microbiome interaction remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted integrated metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of rumen, cecum, and colon digesta from yellow cattle and gayal raised on the same bamboo-based high-fiber diet.
Results: The results showed that gayal exhibited superior fiber-degrading capacity relative to yellow cattle, evidenced by significantly higher (P < 0.05) fiber digestibility, cellulase and xylanase activities, and increased volatile fatty acids production despite identical feed intake. Microbial community analysis revealed distinct composition in both the rumen and hindgut of gayal compared to yellow cattle, with notable enrichment of taxa specialized in lignocellulose degradation. Metatranscriptomic profiling further identified upregulation of key lignin-modification enzymes, particularly AA6, AA2, and AA3, primarily encoded by Prevotella, Cryptobacteroides, Limimorpha, and Ventricola. These enzymes are known to modify lignin structure to increase polysaccharide accessibility. These results demonstrate that gayal hosts a unique and metabolically active gastrointestinal microbiome capable of efficient lignocellulose deconstruction through a coordinated enzymatic cascade, especially effective in dismantling lignin barriers.
Conclusions: This study provides novel insights into host-microbiome co-adaptation to fibrous feeds and highlights the potential of gayal-derived microbial consortia and enzymes for improving roughage utilization in ruminant agriculture.
{"title":"Comparative metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses reveal the role of the gayal rumen and hindgut microbiome in high-efficiency lignocellulose degradation.","authors":"Shijia Li, Jiawei Zhang, Lin Han, Ye Yu, Abdallah A Mousa, Weiyun Zhu, Jing Leng, Fei Xie, Shengyong Mao","doi":"10.1186/s40104-025-01335-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-025-01335-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The gayal (Bos frontalis), a semi-domesticated bovine species, demonstrates exceptional adaptability to lignocellulose-rich diets dominated by bamboo, suggesting the presence of a specialized gastrointestinal microbiome. However, the functional mechanisms underlying this host-microbiome interaction remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted integrated metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of rumen, cecum, and colon digesta from yellow cattle and gayal raised on the same bamboo-based high-fiber diet.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed that gayal exhibited superior fiber-degrading capacity relative to yellow cattle, evidenced by significantly higher (P < 0.05) fiber digestibility, cellulase and xylanase activities, and increased volatile fatty acids production despite identical feed intake. Microbial community analysis revealed distinct composition in both the rumen and hindgut of gayal compared to yellow cattle, with notable enrichment of taxa specialized in lignocellulose degradation. Metatranscriptomic profiling further identified upregulation of key lignin-modification enzymes, particularly AA6, AA2, and AA3, primarily encoded by Prevotella, Cryptobacteroides, Limimorpha, and Ventricola. These enzymes are known to modify lignin structure to increase polysaccharide accessibility. These results demonstrate that gayal hosts a unique and metabolically active gastrointestinal microbiome capable of efficient lignocellulose deconstruction through a coordinated enzymatic cascade, especially effective in dismantling lignin barriers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides novel insights into host-microbiome co-adaptation to fibrous feeds and highlights the potential of gayal-derived microbial consortia and enzymes for improving roughage utilization in ruminant agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":"18"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12862909/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1186/s40104-025-01320-8
Longlong Zhu, Yuyan Che, Meixia Chen, Long Cai, Qiujue Wu, Tao Feng, Jing Wang
Background: Piglets are highly susceptible to oxidative stress, which can reduce growth performance and cause intestinal damage. Piceatannol (PIC), a natural bioactive substance enriched in Chinese rhubarb (Rheum officinale) and certain dark purple fruits, shows excellent antioxidant properties in our previous cell-based high-throughput screening. However, its effect on piglet growth performance and antioxidant capacity as well as underling mechanism has not been thoroughly investigated.
