Accurate transverse displacement measurement is essential for precise mask-to-wafer positioning in lithography. While lateral displacement metrology has achieved nanometer-level precision, the limitations imposed by coherent state and grating challenge in-situ measurement speed and precision. Here, we introduce a two-photon state transverse displacement measurement method utilizing a polarization gradient metasurface by employing two-photon state interference. Compared with the classical method, our new method can experimentally reduce the number of detected photons to around 3% with equivalent precision. These attributes make the two-photon state polarization gradient metasurface approach highly suitable for integration with semiconductor lithography processes and show its promise in realizing equivalent measurement precision within notably shorter acquisition durations, providing a robust solution for next-generation transverse displacement measurement requirements.
{"title":"Meta-device for sensing subwavelength lateral displacement.","authors":"Shufan Chen,Yubin Fan,Hao Li,Xiaodong Qiu,Ben Wang,Lijian Zhang,Shumin Xiao,Din Ping Tsai","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02067-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02067-7","url":null,"abstract":"Accurate transverse displacement measurement is essential for precise mask-to-wafer positioning in lithography. While lateral displacement metrology has achieved nanometer-level precision, the limitations imposed by coherent state and grating challenge in-situ measurement speed and precision. Here, we introduce a two-photon state transverse displacement measurement method utilizing a polarization gradient metasurface by employing two-photon state interference. Compared with the classical method, our new method can experimentally reduce the number of detected photons to around 3% with equivalent precision. These attributes make the two-photon state polarization gradient metasurface approach highly suitable for integration with semiconductor lithography processes and show its promise in realizing equivalent measurement precision within notably shorter acquisition durations, providing a robust solution for next-generation transverse displacement measurement requirements.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"27 1","pages":"68"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145949541","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 : 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02050-2
Pietro Tassan,Darius Urbonas,Bartos Chmielak,Jens Bolten,Thorsten Wahlbrink,Max C Lemme,Michael Forster,Ullrich Scherf,Rainer F Mahrt,Thilo Stöferle
All-optical logic has the potential to overcome the operation speed barrier that has persisted in electronic circuits for two decades. However, the development of scalable architectures has been prevented so far by the lack of materials with sufficiently strong nonlinear interactions needed to realize compact and efficient ultrafast all-optical switches with optical gain. Microcavities with embedded organic material in the strong light-matter interaction regime have recently enabled all-optical transistors operating at room temperature with picosecond switching times. However, the vertical cavity geometry, which is predominantly used in polaritonics, is not suitable for complex circuits with on-chip coupled transistors. Here, by leveraging state-of-the-art silicon photonics technology, we have achieved exciton-polariton condensation at ambient conditions in fully integrated high-index contrast sub-wavelength grating microcavities filled with a π-conjugated polymer as optically active material. We demonstrate ultrafast all-optical transistor action by coupling two resonators and utilizing seeded polariton condensation. With a device area as small as 2 × 2 µm2, we realize picosecond switching and amplification up to 60x, with extinction ratio up to 8:1. This compact ultrafast transistor device with in-plane integration is a key component for a scalable platform for all-optical logic circuits that could operate two orders of magnitude faster than electronic counterparts.
