Pub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01764-4
Mashnoon Alam Sakib, Maxim R. Shcherbakov
Thermodynamic-like phenomena in optics are a nascent yet elusive route to control light flow. By emulating Joule–Thomson expansion in synthetic photonic lattices, it is now possible to funnel light universally into a single output, regardless of the input.
{"title":"Thermalized light finds its way","authors":"Mashnoon Alam Sakib, Maxim R. Shcherbakov","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01764-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01764-4","url":null,"abstract":"Thermodynamic-like phenomena in optics are a nascent yet elusive route to control light flow. By emulating Joule–Thomson expansion in synthetic photonic lattices, it is now possible to funnel light universally into a single output, regardless of the input.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 10","pages":"1033-1034"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01756-4
Hediyeh M. Dinani, Georgios G. Pyrialakos, Abraham M. Berman Bradley, Monika Monika, Huizhong Ren, Mahmoud A. Selim, Ulf Peschel, Demetrios N. Christodoulides, Mercedeh Khajavikhan
Understanding and exploiting the dynamics of complex nonlinear systems is nowadays at the core of a broad range of scientific and technological endeavours. Within the optical domain, light evolution in a nonlinear multimode environment presents a formidable problem, as its chaotic evolution often hinders predictive insights. Recently, an optical thermodynamic framework has been put forward that, in a systematic manner, can not only predict but also harness the intricate behaviour of these systems. By deploying entropic principles, here we demonstrate a counter-intuitive optical process in which light, launched into any input port of a judiciously designed nonlinear array, universally channels into a tightly localized ground state, a response that is completely unattainable in linear conservative arrangements. This phenomenon arises from the interplay between lattice structure and the way the kinetic and nonlinear Hamiltonian components unfold, leading to two optical thermal processes: Joule–Thomson-like expansion followed by mode thermalization. Experimentally, this effect is demonstrated in properly configured nonlinear time-synthetic mesh lattices, where the optical temperature approaches near zero, causing light to condense at a single spot, regardless of the initial excitation position. The effect demonstrated here opens new avenues for applying the principles of optical thermodynamics in realizing new optical functionalities, such as all-optical beam-steering, multiplexing and nonlinear beam-shaping in high-power regimes, while also offering a greater understanding of the notable physics of light–matter interactions in multimode nonlinear systems. By exploiting an optical thermodynamic framework, researchers demonstrate universal routing of light. Specifically, light launched into any input port of a nonlinear array is universally channelled into a tightly localized ground state. The principles of optical thermodynamics demonstrated may enable new optical functionalities.
{"title":"Universal routing of light via optical thermodynamics","authors":"Hediyeh M. Dinani, Georgios G. Pyrialakos, Abraham M. Berman Bradley, Monika Monika, Huizhong Ren, Mahmoud A. Selim, Ulf Peschel, Demetrios N. Christodoulides, Mercedeh Khajavikhan","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01756-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01756-4","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding and exploiting the dynamics of complex nonlinear systems is nowadays at the core of a broad range of scientific and technological endeavours. Within the optical domain, light evolution in a nonlinear multimode environment presents a formidable problem, as its chaotic evolution often hinders predictive insights. Recently, an optical thermodynamic framework has been put forward that, in a systematic manner, can not only predict but also harness the intricate behaviour of these systems. By deploying entropic principles, here we demonstrate a counter-intuitive optical process in which light, launched into any input port of a judiciously designed nonlinear array, universally channels into a tightly localized ground state, a response that is completely unattainable in linear conservative arrangements. This phenomenon arises from the interplay between lattice structure and the way the kinetic and nonlinear Hamiltonian components unfold, leading to two optical thermal processes: Joule–Thomson-like expansion followed by mode thermalization. Experimentally, this effect is demonstrated in properly configured nonlinear time-synthetic mesh lattices, where the optical temperature approaches near zero, causing light to condense at a single spot, regardless of the initial excitation position. The effect demonstrated here opens new avenues for applying the principles of optical thermodynamics in realizing new optical functionalities, such as all-optical beam-steering, multiplexing and nonlinear beam-shaping in high-power regimes, while also offering a greater understanding of the notable physics of light–matter interactions in multimode nonlinear systems. By exploiting an optical thermodynamic framework, researchers demonstrate universal routing of light. Specifically, light launched into any input port of a nonlinear array is universally channelled into a tightly localized ground state. The principles of optical thermodynamics demonstrated may enable new optical functionalities.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 10","pages":"1116-1121"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-23DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01760-8
