Volume 12, Issue 17

Double-walled carbon nanotubes have shown competitive properties in broadband optical pulse generation owning to the intrinsic electronic properties. Synchronization of ultrafast optical pulses in multiple wavelengths is a key technique for numerous applications, such as nonlinear frequency conversion, ultrafast pump-probe, coherent Raman scattering spectroscopy, coherent optical synthesis, etc. In this work, we demonstrate the mode-locking and synchronization of 1.55 µm pulses with 1 µm and 1.9 µm pulses via a single saturable absorber based on double-walled carbon nanotubes. The large optical nonlinearity and broadband optical absorption in the double-walled carbon nanotubes enable independent and synchronized mode-locking in >900 nm bandwidth. In addition, we present a creative concept to realize multi-wavelength synchronization from a single laser system. Our results demonstrate a straightforward and feasible approach towards pulse synchronization over ultra-broad bandwidth with flexible wavelength selection in the near-infrared region.

Flat band systems are commonly associated with compact localized states (CLSs) that arise from the macroscopic degeneracy of eigenstates at the flat band energy. However, in the case of singular flat bands, conventional localized flat band states are incomplete, leading to the existence of noncontractible loop states (NLSs) with nontrivial real-space topology. In this study, we experimentally and analytically demonstrate the existence of NLSs in a 2D photonic borophene lattice without a CLS counterpart, owing to a band that is flat only along high-symmetry lines and dispersive along others. Our findings challenge the conventional notion that NLSs are necessarily linked to robust boundary modes due to a bulk-boundary correspondence. Protected by the band flatness that originates from band touching, NLSs play a significant role in investigating the fundamental physics of flat band systems.

Herein we investigate the character of the near-field emission of a two- (2D) and novel three-dimensional (3D) probe geometries fabricated using 3D direct laser writing lithography. Near-field scans in x – y and y – z planes were measured both before and after the deposition of hyperbolic dispersion metamaterial (HMM) to further verify the directional propagation of the high wave-vector components present in the vicinity of the structures. Additional computational and theoretical characterization forewent the actual experimental measurements, showing a promising performance, particularly for the 3D Fresnel zone plate (FZP). Overall, the experimental data documents a subwavelength resolution with a significant signal enhancement in the focal spot of the 3D FZP and highly subwavelength depth of focus.

All-optical wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing attracts intense interest in many areas, especially in optical fiber communications, due to the advantages of femtosecond response, modulation-format transparency, and high flexibility in optical network management. In this paper, we present the first optical translation of 32-GBaud 16QAM signals with an integrated Si 3 N 4 nonlinear nanophotonic waveguide. An on-chip continuous-wave conversion efficiency of up to −0.6 dB from S band to C band is achieved in the dispersion-engineered low-loss Si 3 N 4 nonlinear waveguide that is back-end compatible with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor processes. The high conversion efficiency avoids the use of external optical amplifiers for signal demodulation. The converted idler is successfully received with a sensitivity penalty of less than 0.5 dB. Moreover, pre-amplifier-free multichannel wavelength conversion of over-100-Gbps coherent signals in C band is also demonstrated using the same Si 3 N 4 nanophotonic waveguide via changing the pump wavelength, which shows good flexibility in all-optical signal processing. Additionally, wavelength conversion with a bandwidth over 100 nm can be expected by optimizing the current Si 3 N 4 nanophotonic waveguide, which is promising for commercial coherent fiber communications and has bright prospects in various areas including optical signal processing, imaging, optical spectroscopy, and quantum optics.

We introduce two types of dielectric metasurfaces, consisting of 3 × 3 regions, which manipulate wavefront by different feature heights. Both polarization-dependent and polarization-independent metasurfaces are realized for phase depth of 0 ∼ 2π at 1550 nm, with considerable average transmittance of 80.1 and 85.1 %, respectively. The phase modulation capability can be extended over a broadband range of 1460.1–1618.0 nm for optical communications, by carefully designing nanofeature sizes. Moreover, the entire metasurfaces with nanofeatures of varying heights can be fabricated in a single process by using direct laser writing with high-precision, which is beneficial for mass production and promising in developing efficient and ultracompact devices.

Resonant optical structures have widespread applications in science and technology. However, their quality ( Q ) factors can be significantly deteriorated, if some of their parts exhibit optical absorption. Here, we show that by coupling a lossy mode of such a structure to two independent lossless modes, one can create a nonradiating and absorption-free bound state in the continuum (BIC). The Q factor of such a BIC is theoretically unlimited despite interaction with an absorbing structure. We use this mechanism to design a plasmonic metasurface with Q factors that are close to 10 7 in the visible spectral range. The proposed mechanism is general and can be used to engineer ultrahigh- Q resonances in various systems containing absorbing structures.