Methods: One hundred weaned pigs (28 days of age, 8.71 ± 0.20 kg) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 5 replicates of 5 pigs per replicate. The experimental diets consisted of: 1) basal diet, 2) basal diet + 100 mg/kg PIC, 3) basal diet + 200 mg/kg PIC, and 4) basal diet + 300 mg/kg PIC. On d 15 and 35, one pig from each replicate was selected for sampling. The growth performance was monitored during a 35-day trial. In addition, H2O2-challenged IPEC-J2 cells served as an in vitro model to investigate the antioxidant mechanisms of PIC. IPEC-J2 cells were treated with 1,000 μmol/L H2O2 in the presence or absence of 10 μmol/L PIC.
Results: Dietary PIC at 200 mg/kg significantly enhanced growth performance, as evidenced by increased average daily gain and feed conversion rate (P < 0.05). PIC supplementation markedly improved systemic antioxidant capacity, with elevated serum total antioxidant capacity, catalase activity, and glutathione levels, along with reduced malondialdehyde content (P < 0.05). Notably, PIC modulated the gut microbiota composition, increasing the amounts of beneficial genera (e.g., Blautia and Faecalibacterium), and these microbial shifts significantly correlated with improved antioxidant indices. In vitro, PIC pretreatment effectively protected IPEC-J2 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage by reducing reactive oxygen species generation and lipid peroxidation (P < 0.01). Mechanistically, PIC exerts its antioxidant effects through Nrf2 pathway activation, upregulating endogenous antioxidant enzymes (P < 0.05) while simultaneously inhibiting apoptosis via the regulation of the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and caspase-3 cleavage (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: PIC improved the growth performance and health status of weaned piglets through the regulation of Nrf2-mediated redox homeostasis and modulation of the related gut microbiota, offering a potential new natural antioxidants for mitigating weaning stress in piglets.
{"title":"Piceatannol enhances antioxidant capacity and growth in weaned piglets by regulating of Nrf2-mediated redox homeostasis and modulating of the related gut microbiota.","authors":"Longlong Zhu, Yuyan Che, Meixia Chen, Long Cai, Qiujue Wu, Tao Feng, Jing Wang","doi":"10.1186/s40104-025-01320-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-025-01320-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Piglets are highly susceptible to oxidative stress, which can reduce growth performance and cause intestinal damage. Piceatannol (PIC), a natural bioactive substance enriched in Chinese rhubarb (Rheum officinale) and certain dark purple fruits, shows excellent antioxidant properties in our previous cell-based high-throughput screening. However, its effect on piglet growth performance and antioxidant capacity as well as underling mechanism has not been thoroughly investigated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>One hundred weaned pigs (28 days of age, 8.71 ± 0.20 kg) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 5 replicates of 5 pigs per replicate. The experimental diets consisted of: 1) basal diet, 2) basal diet + 100 mg/kg PIC, 3) basal diet + 200 mg/kg PIC, and 4) basal diet + 300 mg/kg PIC. On d 15 and 35, one pig from each replicate was selected for sampling. The growth performance was monitored during a 35-day trial. In addition, H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-challenged IPEC-J2 cells served as an in vitro model to investigate the antioxidant mechanisms of PIC. IPEC-J2 cells were treated with 1,000 μmol/L H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> in the presence or absence of 10 μmol/L PIC.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Dietary PIC at 200 mg/kg significantly enhanced growth performance, as evidenced by increased average daily gain and feed conversion rate (P < 0.05). PIC supplementation markedly improved systemic antioxidant capacity, with elevated serum total antioxidant capacity, catalase activity, and glutathione levels, along with reduced malondialdehyde content (P < 0.05). Notably, PIC modulated the gut microbiota composition, increasing the amounts of beneficial genera (e.g., Blautia and Faecalibacterium), and these microbial shifts significantly correlated with improved antioxidant indices. In vitro, PIC pretreatment effectively protected IPEC-J2 cells against H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-induced oxidative damage by reducing reactive oxygen species generation and lipid peroxidation (P < 0.01). Mechanistically, PIC exerts its antioxidant effects through Nrf2 pathway activation, upregulating endogenous antioxidant enzymes (P < 0.05) while simultaneously inhibiting apoptosis via the regulation of the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and caspase-3 cleavage (P < 0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>PIC improved the growth performance and health status of weaned piglets through the regulation of Nrf2-mediated redox homeostasis and modulation of the related gut microbiota, offering a potential new natural antioxidants for mitigating weaning stress in piglets.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":"17"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12861067/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146097684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