Marius Constantin Chirita Mihaila, Petr Koutenský, Kamila Moriová, Martin Kozák
Achieving atomic resolution in electron microscopy has historically been hindered by spherical aberration, a fundamental limitation of conventional electron lenses. Its correction typically requires complex assemblies of electromagnetic multipoles. Here we demonstrate that third-order spherical aberration in a cylindrically symmetric electron lens with an associated aberration coefficient of Cs ≈ 2.5 m can be compensated to near-zero via interaction with a shaped light field. By analysing distortions in the high-magnification point-projection electron images of optical standing waves, we quantify the spherical aberration before and after light-induced correction. The spatial distribution of the correction optical field is precisely characterized in situ using ultrafast four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy utilizing the transverse deflection of electrons induced by the optical ponderomotive force. Such a combined characterization and correction approach introduces a new paradigm for optical control in electron beams and opens a pathway towards compact and tunable light-based correctors for high-resolution electron microscopy. Irradiation with a pulsed Laguerre–Gaussian laser beam of charge one enables correcting the third-order spherical aberration of an electron beam.
{"title":"Light-based electron aberration corrector","authors":"Marius Constantin Chirita Mihaila, Petr Koutenský, Kamila Moriová, Martin Kozák","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01760-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01760-8","url":null,"abstract":"Achieving atomic resolution in electron microscopy has historically been hindered by spherical aberration, a fundamental limitation of conventional electron lenses. Its correction typically requires complex assemblies of electromagnetic multipoles. Here we demonstrate that third-order spherical aberration in a cylindrically symmetric electron lens with an associated aberration coefficient of Cs ≈ 2.5 m can be compensated to near-zero via interaction with a shaped light field. By analysing distortions in the high-magnification point-projection electron images of optical standing waves, we quantify the spherical aberration before and after light-induced correction. The spatial distribution of the correction optical field is precisely characterized in situ using ultrafast four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy utilizing the transverse deflection of electrons induced by the optical ponderomotive force. Such a combined characterization and correction approach introduces a new paradigm for optical control in electron beams and opens a pathway towards compact and tunable light-based correctors for high-resolution electron microscopy. Irradiation with a pulsed Laguerre–Gaussian laser beam of charge one enables correcting the third-order spherical aberration of an electron beam.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 12","pages":"1309-1314"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-025-01760-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145652850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01735-9
Kaveh Delfanazari
Lasers and superconductors both rely on macroscopic quantum coherence. In lasers, coherence arises through stimulated emission, whereas in superconductors, it results from spontaneous symmetry breaking of the quantum ground state. This coherence underpins superconducting devices such as Josephson junctions, which generate electromagnetic radiation under an applied voltage. The emission frequency is governed by the superconducting energy gap, allowing operation across the microwave to terahertz regimes. High-temperature superconductors extend this range up to 15 THz. Furthermore, hybrid superconductor–semiconductor platforms, such as superconducting light-emitting diodes, open pathways to optical photon generation, including single- and entangled- photon emission. Here, I highlight how superconducting materials and Josephson junction-based hybrid devices enable compact, chip-scale, electrically driven, electrically tunable, power-efficient coherent light sources that span the microwave, millimetre-wave, terahertz and optical regimes and explore their potential for emerging quantum technologies and scalable quantum information processing. This Review highlights chip-scale superconducting coherent photon source technologies and their rich potential as an important integrated quantum hardware to advance quantum information processing and communication networks.