{"title":"Integrated, ultrafast all-optical polariton transistors with sub-wavelength grating microcavities.","authors":"Pietro Tassan,Darius Urbonas,Bartos Chmielak,Jens Bolten,Thorsten Wahlbrink,Max C Lemme,Michael Forster,Ullrich Scherf,Rainer F Mahrt,Thilo Stöferle","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02050-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02050-2","url":null,"abstract":"All-optical logic has the potential to overcome the operation speed barrier that has persisted in electronic circuits for two decades. However, the development of scalable architectures has been prevented so far by the lack of materials with sufficiently strong nonlinear interactions needed to realize compact and efficient ultrafast all-optical switches with optical gain. Microcavities with embedded organic material in the strong light-matter interaction regime have recently enabled all-optical transistors operating at room temperature with picosecond switching times. However, the vertical cavity geometry, which is predominantly used in polaritonics, is not suitable for complex circuits with on-chip coupled transistors. Here, by leveraging state-of-the-art silicon photonics technology, we have achieved exciton-polariton condensation at ambient conditions in fully integrated high-index contrast sub-wavelength grating microcavities filled with a π-conjugated polymer as optically active material. We demonstrate ultrafast all-optical transistor action by coupling two resonators and utilizing seeded polariton condensation. With a device area as small as 2 × 2 µm2, we realize picosecond switching and amplification up to 60x, with extinction ratio up to 8:1. This compact ultrafast transistor device with in-plane integration is a key component for a scalable platform for all-optical logic circuits that could operate two orders of magnitude faster than electronic counterparts.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"3 1","pages":"65"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145949817","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 : 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02168-3
Yuting Yang,Marcelo A Soto,Luc Thévenaz
We propose a novel thermometric technique for measuring absolute temperature in gas media based on Brillouin scattering. The method retrieves the temperature from the acoustic velocity of the gas, inferred through the spectral shift experienced by a scattered laser beam during the Brillouin acousto-optic interaction. This approach is inherently contactless, enabling remote sensing applications with high precision. It also exhibits enhanced sensitivity in the cryogenic range and is fully compatible with distributed measurements along recent hollow-core single-mode fibres. This study establishes the theoretical foundations of the technique and provides experimental validation across a range of temperature and pressure conditions. The influence of the gas species on the Brillouin response is analysed, enabling the selection of the optimal gas medium for specific applications. Illustrative distributed measurements demonstrate the strong potential of this technique for cryogenic sensing, where favourable scaling of several parameters leads to significantly improved temperature sensitivity. These results open new avenues for high-accuracy, remote, and minimally invasive thermometric measurements across a wide temperature range, including extreme cryogenic environments.
{"title":"Absolute thermometry based on Brillouin scattering in gases.","authors":"Yuting Yang,Marcelo A Soto,Luc Thévenaz","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02168-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02168-3","url":null,"abstract":"We propose a novel thermometric technique for measuring absolute temperature in gas media based on Brillouin scattering. The method retrieves the temperature from the acoustic velocity of the gas, inferred through the spectral shift experienced by a scattered laser beam during the Brillouin acousto-optic interaction. This approach is inherently contactless, enabling remote sensing applications with high precision. It also exhibits enhanced sensitivity in the cryogenic range and is fully compatible with distributed measurements along recent hollow-core single-mode fibres. This study establishes the theoretical foundations of the technique and provides experimental validation across a range of temperature and pressure conditions. The influence of the gas species on the Brillouin response is analysed, enabling the selection of the optimal gas medium for specific applications. Illustrative distributed measurements demonstrate the strong potential of this technique for cryogenic sensing, where favourable scaling of several parameters leads to significantly improved temperature sensitivity. These results open new avenues for high-accuracy, remote, and minimally invasive thermometric measurements across a wide temperature range, including extreme cryogenic environments.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"39 1","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145949538","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 : 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02146-9
Yangyang Shi,Shuai Wan,Zejing Wang,Runlong Rao,Zhongyang Li
Metasurfaces integrated onto guided-wave photonic systems have been investigated for enabling advanced functionalities such as point-by-point optical extraction and manipulation of amplitude, phase, and polarization. However, achieving full control over the spectrum (i.e., wavelength/frequency) of on-chip light remains a challenge, limiting their widespread application in integrated photonics. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an on-chip metasurface color router by leveraging symmetry-broken quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs) mode. By precisely engineering the on-chip meta-diatom pairs with controlled scaling and asymmetry, we simultaneously achieve modulation of both extraction intensity and narrowband spectral extraction of the out-coupled lightwave. As a proof of concept, we realize several on-chip multiplexed color routers through spatial mapping and cascading of distinct q-BIC-assisted meta-diatom pixels, capable of selectively guiding and routing primary wavelengths into free space from different spatial positions along the waveguide. Crucially, due to the on-chip optical propagation scheme, these color routers, enabled by nonlocal metasurfaces, exhibit spatial multiplexing but with a significant improvement in the energy utilization efficiency (EUE) compared with conventional designs. We envision that such on-chip q-BIC-assisted metasurface color routers, with their potential for miniaturized integration, could open new avenues for advanced applications in multiplexed information routing, intelligent integrated photonic systems, and next-generation wearable display technologies.