III-V photonic crystal (PhC) lasers with small footprints and low power consumption are potential ultra-compact and power-efficient light sources for future on-chip optical interconnects. Conventional PhC lasers fabricated by vertical epitaxy require suspended air-bridge structures and air holes etched through the gain medium, severely compromising mechanical resistance to external impacts and pumping efficiency. While bonding and regrowth can mitigate these issues, their fabrication complexity substantially increases process costs and hinders mass production. Here, we address these issues using selective lateral heteroepitaxy and demonstrate monolithically integrated III-V membrane PhC lasers on (001) silicon-on-insulator (SOI). By leveraging selective lateral heteroepitaxy and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), we achieved the growth of dislocation-free InP membranes on SOI wafers patterned in Si-photonics foundries. The unique III-V-on-insulator avoids the formation of air-suspended structures and significantly enhances the mechanical stability of the devices. We also precisely positioned the laterally grown InGaAs/InP quantum wells (QWs) at the center of the InP membrane to avoid etching air holes through the gain medium, thus eliminating surface recombination and drastically improving pumping efficiency. We fabricated near-infrared and telecom PhC lasers using laterally grown III-V membranes, and achieved room-temperature lasing at 910 nm and 1430 nm with low thresholds of 17.5 μJ/cm² and 5.7 μJ/cm², respectively. Our results establish a novel approach for fabricating PhC lasers and provide an elegant solution for monolithically integrated PhC lasers in next-generation optical interconnects.
III-V光子晶体（PhC）激光器占地面积小，功耗低，是未来片上光学互连的潜在超紧凑和节能光源。通过垂直外延制造的传统PhC激光器需要悬浮的气桥结构和通过增益介质蚀刻的空气孔，这严重影响了外部冲击的机械阻力和泵浦效率。虽然粘合和再生可以缓解这些问题，但它们的制造复杂性大大增加了工艺成本，阻碍了大规模生产。在这里，我们利用选择性横向异质外延解决了这些问题，并在（001）绝缘体上硅（SOI）上展示了单片集成III-V膜PhC激光器。通过利用选择性横向异质外延和金属有机化学气相沉积（MOCVD），我们在硅光子学代工厂的SOI晶圆上实现了无位错InP膜的生长。独特的iii - v -on-绝缘子避免了空气悬浮结构的形成，显著提高了设备的机械稳定性。我们还精确地将横向生长的InGaAs/InP量子阱（QWs）定位在InP膜的中心，以避免通过增益介质蚀刻空气孔，从而消除表面复合并大大提高泵浦效率。利用横向生长的III-V薄膜制备了近红外和电信PhC激光器，实现了910 nm和1430 nm的室温激光，低阈值分别为17.5 μJ/cm²和5.7 μJ/cm²。我们的研究结果建立了一种制造PhC激光器的新方法，并为下一代光互连中的单片集成PhC激光器提供了一种优雅的解决方案。
{"title":"Monolithic III-V membrane photonic crystal lasers on SOI using selective lateral heteroepitaxy.","authors":"Cong Zeng,Zhaojie Ren,Zili Lei,Donghui Fu,Yingzhi Zhao,Ying Yu,Yu Han,Siyuan Yu","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02074-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02074-8","url":null,"abstract":"III-V photonic crystal (PhC) lasers with small footprints and low power consumption are potential ultra-compact and power-efficient light sources for future on-chip optical interconnects. Conventional PhC lasers fabricated by vertical epitaxy require suspended air-bridge structures and air holes etched through the gain medium, severely compromising mechanical resistance to external impacts and pumping efficiency. While bonding and regrowth can mitigate these issues, their fabrication complexity substantially increases process costs and hinders mass production. Here, we address these issues using selective lateral heteroepitaxy and demonstrate monolithically integrated III-V membrane PhC lasers on (001) silicon-on-insulator (SOI). By leveraging selective lateral heteroepitaxy and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), we achieved the growth of dislocation-free InP membranes on SOI wafers patterned in Si-photonics foundries. The unique III-V-on-insulator avoids the formation of air-suspended structures and significantly enhances the mechanical stability of the devices. We also precisely positioned the laterally grown InGaAs/InP quantum wells (QWs) at the center of the InP membrane to avoid etching air holes through the gain medium, thus eliminating surface recombination and drastically improving pumping efficiency. We fabricated near-infrared and telecom PhC lasers using laterally grown III-V membranes, and achieved room-temperature lasing at 910 nm and 1430 nm with low thresholds of 17.5 μJ/cm² and 5.7 μJ/cm², respectively. Our results establish a novel approach for fabricating PhC lasers and provide an elegant solution for monolithically integrated PhC lasers in next-generation optical interconnects.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"104 1","pages":"98"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146088905","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}
