Research Highlights

The advent of plasmonics has enabled the focusing of visible light down to few-nanometer spot sizes, more than an order of magnitude below the diff raction limit. This extreme focusing enables the optical probing of volumes as small as a

Studying the polarization of light has been pursued for over two centuries, since Étienne Malus did the first related observations using a birefringent calcite crystal in 1808. Nowadays, most people have at least heard of “polarized sunglasses” — an 80-year-old

Optical supercontinuum (SC) results from the synergy of several nonlinear and linear processes, all acting together. Supercontinuum generation is these days finding applications in biomedical imaging, optical metrology, spectroscopy, and sensing, to mention a few. In this regard, single-mode photonic

Since its invention in the late 16th Century, the optical microscope, has become an essential tool in modern biology, leading to numerous discoveries. Fluorescence is probably the most important optical readout mode because of its high sensitivity and specificity, compared

Nanocomposites, in particular inorganic-organic hybrids, allow for a wide range of combinations of phases with broad applications including solar energy harvesting, lighting, imaging, radiation sensing, lasers, magneto-optics and plasmonics. Intense research eff orts on optical nanocomposites are being motivated by

Mid-infrared subharmonic optical parametric oscillators (OPO) produce frequency comb light with one-and-half-octave-wide instantaneous band and superior temporal coherence, suitable for real-time trace molecular detection. Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) have long been recognized as a versatile means of producing optical output

Achromatization by Combined Volume Bragg Gratings & Surface Diffraction Gratings Over the last decades phase masks have found numerous applications including imaging, encryption, beam shaping, and mode conversion. There are two typical methods of making such masks. The first one

Nonlinear phenomena are fundamental to laser optics and photonics throughout a wide range of fields. However, these are generally neglected or intentionally avoided when considering free-space propagation of laser beams over >10 m. Ordinarily, air is considered a linear propagation

In recent years, the increasing penetration of flexible devices into the consumer products market has led to a surge of interest in flexible photonics, i.e., integrated optical systems fabricated on flexible polymer substrates that can be mechanically deformed without compromising

The generation of arbitrary optical waveforms in real time is of keen interest owing to their use in a broad range of applications, spanning secure communications, advanced radar and lidar systems, and control of complex optically induced phenomena. The ability

The liquid crystal display (LCD) has become ubiquitous and indispensable in our daily life. It is widely used in applications such as smart phones, pads, computer screens, TVs, and data projectors. Recently, the LCD is facing competition from the organic

Optical fiber communication is the backbone for the telecommunications infrastructure. Fueled by emerging bandwidth-hungry applications, the Internet traffic has sustained an exponential growth in the past and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. It is well