{"title":"On-chip nonlocal metasurface for color router: conquering efficiency-loss from spatial-multiplexing.","authors":"Yangyang Shi,Shuai Wan,Zejing Wang,Runlong Rao,Zhongyang Li","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02146-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02146-9","url":null,"abstract":"Metasurfaces integrated onto guided-wave photonic systems have been investigated for enabling advanced functionalities such as point-by-point optical extraction and manipulation of amplitude, phase, and polarization. However, achieving full control over the spectrum (i.e., wavelength/frequency) of on-chip light remains a challenge, limiting their widespread application in integrated photonics. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an on-chip metasurface color router by leveraging symmetry-broken quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs) mode. By precisely engineering the on-chip meta-diatom pairs with controlled scaling and asymmetry, we simultaneously achieve modulation of both extraction intensity and narrowband spectral extraction of the out-coupled lightwave. As a proof of concept, we realize several on-chip multiplexed color routers through spatial mapping and cascading of distinct q-BIC-assisted meta-diatom pixels, capable of selectively guiding and routing primary wavelengths into free space from different spatial positions along the waveguide. Crucially, due to the on-chip optical propagation scheme, these color routers, enabled by nonlocal metasurfaces, exhibit spatial multiplexing but with a significant improvement in the energy utilization efficiency (EUE) compared with conventional designs. We envision that such on-chip q-BIC-assisted metasurface color routers, with their potential for miniaturized integration, could open new avenues for advanced applications in multiplexed information routing, intelligent integrated photonic systems, and next-generation wearable display technologies.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"45 1","pages":"66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145949539","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}
Flexible mechanoluminescence (ML) elastomers show significant potential for next-generation wearable electronics, artificial skin, advanced sensing, and human-machine interaction. However, their broader application has been hindered by challenges such as restricted emission wavelengths, inadequate repeatability, insufficient cyclic stability, and poor self-recovery. Here, we report an innovative and high-performance solar-blind ultraviolet ML elastomer by combining commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and newly fabricated Sr3(BO3)2:Pr3+ phosphors, capable of generating intense ultraviolet-C (UVC) ML peaked at 272 nm under mechanical stimulation. The composite elastomer exhibits exceptional repeatability and cyclic stability, maintaining detectable UVC emission over 10,000 continuous stretching cycles (power intensity at the 1st cycle is ~6.2 mW m-2). It also demonstrates rapid and efficient self-recovery behavior, restoring 43.2% of its initial intensity within 1 s and 90.2% after 24 h. Combined experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that interfacial triboelectrification, involving electron transfer from the phosphor to the PDMS matrix, leads to the observed UVC ML emission. Leveraging the solar-blind nature and high photon energy of UVC light, we further demonstrate the feasibility of self-powered photonics applications. This work not only offers novel insights into the design of advanced UVC ML systems but also provides "power-free" solutions for important applications where UVC photons are essential, such as outdoor optical tagging and microbial sterilization.
{"title":"Self-powered mechanoluminescent elastomer for solar-blind ultraviolet emission.","authors":"Xulong Lv,Tianyi Duan,Shaofan Fang,Zhaofeng Wang,Dongxun Chen,Lipeng Huang,Huanyu Liu,Zheming Liu,Chao Liu,Xiao-Jun Wang,Yanjie Liang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02131-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02131-2","url":null,"abstract":"Flexible mechanoluminescence (ML) elastomers show significant potential for next-generation wearable electronics, artificial skin, advanced sensing, and human-machine interaction. However, their broader application has been hindered by challenges such as restricted emission wavelengths, inadequate repeatability, insufficient cyclic stability, and poor self-recovery. Here, we report an innovative and high-performance solar-blind ultraviolet ML elastomer by combining commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and newly fabricated Sr3(BO3)2:Pr3+ phosphors, capable of generating intense ultraviolet-C (UVC) ML peaked at 272 nm under mechanical stimulation. The composite elastomer exhibits exceptional repeatability and cyclic stability, maintaining detectable UVC emission over 10,000 continuous stretching cycles (power intensity at the 1st cycle is ~6.2 mW m-2). It also demonstrates rapid and efficient self-recovery behavior, restoring 43.2% of its initial intensity within 1 s and 90.2% after 24 h. Combined experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that interfacial triboelectrification, involving electron transfer from the phosphor to the PDMS matrix, leads to the observed UVC ML emission. Leveraging the solar-blind nature and high photon energy of UVC light, we further demonstrate the feasibility of self-powered photonics applications. This work not only offers novel insights into the design of advanced UVC ML systems but also provides \"power-free\" solutions for important applications where UVC photons are essential, such as outdoor optical tagging and microbial sterilization.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"255 1","pages":"61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145949542","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}
