The fifth anniversary of Advanced Photonics
On the Cover: Terahertz polarization sensing, chirality enhancement, and specific binding based on metasurface sensors for biochemical detection: a review [Invited]
Advanced Imaging | Open for Submissions Now!
On the Cover: Coherent free-electron light sources
On the Cover: Achieving higher photoabsorption than group III-V semiconductors in ultrafast thin silicon photodetectors with integrated photon-trapping surface structures

As we mark the fifth anniversary of Advanced Photonics, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude for the remarkable journey we have undertaken together with our authors, readers, reviewers, Editorial Board, and publishers.

The image shows the application of multifunctional and multitype metasurfaces in biochemical sensing. In the middle of the image, it is shown that metasurfaces with different functions generate different chiral light fields under the excitation of incident THz waves so that various biomolecules on the surface can be detected.

A general concept of optical undulator which consists of micro- or nano-scale photon quasi-particles, provides the modulation force necessarily for free electron radiation emission. It paves the way toward compact free electron coherent light sources.

The cover image illustrates a novel engineering technique utilizing photon-trapping surface structures to experimentally demonstrate an extraordinary improvement of photoabsorption in thin silicon that surpasses the inherent absorption e?ciency of gallium arsenide for a broad spectrum of wavelengths.

AP Highlights
Gigahertz-rate switchable wavefront shaping by LNOI-empowered metasurface
Researchers demonstrate reconfigurable ultra-highspeed wavefront shaping with a metasurface driven by photonic integrated circuits
Advanced Photonics
  • Apr. 26, 2024
  • Vol. 6, Issue 1 (2024)
AI Highlights
AI-accelerated advanced SIM imaging
Understanding the intricate and rapidly evolving dynamics within cells is crucial for advancements in life sciences research. One pivotal aspect is the ability to quickly and accurately capture structural changes within living cells, which is instrumental in unraveling biological processes and investigating pathologies. Structure Illumination Microscopy (SIM) emerges as a powerful tool in dynamically observing living samples due to its ability to surpass the optical diffraction limit, its labeling of samples does not require specific fluorescent dyes. and its minimal phototoxicity.
Advanced Imaging
  • Apr. 25, 2024
  • Vol. 1, Issue 1 (2024)
On the Cover
Ultra-compact on-chip polarization controller
As a basic property of photons, polarization state (SOP) has been widely used in communication, optical coherence tomography, medical diagnosis, remote detection, material analysis and other fields. The polarization controller is the key element in the polarization applications, which can be realized by rotating wave plate and birefringence effect, but the traditional discrete optical components have some problems such as great volume, slow speed and poor reconfigurability. This cover article presents a novel polarization controller on the silicon substrate, which is ultra-compact, large tolerance and easy to regulate. The basic principle is that the horizontal and vertical polarization components of light waves can be converted into each other by using the mode hybrid effect of ridged silicon optical waveguide. By using MZI structure and phase shifter, the energy ratio and phase difference of two polarization components can be controlled, and the conversion between arbitrary polarization states can be realized. Due to the perfect symmetry of its structure, this work has obtained the highest range of polarization extinction ratio (PER) reported so far, and has wide application prospects in related fields.
Photonics Research
  • Apr. 25, 2024
  • Vol. 12, Issue 2 (2024)
Community-News
HB11 collaborates on ‘Equations of State’ experiments at PALS, Czech Republic
Proton-boron fuel requires implosion to burn. In order to build a correct model of the implosion process driven by a high energy laser, we need to understand the material properties and behaviour of the boron fuel under extreme pressures and temperatures. This is no simple task as we’re talking about millions of atmospheric pressures and millions to billions of Kelvins (degrees), occurring after petawatts (1,000 trillion watts) of energy have passed through fuel no bigger than a millimetre in size.
High Power Laser Science and Engineering
  • Apr. 24, 2024
  • Vol. , Issue (2024)
Editors' Picks
Highly efficient conversion from classical guided waves to topological chiral edge states
The photonic topological insulator, which is the electromagnetic analogy of the topological insulator in electronic systems, has attracted a great deal of attention due to its topologically protected one-way transport of edge states. In the quantum Hall effect system in which the time-reversal symmetry is broken through external magnetic fields, the topological chiral edge states and topological one-way waveguides have the best robustness due to their unique features of free backscattering and immunity against sharp bends and defects. However, the high-efficiency coupling and conversion between topological chiral edge states and classical guided waves, which are essential for feeding energies into and extracting signals from these topological waveguides, have not been well studied.
Chinese Optics Letters
  • Apr. 19, 2024
  • Vol. 22, Issue 2 (2024)
Newest Articles
Optical pulse repetition rate division using an optoelectronic oscillator

