Antibody-Loading of Biological Nanocarrier Vesicles Derived from Red-Blood-Cell Membranes.

Antibodies, disruptive potent therapeutic agents against pharmacological targets, face a barrier in crossing immune systems and cellular membranes. To overcome these, various strategies have been explored including shuttling via liposomes or biocamouflaged nanoparticles. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of loading antibodies into exosome-mimetic nanovesicles derived from human red-blood-cell membranes, which can act as nanocarriers for intracellular delivery.

Wavelength-Sensitive Superconducting Single-Photon Detectors on Thin Film Lithium Niobate Waveguides.

Lithium niobate, because of its nonlinear and electro-optical properties, is one of the materials of choice for photonic applications. The development of nanostructuring capabilities of thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) permits fabrication of small footprint, low-loss optical circuits. With the recent implementation of on-chip single-photon detectors, this architecture is among the most promising for realizing on-chip quantum optics experiments.

Coincident Fluorescence-Burst Analysis of the Loading Yields of Exosome-Mimetic Nanovesicles with Fluorescently-Labeled Cargo Molecules.

The possible targeting functionality and low immunogenicity of exosomes and exosome-like nanovesicles make them promising as drug-delivery carriers. To tap into this potential, accurate non-destructive methods to load them and characterize their contents are of utmost importance. However, the small size, polydispersity, and aggregation of nanovesicles in solution make quantitative characterizations of their loading particularly challenging.

Charged Exciton Kinetics in Monolayer MoSe near Ferroelectric Domain Walls in Periodically Poled LiNbO.

Monolayer semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides are a strongly emergent platform for exploring quantum phenomena in condensed matter, building novel optoelectronic devices with enhanced functionalities. Because of their atomic thickness, their excitonic optical response is highly sensitive to their dielectric environment. In this work, we explore the optical properties of monolayer thick MoSe straddling domain wall boundaries in periodically poled LiNbO.

Edge-enhanced optical parametric generation in periodically poled LiNbO.

We demonstrate enhanced optical parametric gains occurring at the edge of periodically poled LiNbO (PPLN) regions. Experiments performed in MgO-doped PPLN samples, pumped at 532 nm with parametric signal outputs around 800 nm and 1550 nm, exhibit good agreement with numerical simulations of the nonlinear wave dynamics in the system, based on the assumption of an average refractive index increase Δn = 5.3×10 in the PPLN region.

Photoinduced Enhanced Raman from Lithium Niobate on Insulator Template.

Photoinduced enhanced Raman spectroscopy from a lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI)-silver nanoparticle template is demonstrated both by irradiating the template with 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) light before adding an analyte and before placing the substrate in the Raman system (substrate irradiation) and by irradiating the sample in the Raman system after adding the molecule (sample irradiation). The photoinduced enhancement enables up to an ∼sevenfold increase of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering signal strength of an analyte following substrate irradiation, whereas an ∼threefold enhancement above the surface-enhanced signal is obtained for sample irradiation. The photoinduced enhancement relaxes over the course of ∼10 h for a substrate irradiation duration of 150 min before returning to initial signal levels.

Golden Ratio Gain Enhancement in Coherently Coupled Parametric Processes.

Nonlinear optical processes are an essential tool in modern optics, with a broad spectrum of applications, including signal processing, frequency conversion, spectroscopy and quantum optics. Ordinary parametric devices nevertheless still suffer from relatively low gains and wide spectral emission. Here we demonstrate a unique configuration for phase-matching multiple nonlinear processes in a monolithic 2D nonlinear photonic crystal, resulting in the coherent parametric emission of four signal and idler modes, featuring an exponential gain enhancement equal to the Golden Ratio.

Surface Chemistry Controls Anomalous Ferroelectric Behavior in Lithium Niobate.

Polarization switching in ferroelectric materials underpins a multitude of applications ranging from nonvolatile memories to data storage to ferroelectric lithography. While traditionally considered to be a functionality of the material only, basic theoretical considerations suggest that switching is expected to be intrinsically linked to changes in the electrochemical state of the surface. Hence, the properties and dynamics of the screening charges can affect or control the switching dynamics.

