Articles in 2013

Capturing the dynamics of atoms and molecules using X-ray free-electron laser pulses requires femtosecond timing between the pump and probe beams. Nature Photonics spoke with Marion Harmand and Marco Cammarata about their progress.

By taking advantage of free-carrier generation in optically transparent media researchers have improved synchronization between optical lasers and free-electron laser pulses. This technique has an optical/X-ray delay with a sub-10 fs r.m.s error.

By combining the techniques of temporal focusing and generalized phase contrast researchers are able to preserve the shape of spatial patterns of light deep inside scattering brain slices. This approach is shown to photoactivate the light-sensitive protein channelrhodopsin-2 with single-cell precision and millisecond temporal resolution.

Researchers use squeezed light to track the constituents of yeast cells with a performance that overcomes the quantum noise limit. This approach allows for the utilization of low optical power, which helps to minimize cell damage.

Researchers demonstrate deterministic quantum-state transfer from a ⁴⁰Ca⁺ ion to a photon in an optical cavity by controlling the transition probabilities and the frequency difference of two simultaneous Raman fields. They used process tomography to characterize the quantum-state transfer, providing a process fidelity of 92% and a state-transfer efficiency of 16%.

Colour filters that split light by employing near-field interference effects instead of absorption provide enhanced signal levels for dense, small-pixel image sensors.

The report of a quantum receiver that can distinguish quadrature-phase-shifted keyed signals with an error rate beyond the standard quantum limit bodes well for improving the performance of coherent optical communication systems.

A holographic microscope capable of dynamically imaging unstained living cells at resolutions beyond the diffraction limit could prove extremely useful for studying biological cells.