Photonic crystal fibers have significantly advanced optoelectronics, enabling a wide range of applications from communications to sensing and imaging. A long-standing challenge in these areas has been achieving pure single-polarization single-mode (SPSM) waveguiding for high-quality information transmission. Traditional approaches, however, inevitably introduce polarization dispersion and operate within a narrow bandwidth. Recent advancements in topological phases offer a promising opportunity to access previously unattainable mode properties, though experimental demonstrations remain scarce. In this work, we present the first experimental observation of a topologically protected photonic Dirac vortex mode that supports pure SPSM propagation in terahertz fibers. Utilizing terahertz scanning near-field microscopic spectroscopy, we map the temporal, spectral, and spatial characteristics of the topological mode, providing insights into its mode profile, dispersion, effective area, and numerical aperture. We demonstrate a single linearly dispersed Dirac vortex mode with a single vortex polarization and a broad 85.7% fractional bandwidth. This breakthrough fills a crucial gap in the development of SPSM fibers and introduces a comprehensive methodology for exploring mode properties, paving the way for advancements in terahertz optoelectronics, topological photonics, and specialty optical fibers.
{"title":"Experimental observation of topological Dirac vortex mode in terahertz photonic crystal fibers.","authors":"Hongyang Xing,Zhanqiang Xue,Perry Ping Shum,Longqing Cong","doi":"10.1038/s41377-026-02197-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-026-02197-6","url":null,"abstract":"Photonic crystal fibers have significantly advanced optoelectronics, enabling a wide range of applications from communications to sensing and imaging. A long-standing challenge in these areas has been achieving pure single-polarization single-mode (SPSM) waveguiding for high-quality information transmission. Traditional approaches, however, inevitably introduce polarization dispersion and operate within a narrow bandwidth. Recent advancements in topological phases offer a promising opportunity to access previously unattainable mode properties, though experimental demonstrations remain scarce. In this work, we present the first experimental observation of a topologically protected photonic Dirac vortex mode that supports pure SPSM propagation in terahertz fibers. Utilizing terahertz scanning near-field microscopic spectroscopy, we map the temporal, spectral, and spatial characteristics of the topological mode, providing insights into its mode profile, dispersion, effective area, and numerical aperture. We demonstrate a single linearly dispersed Dirac vortex mode with a single vortex polarization and a broad 85.7% fractional bandwidth. This breakthrough fills a crucial gap in the development of SPSM fibers and introduces a comprehensive methodology for exploring mode properties, paving the way for advancements in terahertz optoelectronics, topological photonics, and specialty optical fibers.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"43 1","pages":"97"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146088906","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1038/s41377-026-02185-w
Ying Shi,Bozhang Dong,Xiangpeng Ou,Artem Prokoshin,Chen Shang,John E Bowers,Yating Wan
Reflections from on-chip components pose significant challenges to stable laser operation in photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Quantum dot (QD) lasers, with low linewidth enhancement factors and high damping rates, are promising for isolator-free integration, yet earlier feedback studies were capped near -10 dB feedback and never reached coherence collapse (CC). As a result, one could only conclude that QD lasers tolerate feedback up to -10 dB, leaving open whether they remain reliable in practical PICs where lower coupling losses allow much stronger feedback. Here, we optimized QD lasers through advanced epitaxial growth and fabrication and developed a setup that delivers feedback up to 0 dB. Under these conditions, we observed CC at -6.7 dB (21.4% feedback), extending the feedback tolerance by tens of decibels beyond quantum-well (QW) lasers. We further demonstrated penalty-free 10 Gbps operation, robust thermal stability with ±0.5 dB drift across 15-45 °C, >100 h continuous testing, and ~±0.3 dB reproducibility across devices. Modeling indicates even stronger tolerance in realistic PIC cavities, and benchmarking shows our device rivals hybrid DFB-resonator platforms while outperforming other QW, QD, and VCSEL lasers. Together, this work provides the most comprehensive assessment of QD laser feedback tolerance to date and establishes practical design rules for isolator-free PICs.