Coherent light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has become an indispensable tool in autonomous systems, offering exceptional precision and ambient-light immunity. Recently, applications spanning from scientific research to advanced manufacturing have increasingly required resolution that exceeds current capabilities, which faces a fundamental trade-off between improved performance and system complexity. In this study, we overcome the intrinsic limitation and present a cavity dynamics-enabled approach that actively enhances the ranging resolution through phase multiplication. By injecting target-scattered light into the optical resonator, the operating frequency of the laser undergoes periodic modulation, generating interference harmonics that multiply the phase sensitivity. Experimentally, we observe the excitation of up to the 13th-order harmonic and effective phase multiplication without physical modulation extensions, which enables more than 10 times resolution enhancement for ranging. Owing to the intrinsic phase correlation between the fundamental wave and harmonic waves, the phase noise is effectively controlled, resulting in high-precision ranging with a standard deviation on the order of tens of micrometers. The system concurrently leverages laser feedback sensitivity, achieving significant signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement. With its enhanced resolution, low photon consumption, and low-cost implementation, this technology demonstrates new capabilities that promise to enable a wide range of applications.
{"title":"Phase-multiplied interferometry via cavity dynamics for resolution-enhanced coherent ranging.","authors":"Yifan Wang,Jinsong Liu,Chenxiao Lin,Xin Xu,Yu Wang,Xinhang Yang,Binbin Xie,Jibo Han,Tengfei Wu,Xuling Lin,Liangcai Cao,Hongbo Sun,Yidong Tan","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02160-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02160-x","url":null,"abstract":"Coherent light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has become an indispensable tool in autonomous systems, offering exceptional precision and ambient-light immunity. Recently, applications spanning from scientific research to advanced manufacturing have increasingly required resolution that exceeds current capabilities, which faces a fundamental trade-off between improved performance and system complexity. In this study, we overcome the intrinsic limitation and present a cavity dynamics-enabled approach that actively enhances the ranging resolution through phase multiplication. By injecting target-scattered light into the optical resonator, the operating frequency of the laser undergoes periodic modulation, generating interference harmonics that multiply the phase sensitivity. Experimentally, we observe the excitation of up to the 13th-order harmonic and effective phase multiplication without physical modulation extensions, which enables more than 10 times resolution enhancement for ranging. Owing to the intrinsic phase correlation between the fundamental wave and harmonic waves, the phase noise is effectively controlled, resulting in high-precision ranging with a standard deviation on the order of tens of micrometers. The system concurrently leverages laser feedback sensitivity, achieving significant signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement. With its enhanced resolution, low photon consumption, and low-cost implementation, this technology demonstrates new capabilities that promise to enable a wide range of applications.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"50 1","pages":"67"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145949818","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}
Laser-assisted transfer printing has gained attention for integrating microdevices on unusual substrates. However, conventional technologies exhibit limited fault tolerance during laser-matter interactions, reducing transfer accuracy due to unavoidable irradiation deviations. We report a self-aligned laser transfer (SALT) that enables high-precision, programmable assembly of microchips without precise laser-to-die alignment. A thermal conductivity gradient carbon (TCGC), with an upper graphene layer and lower amorphous carbon layer, is embedded in the stamp via excimer laser self-limited carbonization of polyimide. The TCGC converts asymmetric light input into uniform heat output under non-uniform/misaligned infrared laser irradiation, whereas the upper graphene layer absorbs heat from the lower amorphous carbon and rapidly conducts heat laterally, ensuring uniform heat distribution of the underlying adhesive layer. This guarantees synchronous chip release at all adhesive sites, mitigating transfer deviations. Additionally, periodically arranged, grayscale-controlled TCGC can be fabricated by modulating excimer laser parameters during carbonization, thereby enabling selective microchip release without pre-planned scanning paths. SALT achieves excellent size compatibility ( < 100 micrometers) and high tolerance for irradiation deviations (transfer accuracy <5 micrometers). Demonstrations of RGB micro-LED display highlight its self-aligned and batch-selective capabilities.