{"title":"Chip-scale electrically driven superconducting coherent photon sources for quantum information processing","authors":"Kaveh Delfanazari","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01735-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01735-9","url":null,"abstract":"Lasers and superconductors both rely on macroscopic quantum coherence. In lasers, coherence arises through stimulated emission, whereas in superconductors, it results from spontaneous symmetry breaking of the quantum ground state. This coherence underpins superconducting devices such as Josephson junctions, which generate electromagnetic radiation under an applied voltage. The emission frequency is governed by the superconducting energy gap, allowing operation across the microwave to terahertz regimes. High-temperature superconductors extend this range up to 15 THz. Furthermore, hybrid superconductor–semiconductor platforms, such as superconducting light-emitting diodes, open pathways to optical photon generation, including single- and entangled- photon emission. Here, I highlight how superconducting materials and Josephson junction-based hybrid devices enable compact, chip-scale, electrically driven, electrically tunable, power-efficient coherent light sources that span the microwave, millimetre-wave, terahertz and optical regimes and explore their potential for emerging quantum technologies and scalable quantum information processing. This Review highlights chip-scale superconducting coherent photon source technologies and their rich potential as an important integrated quantum hardware to advance quantum information processing and communication networks.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 11","pages":"1163-1177"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145436538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01762-6
A. I. F. Tresguerres-Mata, O. G. Matveeva, C. Lanza, J. Álvarez-Cuervo, K. V. Voronin, F. Calavalle, G. Avedissian, P. Díaz-Núñez, G. Álvarez-Pérez, A. Tarazaga Martín-Luengo, J. Taboada-Gutiérrez, J. Duan, J. Martín-Sánchez, A. Bylinkin, R. Hillenbrand, A. Mishchenko, Luis E. Hueso, V. S. Volkov, A. Y. Nikitin, P. Alonso-González
Strong coupling is a fundamental concept in physics that describes extreme interactions between light and matter. Recent experiments have demonstrated strong coupling at the nanometre scale, where strongly confined polaritons, rather than photons, couple to quantum emitters or molecular vibrations. Coupling with the latter is generally referred to as vibrational strong coupling (VSC) and is of substantial fundamental and technological interest, as it can be an effective tool for modifying molecular properties. However, the implementation of VSC, especially at the nanoscale, depends on the development of tuning mechanisms that allow control over the coupling strength and, eventually, its directionality, opening the door for the selective coupling of specific molecular vibrations. Here we report the observation of directional VSC, which we carried out at the nanoscale. Specifically, we show the nanoscale images of propagating hyperbolic phonon polaritons coupled to pentacene molecules, revealing that the fingerprint of VSC for propagating polaritons—a marked anticrossing in their dispersion at the vibrational resonance—can be modulated as a function of the direction of propagation. In addition, we show that VSC can exhibit an optimal condition for thin molecular layers, characterized by the maximum coupling strength along a single direction. This phenomenon is understood by analysing the overlap of the polariton field with molecular layers of varying thicknesses. Apart from their fundamental importance, our findings promise novel applications for directional sensing or local directional control of chemical properties at the nanoscale. Researchers observe directional strong coupling on the nanoscale between hyperbolic phonon polaritons and pentacene molecules.
{"title":"Directional strong coupling at the nanoscale between hyperbolic polaritons and organic molecules","authors":"A. I. F. Tresguerres-Mata, O. G. Matveeva, C. Lanza, J. Álvarez-Cuervo, K. V. Voronin, F. Calavalle, G. Avedissian, P. Díaz-Núñez, G. Álvarez-Pérez, A. Tarazaga Martín-Luengo, J. Taboada-Gutiérrez, J. Duan, J. Martín-Sánchez, A. Bylinkin, R. Hillenbrand, A. Mishchenko, Luis E. Hueso, V. S. Volkov, A. Y. Nikitin, P. Alonso-González","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01762-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01762-6","url":null,"abstract":"Strong coupling is a fundamental concept in physics that describes extreme interactions between light and matter. Recent experiments have demonstrated strong coupling at the nanometre scale, where strongly confined polaritons, rather than photons, couple to quantum emitters or molecular vibrations. Coupling with the latter is generally referred to as vibrational strong coupling (VSC) and is of substantial fundamental and technological interest, as it can be an effective tool for modifying molecular properties. However, the implementation of VSC, especially at the nanoscale, depends on the development of tuning mechanisms that allow control over the coupling strength and, eventually, its directionality, opening the door for the selective coupling of specific molecular vibrations. Here we report the observation of directional VSC, which we carried out at the nanoscale. Specifically, we show the nanoscale images of propagating hyperbolic phonon polaritons coupled to pentacene molecules, revealing that the fingerprint of VSC for propagating polaritons—a marked anticrossing in their dispersion at the vibrational resonance—can be modulated as a function of the direction of propagation. In addition, we show that VSC can exhibit an optimal condition for thin molecular layers, characterized by the maximum coupling strength along a single direction. This phenomenon is understood by analysing the overlap of the polariton field with molecular layers of varying thicknesses. Apart from their fundamental importance, our findings promise novel applications for directional sensing or local directional control of chemical properties at the nanoscale. Researchers observe directional strong coupling on the nanoscale between hyperbolic phonon polaritons and pentacene molecules.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 11","pages":"1196-1202"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145436545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01751-9