{"title":"Exploring the feedback limits of quantum dot lasers for isolator-free photonic integrated circuits.","authors":"Ying Shi,Bozhang Dong,Xiangpeng Ou,Artem Prokoshin,Chen Shang,John E Bowers,Yating Wan","doi":"10.1038/s41377-026-02185-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-026-02185-w","url":null,"abstract":"Reflections from on-chip components pose significant challenges to stable laser operation in photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Quantum dot (QD) lasers, with low linewidth enhancement factors and high damping rates, are promising for isolator-free integration, yet earlier feedback studies were capped near -10 dB feedback and never reached coherence collapse (CC). As a result, one could only conclude that QD lasers tolerate feedback up to -10 dB, leaving open whether they remain reliable in practical PICs where lower coupling losses allow much stronger feedback. Here, we optimized QD lasers through advanced epitaxial growth and fabrication and developed a setup that delivers feedback up to 0 dB. Under these conditions, we observed CC at -6.7 dB (21.4% feedback), extending the feedback tolerance by tens of decibels beyond quantum-well (QW) lasers. We further demonstrated penalty-free 10 Gbps operation, robust thermal stability with ±0.5 dB drift across 15-45 °C, >100 h continuous testing, and ~±0.3 dB reproducibility across devices. Modeling indicates even stronger tolerance in realistic PIC cavities, and benchmarking shows our device rivals hybrid DFB-resonator platforms while outperforming other QW, QD, and VCSEL lasers. Together, this work provides the most comprehensive assessment of QD laser feedback tolerance to date and establishes practical design rules for isolator-free PICs.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"143 1","pages":"96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073015","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}
Narrow-linewidth vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are key enablers for chip-scale atomic clocks and quantum sensors, yet conventional designs suffer from short cavity lengths and excess spontaneous emission, resulting in broad linewidths and degraded frequency stability. Here, we demonstrate a monolithically integrated VCSEL operating at the cesium D1 line (894.6 nm) that achieves intrinsic linewidth compression to ~1 MHz, without requiring external optical feedback. This performance is enabled by embedding a passive cavity adjacent to the active region, which spatially redistributes the optical field into a low-loss region, extending photon lifetime while suppressing higher-order transverse and longitudinal modes. The resulting device exhibits robust single-mode operation over a wide current and temperature range, with side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) > 35 dB, orthogonal polarization suppression ratio (OPSR) > 25 dB and a beam divergence of ~7°. Integrated into a Cesium vapor-cell atomic clock, the VCSEL supports a frequency stability of 1.89 × 10-12 τ-1/2. These results position this VCSEL architecture as a compact, scalable solution for next-generation quantum-enabled frequency references and sensing platforms.