{"title":"Gradient-graphene-enabled directional photothermal regulation for self-aligned laser transfer printing.","authors":"Mengxin Gai,Jing Bian,Furong Chen,Lei Liu,Yu Luo,Yuxing Ma,Xincheng Huang,Hong Xiao,YongAn Huang","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02170-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02170-9","url":null,"abstract":"Laser-assisted transfer printing has gained attention for integrating microdevices on unusual substrates. However, conventional technologies exhibit limited fault tolerance during laser-matter interactions, reducing transfer accuracy due to unavoidable irradiation deviations. We report a self-aligned laser transfer (SALT) that enables high-precision, programmable assembly of microchips without precise laser-to-die alignment. A thermal conductivity gradient carbon (TCGC), with an upper graphene layer and lower amorphous carbon layer, is embedded in the stamp via excimer laser self-limited carbonization of polyimide. The TCGC converts asymmetric light input into uniform heat output under non-uniform/misaligned infrared laser irradiation, whereas the upper graphene layer absorbs heat from the lower amorphous carbon and rapidly conducts heat laterally, ensuring uniform heat distribution of the underlying adhesive layer. This guarantees synchronous chip release at all adhesive sites, mitigating transfer deviations. Additionally, periodically arranged, grayscale-controlled TCGC can be fabricated by modulating excimer laser parameters during carbonization, thereby enabling selective microchip release without pre-planned scanning paths. SALT achieves excellent size compatibility ( < 100 micrometers) and high tolerance for irradiation deviations (transfer accuracy <5 micrometers). Demonstrations of RGB micro-LED display highlight its self-aligned and batch-selective capabilities.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"6 1","pages":"62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145949819","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 : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02149-6
Huakun Li, Connor E. Weiss, Vimal Prabhu Pandiyan, Davide Nanni, Teng Liu, Pei Wen Kung, Bingyao Tan, Veluchamy Amutha Barathi, Leopold Schmetterer, Ramkumar Sabesan, Tong Ling
Rod photoreceptors are essential for vision under dim light conditions and are highly vulnerable in retinal degenerative diseases. Here, we demonstrate that both human and rodent rods undergo a minute and rapid contraction of their outer segments upon photoisomerization, the first step of phototransduction. The contraction is explained as an electromechanical manifestation of the rod early receptor potential generated in the disk membranes, which is challenging to access in electrophysiology. The in vivo optical imaging of light-evoked electrical activity in rodent rods was facilitated by an ultrahigh-resolution point-scan optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, combined with an unsupervised learning approach to separate the light-evoked response of the rod outer segment tips from the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch’s membrane complex. In humans, an adaptive optics line-scan OCT facilitated high-speed recordings in rods. The non-invasive in vivo optical imaging of rhodopsin activation extends the diagnostic capability of optoretinography, and may facilitate personalized, objective assessment of rod dysfunction and visual cycle impairment in inherited and age-related macular degeneration.