V. Jelic, S. Adams, D. Maldonado-Lopez, I. A. Buliyaminu, M. Hassan, J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, T. L. Cocker
Light-induced phase transitions offer a method to dynamically modulate topological states in bulk complex materials. Yet, next-generation devices demand nanoscale architectures with contact resistances near the quantum limit and precise control over local electronic properties. The layered material WTe2 has gained attention as a probable Weyl semimetal, with topologically protected linear electronic band crossings hosting massless chiral fermions. Here we demonstrate a local phase transition facilitated by the light-induced shear motion of a single atomic layer at the surface of bulk WTe2, thereby opening the door to nanoscale device concepts. Ultrafast terahertz fields enhanced at the apex of an atomically sharp tip couple to the key interlayer shear mode of WTe2 via a ferroelectric dipole at the interface, inducing a structural phase transition at the surface to a metastable state. Subatomically resolved differential imaging, combined with hybrid-level density functional theory, reveals a shift of 7 ± 3 pm in the top atomic plane. Tunnelling spectroscopy links electronic changes across the phase transition with the electron and hole pockets in the band structure, suggesting a reversible, light-induced annihilation of the topologically protected Fermi arc surface states in the top atomic layer. A terahertz field exceeding 1 V nm−1 induced a structural phase transition in the top atomic layer of a bulk WTe2 crystal. Differential imaging revealed a surface shift of 7 ± 3 pm and an electronic signature consistent with a topological phase transition.
{"title":"Terahertz field control of surface topology probed with subatomic resolution","authors":"V. Jelic, S. Adams, D. Maldonado-Lopez, I. A. Buliyaminu, M. Hassan, J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, T. L. Cocker","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01751-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01751-9","url":null,"abstract":"Light-induced phase transitions offer a method to dynamically modulate topological states in bulk complex materials. Yet, next-generation devices demand nanoscale architectures with contact resistances near the quantum limit and precise control over local electronic properties. The layered material WTe2 has gained attention as a probable Weyl semimetal, with topologically protected linear electronic band crossings hosting massless chiral fermions. Here we demonstrate a local phase transition facilitated by the light-induced shear motion of a single atomic layer at the surface of bulk WTe2, thereby opening the door to nanoscale device concepts. Ultrafast terahertz fields enhanced at the apex of an atomically sharp tip couple to the key interlayer shear mode of WTe2 via a ferroelectric dipole at the interface, inducing a structural phase transition at the surface to a metastable state. Subatomically resolved differential imaging, combined with hybrid-level density functional theory, reveals a shift of 7 ± 3 pm in the top atomic plane. Tunnelling spectroscopy links electronic changes across the phase transition with the electron and hole pockets in the band structure, suggesting a reversible, light-induced annihilation of the topologically protected Fermi arc surface states in the top atomic layer. A terahertz field exceeding 1 V nm−1 induced a structural phase transition in the top atomic layer of a bulk WTe2 crystal. Differential imaging revealed a surface shift of 7 ± 3 pm and an electronic signature consistent with a topological phase transition.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 10","pages":"1048-1055"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145067869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01750-w
Gang Wang, Ling Lu
Microwave isolators, developed after World War II, are essential non-reciprocal devices widely used to minimize signal reflections and interference across various applications, including mobile base stations, satellite communications, radar systems, magnetic resonance imaging and industrial microwave heating. A typical commercial microwave isolator provides 20 dB of isolation, reducing the backward power by two orders of magnitude. Although higher isolation is always desired for systems that require greater power or lower noise, such as superconducting quantum computing, further reduction in the backward signal will inevitably lead to an unacceptable degradation in the forward transmission in traditional designs. Here we introduce the principle of a topological isolator, based on a unique one-way edge waveguide that spatially separates forward and backward waves, allowing for the complete absorption of the backward-propagating mode without compromising any forward signal. This ideal isolation mechanism produces an unprecedented isolation level, analytically derived to be 200 dB within a single-wavelength-size device. It is limited only by the evanescent fields within the topological bandgap in the ferrite material that spans two octaves around 10 GHz. We experimentally demonstrate this topological isolator in a stripline configuration with a minimal insertion loss of 1 dB and a backward signal deeply attenuated to the instrument noise floor. This results in an ultrahigh isolation exceeding 100 dB—an eight-orders-of-magnitude improvement over conventional counterparts. Our work not only paves the way for higher-performance isolators in the aforementioned technologies but also sets the stage for innovation in a variety of related microwave components. Although typical microwave isolators provide 20 dB of isolation, a topological isolator—based on a one-way edge waveguide—enables 100 dB isolation due to the near-complete absorption of the backward-propagating mode. In theory, 200 dB of isolation is possible within a single-wavelength-size device.