{"title":"1-MHz linewidth VCSEL enabled by monolithically integrated passive cavity for high-stability chip-scale atomic clocks.","authors":"Zhiting Tang,Chuanlin Li,Xuhao Zhang,Wuyang Ren,Kai Shen,Chuang Li,Qingsong Bai,Jin Li,Aobo Ren,Hao Wang,Xiaorong Luo,Hongxing Xu,Jiang Wu","doi":"10.1038/s41377-026-02192-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-026-02192-x","url":null,"abstract":"Narrow-linewidth vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are key enablers for chip-scale atomic clocks and quantum sensors, yet conventional designs suffer from short cavity lengths and excess spontaneous emission, resulting in broad linewidths and degraded frequency stability. Here, we demonstrate a monolithically integrated VCSEL operating at the cesium D1 line (894.6 nm) that achieves intrinsic linewidth compression to ~1 MHz, without requiring external optical feedback. This performance is enabled by embedding a passive cavity adjacent to the active region, which spatially redistributes the optical field into a low-loss region, extending photon lifetime while suppressing higher-order transverse and longitudinal modes. The resulting device exhibits robust single-mode operation over a wide current and temperature range, with side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) > 35 dB, orthogonal polarization suppression ratio (OPSR) > 25 dB and a beam divergence of ~7°. Integrated into a Cesium vapor-cell atomic clock, the VCSEL supports a frequency stability of 1.89 × 10-12 τ-1/2. These results position this VCSEL architecture as a compact, scalable solution for next-generation quantum-enabled frequency references and sensing platforms.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"1 1","pages":"94"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146069989","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02179-0
Liat Nemirovsky-Levy, Amit Kam, Meir Lederman, Meir Orenstein, Uzi Pereg, Guy Bartal, Mordechai Segev
Quantum nanophotonics merges the precision of nanoscale light manipulation with the capabilities of quantum technologies, offering a pathway for enhanced light-matter interaction and compact realization of quantum devices. Here, we show how a recently-demonstrated nonlinear nanophotonic process can be employed to selectively create photonic high-dimensional quantum states (qudits). We utilize the nonlinearity on the surface of the nanophotonic device to dress, through the polarization of the pump field, the near-field modes carrying angular momentum and their superpositions. This idea is an important step towards experimental realizations of quantum state generation and manipulation through nonlinearity within nanophotonic platforms, and enables new capabilities for on-chip quantum devices.
{"title":"Nonlinear nanophotonics for high-dimensional quantum states","authors":"Liat Nemirovsky-Levy, Amit Kam, Meir Lederman, Meir Orenstein, Uzi Pereg, Guy Bartal, Mordechai Segev","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02179-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02179-0","url":null,"abstract":"Quantum nanophotonics merges the precision of nanoscale light manipulation with the capabilities of quantum technologies, offering a pathway for enhanced light-matter interaction and compact realization of quantum devices. Here, we show how a recently-demonstrated nonlinear nanophotonic process can be employed to selectively create photonic high-dimensional quantum states (qudits). We utilize the nonlinearity on the surface of the nanophotonic device to dress, through the polarization of the pump field, the near-field modes carrying angular momentum and their superpositions. This idea is an important step towards experimental realizations of quantum state generation and manipulation through nonlinearity within nanophotonic platforms, and enables new capabilities for on-chip quantum devices.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"260 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146089286","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}
Non-destructive and accurate characterization of high aspect ratio (HAR) and composite micro-trenches is critical for advanced microfabrication but remains a major challenge. Conventional coherence scanning interferometry (CSI), while widely adopted, suffers from low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and limited lateral resolution when applied to HAR and composite microstructures. Here, we present Fourier ptychographic coherence scanning interferometry (FP-CSI), the first transmissive CSI modality that integrates the aperture synthesis strategy of Fourier ptychographic microscopy with the quantitative phase-resolved capability of interferometry. FP-CSI enables robust three-dimensional morphology reconstruction with enhanced SNR and improved lateral resolution, without reliance on iterative phase retrieval. We demonstrate accurate measurements of a HAR micro-trench (300 μm depth, 30:1 aspect ratio) and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices (aspect ratios 6:1-20:1). FP-CSI achieves lateral resolution up to the incoherent diffraction limit and maintains this performance even at trench bottoms. Owing to its fidelity, robustness, and non-destructive operation, FP-CSI provides a powerful new metrology platform for next-generation semiconductor inspection, precision manufacturing, and emerging micro-optoelectronic systems.
