Laser & Photonics Reviews 

About: Laser & Photonics Reviews is an academic journal published by Wiley. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Photonics & Laser. It has an ISSN identifier of 1863-8880. Over the lifetime, 1716 publications have been published receiving 89963 citations. The journal is also known as: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

Silicon microring resonators

Abstract: An overview is presented of the current state-of-the-art in silicon nanophotonic ring resonators. Basic theory of ring resonators is discussed, and applied to the peculiarities of submicron silicon photonic wire waveguides: the small dimensions and tight bend radii, sensitivity to perturbations and the boundary conditions of the fabrication processes. Theory is compared to quantitative measurements. Finally, several of the more promising applications of silicon ring resonators are discussed: filters and optical delay lines, label-free biosensors, and active rings for efficient modulators and even light sources.

Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging – Modern techniques and applications

Abstract: Over the past three decades a new spectroscopic technique with unique possibilities has emerged. Based on coherent and time-resolved detection of the electric field of ultrashort radiation bursts in the far-infrared, this technique has become known as terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). In this review article the authors describe the technique in its various implementations for static and time-resolved spectroscopy, and illustrate the performance of the technique with recent examples from solid-state physics and physical chemistry as well as aqueous chemistry. Examples from other fields of research, where THz spectroscopic techniques have proven to be useful research tools, and the potential for industrial applications of THz spectroscopic and imaging techniques are discussed.

Searching for better plasmonic materials

Abstract: Plasmonics is a research area merging the fields of optics and nanoelectronics by confining light with relatively large free-space wavelength to the nanometer scale - thereby enabling a family of novel devices. Current plasmonic devices at telecommunication and optical frequencies face significant challenges due to losses encountered in the constituent plasmonic materials. These large losses seriously limit the practicality of these metals for many novel applications. This paper provides an overview of alternative plasmonic materials along with motivation for each material choice and important aspects of fabrication. A comparative study of various materials including metals, metal alloys and heavily doped semiconductors is presented. The performance of each material is evaluated based on quality factors defined for each class of plasmonic devices. Most importantly, this paper outlines an approach for realizing optimal plasmonic material properties for specific frequencies and applications, thereby providing a reference for those searching for better plasmonic materials.

Thermo‐plasmonics: using metallic nanostructures as nano‐sources of heat

Abstract: Recent years have seen a growing interest in using metal nanostructures to control temperature on the nanoscale. Under illumination at its plasmonic resonance, a metal nanoparticle features enhanced light absorption, turning it into an ideal nano-source of heat, remotely controllable using light. Such a powerful and flexible photothermal scheme is the basis of thermo-plasmonics. Here, the recent progress of this emerging and fast-growing field is reviewed. First, the physics of heat generation in metal nanoparticles is described, under both continuous and pulsed illumination. The second part is dedicated to numerical and experimental methods that have been developed to further understand and engineer plasmonic-assisted heating processes on the nanoscale. Finally, some of the most recent applications based on the heat generated by gold nanoparticles are surveyed, namely photothermal cancer therapy, nano-surgery, drug delivery, photothermal imaging, protein tracking, photoacoustic imaging, nano-chemistry and optofluidics.

Advances in optical angular momentum

Abstract: Some 16 years ago, Allen et al. [Phys. Rev. A 45, 8185 (1992)] recognised that laser beams which carried an angular momentum additional to photon spin, could be realized in the laboratory. Such beams have helical phase fronts and so have an azimuthal component to the Poynting vector, which results in angular momentum along the beam axis. This orbital angular momentum, very often combined with spin to make optical angular momentum, has given rise to many developments. These range from optical spanners for driving micro-machines to high dimensional quantum entanglement and new opportunities in quantum information processing. The concept of orbital angular momentum is now leading to new understanding of a wide range of phenomena, including fundamental processes in Bose-Einstein condensates, while the associated technologies have led to new applications in optical tweezing and microscopy.