{"title":"Topological microwave isolator with >100-dB isolation","authors":"Gang Wang, Ling Lu","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01750-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01750-w","url":null,"abstract":"Microwave isolators, developed after World War II, are essential non-reciprocal devices widely used to minimize signal reflections and interference across various applications, including mobile base stations, satellite communications, radar systems, magnetic resonance imaging and industrial microwave heating. A typical commercial microwave isolator provides 20 dB of isolation, reducing the backward power by two orders of magnitude. Although higher isolation is always desired for systems that require greater power or lower noise, such as superconducting quantum computing, further reduction in the backward signal will inevitably lead to an unacceptable degradation in the forward transmission in traditional designs. Here we introduce the principle of a topological isolator, based on a unique one-way edge waveguide that spatially separates forward and backward waves, allowing for the complete absorption of the backward-propagating mode without compromising any forward signal. This ideal isolation mechanism produces an unprecedented isolation level, analytically derived to be 200 dB within a single-wavelength-size device. It is limited only by the evanescent fields within the topological bandgap in the ferrite material that spans two octaves around 10 GHz. We experimentally demonstrate this topological isolator in a stripline configuration with a minimal insertion loss of 1 dB and a backward signal deeply attenuated to the instrument noise floor. This results in an ultrahigh isolation exceeding 100 dB—an eight-orders-of-magnitude improvement over conventional counterparts. Our work not only paves the way for higher-performance isolators in the aforementioned technologies but also sets the stage for innovation in a variety of related microwave components. Although typical microwave isolators provide 20 dB of isolation, a topological isolator—based on a one-way edge waveguide—enables 100 dB isolation due to the near-complete absorption of the backward-propagating mode. In theory, 200 dB of isolation is possible within a single-wavelength-size device.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 10","pages":"1064-1069"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145067868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01753-7
Ryoto Sekine, Robert M. Gray, Luis Ledezma, Selina Zhou, Qiushi Guo, Alireza Marandi
Ultra-broadband frequency combs coherently unite distant portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. They underpin discoveries in ultra-fast science and serve as the building blocks of modern photonic technologies. Despite tremendous progress in integrated sources of frequency combs, achieving multi-octave operation on chip has remained elusive mainly because of the energy demand of typical spectral broadening processes. Here we break this barrier and demonstrate multi-octave frequency comb generation using an optical parametric oscillator in nanophotonic lithium niobate with only femtojoules of pump energy. Leveraging this ultra-low threshold and dispersion engineering, we accessed a previously unexplored optical parametric oscillator regime that enables highly efficient and stable coherent spectral broadening. We achieve orders-of-magnitude reduction in the energy requirement compared with the other techniques, confirm the coherence of the comb, and present a path towards more efficient and wider spectral broadening. Our results pave the way for ultra-short-pulse and ultra-broadband on-chip nonlinear photonic systems for numerous applications. Using low-threshold and dispersion engineering, a 2.6-octave frequency comb is generated on a LiNbO3 chip via an optical parametric oscillator with only 121 fJ. The optical parametric oscillator design eases the requirements for quality factor and relatively narrow spectral coverage of the cavity.