{"title":"Fourier ptychographic coherence scanning interferometry for 3D morphology of high aspect ratio and composite micro-trenches.","authors":"Yin Li,Qun Yuan,Xiao Huo,Shumin Wang,Hongtao He,Zhishan Gao","doi":"10.1038/s41377-026-02189-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-026-02189-6","url":null,"abstract":"Non-destructive and accurate characterization of high aspect ratio (HAR) and composite micro-trenches is critical for advanced microfabrication but remains a major challenge. Conventional coherence scanning interferometry (CSI), while widely adopted, suffers from low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and limited lateral resolution when applied to HAR and composite microstructures. Here, we present Fourier ptychographic coherence scanning interferometry (FP-CSI), the first transmissive CSI modality that integrates the aperture synthesis strategy of Fourier ptychographic microscopy with the quantitative phase-resolved capability of interferometry. FP-CSI enables robust three-dimensional morphology reconstruction with enhanced SNR and improved lateral resolution, without reliance on iterative phase retrieval. We demonstrate accurate measurements of a HAR micro-trench (300 μm depth, 30:1 aspect ratio) and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices (aspect ratios 6:1-20:1). FP-CSI achieves lateral resolution up to the incoherent diffraction limit and maintains this performance even at trench bottoms. Owing to its fidelity, robustness, and non-destructive operation, FP-CSI provides a powerful new metrology platform for next-generation semiconductor inspection, precision manufacturing, and emerging micro-optoelectronic systems.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"71 1","pages":"93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146069985","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-28DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02114-3
Van Tu Nguyen, Carlos Taboada, Jesse Delia, Tri Vu, Luca Menozzi, Soon-Woo Cho, Jing Li, Nishad Jayasundara, Anthony DiSpirito, Junjie Yao
Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) systems often face challenges in simultaneously achieving high speed, high resolution, high sensitivity, and a large field of view (FOV). To address this challenge, we have developed dual-channel PAM (DC-PAM) that can expand the FOV without compromising the imaging speed, detection sensitivity, or spatial resolution. DC-PAM has two identical, independent channels of laser excitation and acoustic detection. It exploits two facets of a single hexagon scanner to concurrently steer the dual excitation laser beams and the resultant acoustic waves. DC-PAM achieves an ultra-wide FOV of 22.5 × 24 mm² with a total functional imaging time of ~15 s. Proof-of-concept experiments were conducted using DC-PAM on freely-swimming zebrafish, hypoxia-challenged mice, and sleeping glassfrogs, all of which benefit from the large FOV and high imaging speed to track the dynamic and physiological processes at the whole-organ or whole-body level. These applications demonstrate the potential of DC-PAM for a wide range of biological studies.
{"title":"Dual-channel high-speed functional photoacoustic microscopy with ultra-wide field of view","authors":"Van Tu Nguyen, Carlos Taboada, Jesse Delia, Tri Vu, Luca Menozzi, Soon-Woo Cho, Jing Li, Nishad Jayasundara, Anthony DiSpirito, Junjie Yao","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02114-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02114-3","url":null,"abstract":"Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) systems often face challenges in simultaneously achieving high speed, high resolution, high sensitivity, and a large field of view (FOV). To address this challenge, we have developed dual-channel PAM (DC-PAM) that can expand the FOV without compromising the imaging speed, detection sensitivity, or spatial resolution. DC-PAM has two identical, independent channels of laser excitation and acoustic detection. It exploits two facets of a single hexagon scanner to concurrently steer the dual excitation laser beams and the resultant acoustic waves. DC-PAM achieves an ultra-wide FOV of 22.5 × 24 mm² with a total functional imaging time of ~15 s. Proof-of-concept experiments were conducted using DC-PAM on freely-swimming zebrafish, hypoxia-challenged mice, and sleeping glassfrogs, all of which benefit from the large FOV and high imaging speed to track the dynamic and physiological processes at the whole-organ or whole-body level. These applications demonstrate the potential of DC-PAM for a wide range of biological studies.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146057198","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}
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