Single-Molecule Nonresonant Wide-Field Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering from Ferroelectrically Defined Au Nanoparticle Microarrays.

Single-molecule detection by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful spectroscopic technique that is of interest for the sensor development field. An important aspect of optimizing the materials used in SERS-based sensors is the ability to have a high density of "hot spots" that enhance the SERS sensitivity to the single-molecule level. Photodeposition of gold (Au) nanoparticles through electric-field-directed self-assembly on a periodically proton-exchanged lithium niobate (PPELN) substrate provides conditions to form well-ordered microscale features consisting of closely packed Au nanoparticles.

Modal birefringence-free lithium niobate waveguides.

We investigate polarization-insensitive waveguide designs afforded by the interplay of material and waveguide birefringence in LiNbO-on-insulator photonic wires. Fundamental mode birefringence-free operation in the 0.8-1.

Non-Ising and chiral ferroelectric domain walls revealed by nonlinear optical microscopy.

The properties of ferroelectric domain walls can significantly differ from those of their parent material. Elucidating their internal structure is essential for the design of advanced devices exploiting nanoscale ferroicity and such localized functional properties. Here, we probe the internal structure of 180° ferroelectric domain walls in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films and lithium tantalate bulk crystals by means of second-harmonic generation microscopy.

Biocompatible Gold Nanoparticle Arrays Photodeposited on Periodically Proton Exchanged Lithium Niobate.

Photodeposition of silver nanoparticles onto chemically patterned lithium niobate having alternating lithium niobate and proton exchanged regions has been previously investigated. Here, the spatially defined photodeposition of gold nanoparticles onto periodically proton exchanged lithium niobate is demonstrated. It is shown that the location where the gold nanoparticles form can be tailored by altering the concentration of HAuCl.

Focus issue introduction: Advanced Solid-State Lasers (ASSL) 2015.

The editors introduce the focus issue on "Advanced Solid-State Lasers (ASSL) 2015", which is based on the topics presented at a congress of the same name held in Berlin, Germany, from October 4 to October 9, 2015. This focus issue, jointly prepared by Optics Express and Optical Materials Express, includes 23 contributed papers (17 for Optics Express and 6 for Optical Materials Express) selected from the voluntary submissions from attendees who presented at the congress and have extended their work into complete research articles. We hope this focus issue offers a good snapshot of a variety of topical discussions held at the congress and will contribute to the further expansion of the associated research areas.

Focus issue introduction: Advanced solid-state lasers (ASSL) 2014.

The editors introduce the focus issue on "Advanced Solid-State Lasers (ASSL) 2014," which is based on the topics presented at a congress of the same name held in Shanghai, China, from October 27 to November 1, 2014. This focus issue, jointly prepared by Optics Express and Optical Materials Express, includes 28 contributed papers (21 for Optics Express and 7 for Optical Materials Express) selected from the voluntary submissions by attendees who presented at the congress and have extended their work into complete research articles. We hope this focus issue offers a useful snapshot of the variety of topical discussions held at the congress and will contribute to the further expansion of the associated research areas.

Biocompatibility of ferroelectric lithium niobate and the influence of polarization charge on osteoblast proliferation and function.

In this work, the influence of substrate surface charge on in vitro osteoblast cell proliferation on ferroelectric lithium niobate (LN) crystal surfaces is investigated. LN has a spontaneous polarization along the z-axis and is thus characterized by positive and negative bound polarization charge at the +z and -z surfaces. Biocompatibility of LN was demonstrated via culturing and fluorescence imaging of MC3T3 osteoblast cells for up to 11 days.

Broadband parametric processes in χ(2) nonlinear photonic crystals.

We develop a general model, based on a (2+1)D unidirectional pulse propagation equation, for describing broadband noncollinear parametric interactions in 2D quadratic lattices. We apply it to the analysis of twin-beam optical parametric generation in hexagonally poled LiTaO3, gaining further insights into experimental observations.

Focus issue introduction: Advanced Solid-State Lasers (ASSL) 2013.