Quantum memories integrated into nanophotonic silicon devices are a promising platform for large quantum networks and scalable photonic quantum computers. In this context, erbium dopants are particularly attractive, as they combine optical transitions in the telecommunications frequency band with the potential for second-long coherence time. Here, we show that these emitters can be reliably integrated into commercially fabricated low-loss waveguides. We investigate several integration procedures and obtain ensembles of many emitters with an inhomogeneous broadening of <2 GHz and a homogeneous linewidth of <30 kHz. We further observe the splitting of the electronic spin states in a magnetic field up to 9 T that freezes paramagnetic impurities. Our findings are an important step toward long-lived quantum memories that can be fabricated on a wafer-scale using CMOS technology.

The intensity distributions and statistics of partially coherent light fields with random fluctuations have proven to be more robust than for coherent light. However, its full potential in practical applications has not been realized due to the lack of four-dimensional optical field measurement. Here, a general incoherent modal decomposition method of partially coherent light field is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. The decomposed random modes can be used to, but not limited to, reconstruct average intensity, cross-spectral density, and orthogonal decomposition properties of the partially coherent light fields. The versatility and flexibility of this method allows it to reveal the invariance of light fields and to retrieve embedded information after propagation through complex media. The Gaussian-shell-model beam and partially coherent Gaussian array are used as examples to demonstrate the reconstruction and even prediction of second-order statistics. This method is expected to pave the way for applications of partially coherent light in optical imaging, optical encryption, and antiturbulence optical communication.

A tunable plexcitonic material that sustains multimode hybridization is highly desirable, which is vital for advanced quantum devices. However, the research about regulations of biexcitons-plasmon coherent states has rarely been reported. Here we apply single-nanoparticle scattering spectroscopy correlative with SEM imaging to identify biexcitons-plasmon interaction in a metal-semiconductor hybrid structure composed of a single Au@Ag nanoparticle, J-aggregates molecules and tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ) monolayer. The mode competition within the localized plasmonic hotspots (∼240 nm 3 ) is revealed by continuously regulating the J-aggregates spacer. Two distinct anticrossings are observed at both excitons resonances, and large double Rabi splittings (137 meV and 124 meV) are obtained successfully. We establish experimentally that J-aggregates and WS 2 monolayer are responsible for the middle polariton states, while plasmon rarely contributes. Further calculations show that plasmonic nanocavity enables coherent energy exchange with different excitons by providing a highly enhanced localized E-field. In addition, we find that the multimode coupling strengths can be efficiently tuned by changing the cavity morphology and environment temperature, where the tuning spectral accuracy can reach up to 1 nm. Our findings uncover the distinctive properties of biexcitons-plasmon polaritons, suggest an easily obtainable multiqubit states platform, and open up a new way to construct nanoscale photonic devices.

The presence of π gauge flux enabled by positive and negative hopping amplitude can lead to Möbius bands, which was recently demonstrated in both realistic acoustic and photonic lattices, twisted at k = π . Here, we show that the artificial gauge flux configuration can be achieved by exploiting the interactions between photonic s and p orbital-like fundamental modes in circular and peanut-shaped waveguides, respectively. By manipulating the interplay between the gauge fields and the crystal symmetry, we show that breaking the primitive translation symmetry through lattice site dimerization and deformation can cause the original Dirac semimetal phase, characterized by a four-fold Dirac point at the Brillouin zone center, to transform into various topological phases. The designed photonic waveguide array supports topological phases such as Möbius insulator and Weyl-like semimetal phases. Noticeably different to the existing cases, we explicitly show that the twisting Möbius bands cross each other at k = 0 due to the lattice gauging with alternating sign, which results in distinct beam dynamics excitation. We also present Weyl-like flat-band edge states in such photonics waveguide arrays. Our results suggest that such s − p hybridized photonic waveguide array servers as a convenient and flexible platform for studying topological physics, particularly in simulating the effects of gauge field in alternative configuration.