{"title":"Multi-octave frequency comb from an ultra-low-threshold nanophotonic parametric oscillator","authors":"Ryoto Sekine, Robert M. Gray, Luis Ledezma, Selina Zhou, Qiushi Guo, Alireza Marandi","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01753-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01753-7","url":null,"abstract":"Ultra-broadband frequency combs coherently unite distant portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. They underpin discoveries in ultra-fast science and serve as the building blocks of modern photonic technologies. Despite tremendous progress in integrated sources of frequency combs, achieving multi-octave operation on chip has remained elusive mainly because of the energy demand of typical spectral broadening processes. Here we break this barrier and demonstrate multi-octave frequency comb generation using an optical parametric oscillator in nanophotonic lithium niobate with only femtojoules of pump energy. Leveraging this ultra-low threshold and dispersion engineering, we accessed a previously unexplored optical parametric oscillator regime that enables highly efficient and stable coherent spectral broadening. We achieve orders-of-magnitude reduction in the energy requirement compared with the other techniques, confirm the coherence of the comb, and present a path towards more efficient and wider spectral broadening. Our results pave the way for ultra-short-pulse and ultra-broadband on-chip nonlinear photonic systems for numerous applications. Using low-threshold and dispersion engineering, a 2.6-octave frequency comb is generated on a LiNbO3 chip via an optical parametric oscillator with only 121 fJ. The optical parametric oscillator design eases the requirements for quality factor and relatively narrow spectral coverage of the cavity.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 11","pages":"1189-1195"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01740-y
Jonas Schröder, Amric Bonil, Louis Conrad Winkler, Jan Frede, Ghader Darbandy, Juan Wang, Karl Leo, Hans Kleemann, Johannes Benduhn
Organic semiconductor phototransistors have attracted remarkable academic and industry interest owing to their potential for applications in optoelectronic devices and for enhancing the performance of image sensors. Thanks to their high responsivity, typically attributed to substantial photoconductive gain mechanisms, these devices are well suited for detecting weak light. Here we introduce organic permeable base transistors as memory phototransistors, achieving high responsivity and detectivity. By leveraging the unique structure of organic permeable base transistors and conducting a detailed investigation into the underlying charge-storing mechanism, we achieve responsivity values as high as 109 A W−1, detectivity of 1015 Jones between 300 nm and 500 nm, and retention times exceeding 105 s. The excellent performance can be attributed to a charge carrier trapping process at the porous base electrode, as confirmed through comprehensive electrical and optical characterizations and technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations. These findings illustrate the potential of our organic permeable base transistors for sensitive photodetection applications, thereby paving the way for advancements in low-light imaging. Organic permeable base transistors featuring a porous aluminium electrode within the semiconductor channel enable high photo-gain and charge storage simultaneously. The transistors achieve retention times beyond 10.000 s while operating at less than 2 V with responsivity as high as 109 A W−1.
有机半导体光电晶体管由于其在光电器件和提高图像传感器性能方面的应用潜力而引起了学术界和工业界的极大兴趣。由于它们的高响应性，通常归因于实质性的光导增益机制，这些设备非常适合检测弱光。在此，我们引入有机渗透基晶体管作为存储光电晶体管，实现了高响应性和高探测性。通过利用有机渗透基极晶体管的独特结构，并对其电荷存储机制进行了详细的研究，我们实现了高达109 a W−1的响应度值，在300 nm和500 nm之间的探测率为1015 Jones，保持时间超过105 s。通过全面的电学和光学表征以及计算机辅助设计（TCAD）模拟证实，这种优异的性能可归因于多孔基电极上的电荷载流子捕获过程。这些发现说明了我们的有机渗透基晶体管在敏感光探测应用中的潜力，从而为低光成像的进步铺平了道路。
{"title":"Organic permeable base transistors for high-performance photodetection with photo-memory effect","authors":"Jonas Schröder, Amric Bonil, Louis Conrad Winkler, Jan Frede, Ghader Darbandy, Juan Wang, Karl Leo, Hans Kleemann, Johannes Benduhn","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01740-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01740-y","url":null,"abstract":"Organic semiconductor phototransistors have attracted remarkable academic and industry interest owing to their potential for applications in optoelectronic devices and for enhancing the performance of image sensors. Thanks to their high responsivity, typically attributed to substantial photoconductive gain mechanisms, these devices are well suited for detecting weak light. Here we introduce organic permeable base transistors as memory phototransistors, achieving high responsivity and detectivity. By leveraging the unique structure of organic permeable base transistors and conducting a detailed investigation into the underlying charge-storing mechanism, we achieve responsivity values as high as 109 A W−1, detectivity of 1015 Jones between 300 nm and 500 nm, and retention times exceeding 105 s. The excellent performance can be attributed to a charge carrier trapping process at the porous base electrode, as confirmed through comprehensive electrical and optical characterizations and technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations. These findings illustrate the potential of our organic permeable base transistors for sensitive photodetection applications, thereby paving the way for advancements in low-light imaging. Organic permeable base transistors featuring a porous aluminium electrode within the semiconductor channel enable high photo-gain and charge storage simultaneously. The transistors achieve retention times beyond 10.000 s while operating at less than 2 V with responsivity as high as 109 A W−1.