{"title":"Optoretinography reveals rapid rod photoreceptor movement upon rhodopsin activation","authors":"Huakun Li, Connor E. Weiss, Vimal Prabhu Pandiyan, Davide Nanni, Teng Liu, Pei Wen Kung, Bingyao Tan, Veluchamy Amutha Barathi, Leopold Schmetterer, Ramkumar Sabesan, Tong Ling","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02149-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02149-6","url":null,"abstract":"Rod photoreceptors are essential for vision under dim light conditions and are highly vulnerable in retinal degenerative diseases. Here, we demonstrate that both human and rodent rods undergo a minute and rapid contraction of their outer segments upon photoisomerization, the first step of phototransduction. The contraction is explained as an electromechanical manifestation of the rod early receptor potential generated in the disk membranes, which is challenging to access in electrophysiology. The in vivo optical imaging of light-evoked electrical activity in rodent rods was facilitated by an ultrahigh-resolution point-scan optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, combined with an unsupervised learning approach to separate the light-evoked response of the rod outer segment tips from the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch’s membrane complex. In humans, an adaptive optics line-scan OCT facilitated high-speed recordings in rods. The non-invasive in vivo optical imaging of rhodopsin activation extends the diagnostic capability of optoretinography, and may facilitate personalized, objective assessment of rod dysfunction and visual cycle impairment in inherited and age-related macular degeneration.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903743","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 : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02090-8
Paolo Franceschini, Andrea Tognazzi, Evgenii Menshikov, Leonid Y. Beliaev, Radu Malureanu, Osamu Takayama, Ivano Alessandri, Alfonso Carmelo Cino, Domenico de Ceglia, Andrei V. Lavrinenko, Costantino De Angelis
Nonlinear metasurfaces have emerged as powerful platforms for enhancing and controlling light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, enabling versatile and compact design of devices for frequency conversion processes. In this work, we report on the experimental observation and theoretical analysis of intrapulse four-wave sum mixing (FWSM) in a high-index contrast grating (HCG) supporting quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BIC). By engineering a one-dimensional silicon-based HCG with an additional poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cladding layer, we achieve the simultaneous excitation of a q-BIC and a guided-mode resonance (GMR), enabling nonlinear coupling between the two modes. Broadband femtosecond excitation reveals multiple distinct spectral peaks in the visible range, attributed to FWSM processes involving different combinations of q-BIC and GMR frequencies. Fourier microscopy measurements further confirm the redistribution of the generated nonlinear signals among diffraction orders. Our results demonstrate a new approach to tailoring nonlinear frequency mixing through metasurfaces, leveraging the interaction of multiple non-local resonances, thus opening new pathways for tunable frequency conversion, all-optical signal processing, and nonlinear photonic devices.
{"title":"Intrapulse multimodal four-wave sum mixing in the visible range from high contrast index grating with PMMA layer","authors":"Paolo Franceschini, Andrea Tognazzi, Evgenii Menshikov, Leonid Y. Beliaev, Radu Malureanu, Osamu Takayama, Ivano Alessandri, Alfonso Carmelo Cino, Domenico de Ceglia, Andrei V. Lavrinenko, Costantino De Angelis","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02090-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02090-8","url":null,"abstract":"Nonlinear metasurfaces have emerged as powerful platforms for enhancing and controlling light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, enabling versatile and compact design of devices for frequency conversion processes. In this work, we report on the experimental observation and theoretical analysis of intrapulse four-wave sum mixing (FWSM) in a high-index contrast grating (HCG) supporting quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BIC). By engineering a one-dimensional silicon-based HCG with an additional poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cladding layer, we achieve the simultaneous excitation of a q-BIC and a guided-mode resonance (GMR), enabling nonlinear coupling between the two modes. Broadband femtosecond excitation reveals multiple distinct spectral peaks in the visible range, attributed to FWSM processes involving different combinations of q-BIC and GMR frequencies. Fourier microscopy measurements further confirm the redistribution of the generated nonlinear signals among diffraction orders. Our results demonstrate a new approach to tailoring nonlinear frequency mixing through metasurfaces, leveraging the interaction of multiple non-local resonances, thus opening new pathways for tunable frequency conversion, all-optical signal processing, and nonlinear photonic devices.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145894260","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 : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02128-x
Mikhail Y Berezin
A novel NIR light-activated CRISPR-dCas9/Cas9 system achieves precise and rapid gene regulation in living organism using a chemically cleavable rapamycin dimer. Unlike previous light-driven systems, this approach offers deeper tissue penetration, low toxicity, fast response, and minimal background activity. This platform opens new directions for highly efficient, targeted, noninvasive, and spatially confined gene editing for a great number of preclinical and clinically translatable applications.
{"title":"Near infrared light controlled gene editing.","authors":"Mikhail Y Berezin","doi":"10.1038/s41377-025-02128-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-02128-x","url":null,"abstract":"A novel NIR light-activated CRISPR-dCas9/Cas9 system achieves precise and rapid gene regulation in living organism using a chemically cleavable rapamycin dimer. Unlike previous light-driven systems, this approach offers deeper tissue penetration, low toxicity, fast response, and minimal background activity. This platform opens new directions for highly efficient, targeted, noninvasive, and spatially confined gene editing for a great number of preclinical and clinically translatable applications.","PeriodicalId":18069,"journal":{"name":"Light-Science & Applications","volume":"11 1","pages":"55"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897517","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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