Metasurfaces, which consist of arrays of ultrathin planar nanostructures (also known as “meta-atoms”), offer immense potential for use in high-performance optical devices through the precise manipulation of electromagnetic waves with subwavelength spatial resolution. However, designing meta-atom structures that simultaneously meet multiple functional requirements (e.g., for multiband or multiangle operation) is an arduous task that poses a significant design burden. Therefore, it is essential to establish a robust method for producing intricate meta-atom structures as functional devices. To address this issue, we developed a rapid construction method for a multifunctional and fabrication-friendly meta-atom library using deep neural networks coupled with a meta-atom selector that accounts for realistic fabrication constraints. To validate the proposed method, we successfully applied the approach to experimentally demonstrate a dual-band metasurface collimator based on complex free-form meta-atoms. Our results qualify the proposed method as an efficient and reliable solution for designing complex meta-atom structures in high-performance optical device implementations.

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures integrated into nanophotonic cavities have emerged as a promising approach towards novel photonic and opto-electronic devices. However, the thickness of the 2D heterostructure has a strong influence on the resonance frequency of the nanocavity. For a single cavity, the resonance frequency shifts approximately linearly with the thickness. Here, we propose to use the inherent non-linearity of the mode coupling to render the cavity mode insensitive to the thickness of the 2D heterostructure. Based on the coupled mode theory, we reveal that this goal can be achieved using either a homoatomic molecule with a filtered coupling or heteroatomic molecules. We perform numerical simulations to further demonstrate the robustness of the eigenfrequency in the proposed photonic molecules. Our results render nanophotonic structures insensitive to the thickness of 2D materials, thus owing appealing potential in energy- or detuning-sensitive applications such as cavity quantum electrodynamics.

The metasurface based beam-steering devices with the advantages of large steering angles, arbitrary channels and ultra-compactness have played an important role for data allocation and exchange in the optical wireless communication. However, the current metasurface based optical wireless communication systems are mainly on intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD), which shows a relative lower transmission capacity, lower received optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) and complexity of system. In this study, a bidirectional multichannel optical wireless system enabled by a polarization independent metasurface with coherent modulation and reception is designed and experimentally demonstrated, which exhibits exclusive 100 Gbps coherent optical signals to multiusers with their own wavelengths, 2 m free space distance and field of view of 20° × 20°. In addition, the proposed system can support optical broadcasting system with capacity of 900 Gbps. The demonstrated metasurface assisted optical wireless communication system merges the optical coherent communication techniques and emerging concept of metasurface, which reduces the complexity and cost of the system while contributing a high transmission capacity, opening a new avenue for high performance optical wireless communications.

The visualization of pure phase objects by wavefront sensing has important applications ranging from surface profiling to biomedical microscopy, and generally requires bulky and complicated setups involving optical spatial filtering, interferometry, or structured illumination. Here we introduce a new type of image sensors that are uniquely sensitive to the local direction of light propagation, based on standard photodetectors coated with a specially designed plasmonic metasurface that creates an asymmetric dependence of responsivity on angle of incidence around the surface normal. The metasurface design, fabrication, and angle-sensitive operation are demonstrated using a simple photoconductive detector platform. The measurement results, combined with computational imaging calculations, are then used to show that a standard camera or microscope based on these metasurface pixels can directly visualize phase objects without any additional optical elements, with state-of-the-art minimum detectable phase contrasts below 10 mrad. Furthermore, the combination of sensors with equal and opposite angular response on the same pixel array can be used to perform quantitative phase imaging in a single shot, with a customized reconstruction algorithm which is also developed in this work. By virtue of its system miniaturization and measurement simplicity, the phase imaging approach enabled by these devices is particularly significant for applications involving space-constrained and portable setups (such as point-of-care imaging and endoscopy) and measurements involving freely moving objects.

Due to the short valley polarization time, it is hardly to separate opposite valley pseudospin of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) for their practical applications in valleytronics. Coupling TMDs to unidirectional surface plasmon polariton (SPP) can overcome this obstacle. However, it is required to break the symmetry to induce the asymmetric coupling between valley exciton dipole and SPP to route valley exciton in previously proposed strategies. Herein, by utilizing a new mechanism that near-field interference can create directional SPP in symmetric nanostructures, we realize directional routing of valley exciton emission of monolayer WSe 2 at room temperature with a symmetric nano-slits array. The near-field interference enabled directional SPP in our device not only render the exciton diffusion length increase from 0.9 to 3.0 μm, but also lead to a valley exciton separation length of 0.7 μm with degree of valley polarization up to 22 %. This valley excitons separation is attributed to the non-flat WSe 2 in the nano-slits region, which makes the exciton dipoles present in-plane and out-of-plane simultaneously. Our work provides a convenient and promising strategy towards room temperature on-chip integrated valleytronic devices.