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 10","pages":"1088-1098"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2025-09-11DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01752-8
Michael Dobinson, Camille Bowness, Simon A. Meynell, Camille Chartrand, Elianor Hoffmann, Melanie Gascoine, Iain MacGilp, Francis Afzal, Christian Dangel, Navid Jahed, Michael L. W. Thewalt, Stephanie Simmons, Daniel B. Higginbottom
Quantum networking and computing technologies demand scalable hardware with high-speed control for large systems of quantum devices. Solid-state platforms have emerged as promising candidates, offering scalable fabrication for a wide range of qubits. Architectures based on spin–photon interfaces allow for highly connected quantum networks over photonic links, enabling entanglement distribution for quantum networking and distributed quantum computing protocols. With the potential to address these demands, optically active spin defects in silicon are one proposed platform for building quantum technologies. Here we electrically excite the silicon T centre in integrated optoelectronic devices that combine nanophotonic waveguides and cavities with p–i–n diodes. We observe single-photon electroluminescence from a cavity-coupled T centre with g(2)(0) = 0.05(2). Further, we use the electrically triggered emission to herald the electron spin state, initializing it with 92(8)% post-selected fidelity. This shows electrically injected single-photon emission from a silicon colour centre and a new method of heralded spin initialization with electrical excitation. These findings present a new telecommunications-band light source for silicon and a highly parallel control method for T centre quantum processors, advancing the T centre as a versatile defect for scalable quantum technologies. Two types of on-chip silicon device utilizing silicon T centres are developed: an O-band light-emitting diode and an electrically triggered single-photon source. Further, a new method of spin initialization with electrical excitation is demonstrated.
{"title":"Electrically triggered spin–photon devices in silicon","authors":"Michael Dobinson, Camille Bowness, Simon A. Meynell, Camille Chartrand, Elianor Hoffmann, Melanie Gascoine, Iain MacGilp, Francis Afzal, Christian Dangel, Navid Jahed, Michael L. W. Thewalt, Stephanie Simmons, Daniel B. Higginbottom","doi":"10.1038/s41566-025-01752-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41566-025-01752-8","url":null,"abstract":"Quantum networking and computing technologies demand scalable hardware with high-speed control for large systems of quantum devices. Solid-state platforms have emerged as promising candidates, offering scalable fabrication for a wide range of qubits. Architectures based on spin–photon interfaces allow for highly connected quantum networks over photonic links, enabling entanglement distribution for quantum networking and distributed quantum computing protocols. With the potential to address these demands, optically active spin defects in silicon are one proposed platform for building quantum technologies. Here we electrically excite the silicon T centre in integrated optoelectronic devices that combine nanophotonic waveguides and cavities with p–i–n diodes. We observe single-photon electroluminescence from a cavity-coupled T centre with g(2)(0) = 0.05(2). Further, we use the electrically triggered emission to herald the electron spin state, initializing it with 92(8)% post-selected fidelity. This shows electrically injected single-photon emission from a silicon colour centre and a new method of heralded spin initialization with electrical excitation. These findings present a new telecommunications-band light source for silicon and a highly parallel control method for T centre quantum processors, advancing the T centre as a versatile defect for scalable quantum technologies. Two types of on-chip silicon device utilizing silicon T centres are developed: an O-band light-emitting diode and an electrically triggered single-photon source. Further, a new method of spin initialization with electrical excitation is demonstrated.","PeriodicalId":18926,"journal":{"name":"Nature Photonics","volume":"19 10","pages":"1132-1137"},"PeriodicalIF":32.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145031885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
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