An approach for frequency division of an optical pulse train (OPT) based on an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated

An approach for frequency division of an optical pulse train (OPT) based on an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. When the OPT is injected into the OEO, a microwave signal with a frequency equaling fractional multiples of the repetition rate of the OPT is generated. This signal is then fed back to the OEO, maintaining its oscillation, while simultaneously serving as the control signal of a Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM) in the OEO. The MZM acts as an optical switch, permitting specific pulses to pass through while blocking others. As a result, the repetition rate of the OPT is manipulated. A proof-of-concept experiment is carried out. Frequency division factors of 2 and 3 are successfully achieved. The phase noises of the OPT before and after the frequency division are investigated. Compared to previously reported systems, no external microwave source and sophisticated synchronization structure are needed.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • Chinese Optics Letters,Vol. 22, Issue 4
  • 043902 (2024)
Review of bio-inspired image sensors for efficient machine vision

With the rapid development of sensor networks, machine vision faces the problem of storing and computing massive data. The human visual system has a very

With the rapid development of sensor networks, machine vision faces the problem of storing and computing massive data. The human visual system has a very efficient information sense and computation ability, which has enlightening significance for solving the above problems in machine vision. This review aims to comprehensively summarize the latest advances in bio-inspired image sensors that can be used to improve machine-vision processing efficiency. After briefly introducing the research background, the relevant mechanisms of visual information processing in human visual systems are briefly discussed, including layer-by-layer processing, sparse coding, and neural adaptation. Subsequently, the cases and performance of image sensors corresponding to various bio-inspired mechanisms are introduced. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of implementing bio-inspired image sensors for efficient machine vision are discussed.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • Advanced Photonics,Vol. 6, Issue 2
  • 024001 (2024)
Butler matrix enabled multi-beam optical phased array for two-dimensional beam-steering and ranging

Based on the wavelength transparency of the Butler matrix (BM) beamforming network, we demonstrate a multi-beam optical phased array (MOPA) with an emitti

Based on the wavelength transparency of the Butler matrix (BM) beamforming network, we demonstrate a multi-beam optical phased array (MOPA) with an emitting aperture composed of grating couplers at a 1.55 μm pitch for wavelength-assisted two-dimensional beam-steering. The device is capable of simultaneous multi-beam operation in a field of view (FOV) of 60° × 8° in the phased-array scanning axis and the wavelength-tuning scanning axis, respectively. The typical beam divergence is about 4° on both axes. Using multiple linearly chirped lasers, multi-beam frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) ranging is realized with an average ranging error of 4 cm. A C-shaped target is imaged for proof-of-concept 2D scanning and ranging.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • Photonics Research,Vol. 12, Issue 5
  • 912 (2024)
Beyond 200-Gb/s O-band intensity modulation and direct detection optics with joint look-up-table-based predistortion and digital resolution enhancement for low-cost data center interconnects

We propose a joint look-up-table (LUT)-based nonlinear predistortion and digital resolution enhancement scheme to achieve high-speed and low-cost optical

We propose a joint look-up-table (LUT)-based nonlinear predistortion and digital resolution enhancement scheme to achieve high-speed and low-cost optical interconnects using low-resolution digital-to-analog converters (DACs). The LUT-based predistortion is employed to mitigate the pattern-dependent effect (PDE) of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), while the digital resolution enhancer (DRE) is utilized to shape the quantization noise, lowering the requirement for the resolution of DAC. We experimentally demonstrate O-band intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD) transmission of 124-GBd 4 / 6-level pulse-amplitude modulation ( PAM ) -4 / 6 and 112-GBd PAM-8 signals over a 2-km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) with 3 / 3.5 / 4-bit DACs. In the case of 40-km SSMF transmission with an SOA-based preamplifier, 124-GBd on-off-keying (OOK)/PAM-3/PAM-4 signals are successfully transmitted with 1.5 / 2 / 3-bit DACs. To the best of our knowledge, we have achieved the highest net data rates of 235.3-Gb / s PAM-4, 289.7-Gb / s PAM-6, and 294.7 Gb / s PAM-8 signals over 2-km SSMF, as well as 117.6-Gb / s OOK, 173.8-Gb / s PAM-3, and -231.8 Gb / s PAM-4 signals over 40-km SSMF, employing low-resolution DACs. The experimental results reveal that the joint LUT-based predistortion and DRE effectively mitigate the PDE and improve the signal-to-quantization noise ratio by shaping the noise. The proposed scheme can provide a powerful solution for low-cost IM/DD optical interconnects beyond 200 Gb / s.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • Advanced Photonics Nexus,Vol. 3, Issue 3
  • 036007 (2024)
Advanced Photonics Photonics Insights