The editors introduce the focus issue on "Advanced Solid-State Lasers (ASSL) 2013," which is based on the topics presented at a congress of the same name held in Paris, France, from October 27 to November 1, 2013. This focus issue, jointly prepared by Optics Express and Optical Materials Express, includes 21 contributed papers (18 for Optics Express and 3 for Optical Materials Express) selected from the voluntary submissions from attendees who presented at the congress and have extended their work into complete research articles. We hope this focus issue offers a good snapshot of a variety of topical discussions held at the congress and will contribute to the further expansion of the associated research areas.

Purely nonlinear disorder-induced localizations and their parametric amplification.

We investigate spatial localization in a quadratic nonlinear medium in the presence of randomness. By means of numerical simulations and theoretical analyses we show that, in the down conversion regime, the transverse random modulation of the nonlinear susceptibility generates localizations of the fundamental wave that grow exponentially in propagation. The localization length is optically controlled by the pump intensity that determines the amplification rate.

Photoreduction of SERS-active metallic nanostructures on chemically patterned ferroelectric crystals.

Photodeposition of metallic nanostructures onto ferroelectric surfaces is typically based on patterning local surface reactivity via electric field poling. Here, we demonstrate metal deposition onto substrates which have been chemically patterned via proton exchange (i.e.

Multistep quadratic cascading in broadband optical parametric generation.

We theoretically and experimentally investigate multistep parametric processes in broadband optical parametric generators (OPGs) based on periodically poled 1 mol. % MgO-doped stoichiometric LiTaO3. We demonstrate that parametric collateral processes may deplete or enhance spectral portions of the OPG output, depending on pump pulse duration.

Phase-regenerative wavelength conversion in periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate phase-regenerative wavelength conversion in periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides, using either: a single-stage implementation based on a simultaneous combination of two cascaded second-order nonlinear effects in a single periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide, or a two-stage implementation where two separate devices are used in sequence to give rise to the same nonlinear effects. The phase regeneration properties of the proposed wavelength conversion schemes are also investigated.

Analysis of acceptable spectral windows of quadratic cascaded nonlinear processes in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide.

We report a systematic and comparative study of the acceptance bandwidths of two cascaded quadratic nonlinear processes in periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides, namely cascaded second-harmonic generation and difference-frequency generation (cSHG/DFG) and cascaded sum-frequency generation and difference-frequency generation (cSFG/DFG). We first theoretically and experimentally study the acceptance bandwidths of both the individual second-harmonic generation (SHG) and sum-frequency generation (SFG) processes in the continuous wave (CW) and pulsed-pump regimes. Our results show that the SHG bandwidth is approximately half that of the SFG process in the CW regime, whereas the SHG acceptance bandwidth can approach the CW SFG bandwidth limit when pulsed-pump is used.

Ultra-broadband optical parametric generation in periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3.

We report on broadband gain in an optical parametric generator based on periodically poled 1 mol% magnesium-doped stoichiometric LiTaO3 (PPMg:SLT). More than an octave-spanning parametric gain, stretching from near to mid-infrared, is generated by pumping the crystals close to the point where, at parametric degeneracy, the waves experience zero group-velocity dispersion. Using a picosecond Ti:sapphire source, we measured the broadest parametric gain bandwidths, 180 THz at 10 dB, in PPMg:SLT gratings with a period of 25 µm pumped at 860 nm.

Elimination of the chirp of optical pulses through cascaded nonlinearities in periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides.

We propose and demonstrate a novel method for the elimination of arbitrary frequency chirp from short optical pulses. The technique is based on the combination of two cascaded second-order nonlinearities in two individual periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides. The proposed scheme operates independently of the spectral phase characteristics of the input pulse, producing a near-transform-limited output.

OTDM to WDM format conversion based on quadratic cascading in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide.

We propose and demonstrate error-free conversion of a 40 Gbit/s optical time division multiplexed signal to 4 x 10 Gbit/s wavelength division multiplexed channels based on cascaded second harmonic and difference frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide. The technique relies on the generation of spectrally (and temporally) flat linearly chirped pulses which are then optically switched with short data pulses in the nonlinear waveguide. Error-free operation was obtained for all channels with a power penalty below 2dB.