In this paper, we have experimentally demonstrated a high power and high brightness narrow-linewidth fiber amplifier seeded by an optimized fiber oscillator. In order to improve the temporal sta

In this paper, we have experimentally demonstrated a high power and high brightness narrow-linewidth fiber amplifier seeded by an optimized fiber oscillator. In order to improve the temporal stability, the fiber oscillator consists of a composite FBG-based cavity with an external feedback structure. By optimizing the forward and backward pumping ratio, nonlinear effects and SRS-induced mode distortion of the fiber amplifier are suppressed comprehensively, accompanying with the simultaneous improvement of beam quality and output power. Furthermore, the TMI threshold is also improved by ~1.0 kW by coiling the gain fiber with a novel curvature shape. Finally, a 6 kW narrow linewidth laser is achieved with beam quality (M2) of ~1.4. The laser brightness has doubled comparing to the results before optimization. At the maximum output power,. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest brightness narrow linewidth fiber laser based on one-stage MOPA structure.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • High Power Laser Science and Engineering

Double cone ignition (DCI) [Zhang et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 378: 20200015 (2020)] was proposed recently as a novel path for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) using high power l

Double cone ignition (DCI) [Zhang et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 378: 20200015 (2020)] was proposed recently as a novel path for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) using high power lasers. In this scheme, plasma jets with both high density and high velocity are required for collisions. Here we report preliminary experimental results obtained at the Shenguang-II upgrade laser facility, employing a CHCl shell in a gold cone irradiated with a two-ramp laser pulse. The CHCl shell was pre-compressed by the first laser ramp to a density of 3.75 g/cm3 along the isentropic path. Subsequently, the target was further compressed and accelerated by the second laser ramp in the cone. According to the simulations, the plasma jet reached a density of up to 15 g/cm3, while measurements indicated a velocity of 126.8 ± 17.1 km/s. The good agreements between experimental data and simulations are documented.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • High Power Laser Science and Engineering

Power scaling in conventional broad-area (BA) lasers often leads to the operation of higher-order lateral modes, resulting in a multiple-lobe far-field profile with large divergence. Here, we re

Power scaling in conventional broad-area (BA) lasers often leads to the operation of higher-order lateral modes, resulting in a multiple-lobe far-field profile with large divergence. Here, we report an advanced sawtooth waveguide (ASW) structure integrated onto a wide ridge waveguide. It strategically enhances the loss difference between higher-order modes and the fundamental mode, thereby facilitating high-power narrow-beam emission. Both optical simulations and experimental results illustrate the significant increase in additional scattering loss of the higher-order modes. The optimized ASW lasers achieve an impressive output power of 1.1 W at 4.6 A at room temperature, accompanied by a minimal full width at half maximum (FWHM) lateral divergence angle of 4.91°. Notably, the far-field divergence is reduced from 19.61° to 11.39° at the saturation current, showcasing a remarkable 42% improvement compared to conventional BA lasers. Moreover, the current dependence of divergence has been effectively improved by 38%, further confirming the consistent and effective lateral mode control capability offered by our design.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • High Power Laser Science and Engineering

We report on a high-efficiency, high-power tandem Ho:YAG single-crystal fiber (SCF) laser in-band pumped by a Tm-doped fiber laser (TDFL) at 1907 nm. In addition to the uniform heat distribution

We report on a high-efficiency, high-power tandem Ho:YAG single-crystal fiber (SCF) laser in-band pumped by a Tm-doped fiber laser (TDFL) at 1907 nm. In addition to the uniform heat distribution resulting from the large surface-to-volume ratio of this fiber-like thin crystal rod, the long gain region provided by the tandem layout of two SCFs enables high lasing efficiency and power handling capability. More than 100 W output power is achieved at 2.1 μm, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 70.5% and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 67.6%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power and efficiency ever reported from the SCF lasers in the 2-μm spectral range.show less

  • Apr.28,2024
  • High Power Laser Science and Engineering