In this paper, we review spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM), a common-path, phase-shifting interferometer, built onto a phase-contrast microscope, with white-light illumination. As one of the most sensitive quantitative phase imaging (QPI) methods, SLIM allows for speckle-free phase reconstruction with sub-nanometer path-length stability. We first review image formation in QPI, scattering

Lithium niobate (LN), an outstanding and versatile material, has influenced our daily life for decades—from enabling high-speed optical communications that form the backbone of the Internet to realizing radio-frequency filtering used in our cell phones. This half-century-old material is currently embracing a revolution in thin-film LN integrated photonics. The successes of manufacturing wafer-scale

Since their invention in 1986 by Arthur Ashkin and colleagues, optical tweezers have become an essential tool in several fields of physics, spectroscopy, biology, nanotechnology, and thermodynamics. In this tutorial, we provide a primer on how to calibrate optical tweezers and how to use them for advanced applications. After a brief general introduction on optical tweezers, we focus on describing and

We comprehensively review the quantum theory of the polarization properties of light. In classical optics, these traits are characterized by the Stokes parameters, which can be geometrically interpreted using the Poincaré sphere. Remarkably, these Stokes parameters can also be applied to the quantum world, but then important differences emerge: now, because fluctuations in the number of photons are

Automated human gesture recognition is receiving significant research interest, with applications ranging from novel acquisition techniques to algorithms, data processing, and classification methodologies. This tutorial presents an overview of the fundamental components and basics of the current 3D optical image acquisition technologies for gesture recognition, including the most promising algorithms

The transistor has revolutionized civilization. The photon will enable the next revolution provided that photomechanical materials, which convert light energy into mechanical work, can be made substantially more efficient. This tutorial develops a unified picture of the photomechanical response from its microscopic origins to the bulk response. A statistical model of the relationship between the photomorphon

We review the impact of deep-learning technologies on camera architecture. The function of a camera is first to capture visual information and second to form an image. Conventionally, both functions are implemented in physical optics. Throughout the digital age, however, joint design of physical sampling and electronic processing, e.g., computational imaging, has been increasingly applied to improve

Quantum cryptography is arguably the fastest growing area in quantum information science. Novel theoretical protocols are designed on a regular basis, security proofs are constantly improving, and experiments are gradually moving from proof-of-principle lab demonstrations to in-field implementations and technological prototypes. In this paper, we provide both a general introduction and a state-of-the-art

Automated human gesture recognition is receiving significant research interest, with applications ranging from novel acquisition techniques to algorithms, data processing, and classification methodologies. This tutorial presents an overview of the fundamental components and basics of the current 3D optical image acquisition technologies for gesture recognition, including the most promising algorithms

We present a biorthogonal approach for modeling the response of localized electromagnetic resonators using quasinormal modes, which represent the natural, dissipative eigenmodes of the system with complex frequencies. For many problems of interest in optics and nanophotonics, the quasinormal modes constitute a powerful modeling tool, and the biorthogonal approach provides a coherent, precise, and accessible

Off-axis holographic multiplexing involves capturing several complex wavefronts, each encoded into off-axis holograms with different interference fringe orientations, simultaneously, with a single camera acquisition. Thus, the multiplexed off-axis hologram can capture several wavefronts at once, where each one encodes different information from the sample, using the same number of pixels typically

Programmable integrated photonics is an emerging new paradigm that aims at designing common integrated optical hardware resource configurations, capable of implementing an unconstrained variety of functionalities by suitable programming, following a parallel but not identical path to that of integrated electronics in the past two decades of the last century. Programmable integrated photonics is raising

Programmable integrated photonics is an emerging new paradigm that aims at designing common integrated optical hardware resource configurations, capable of implementing an unconstrained variety of functionalities by suitable programming, following a parallel but not identical path to that of integrated electronics in the past two decades of the last century. Programmable integrated photonics is raising

Editor-in-Chief Guifang Li announces the new editorial advisory board for the Journal.

Optical parametric amplifiers rely on second-order susceptibility (three-wave mixing) or third-order susceptibility (four-wave mixing) in a nonlinear process where the energy of incoming photons is not changed (elastic scattering). In the latter case, two pump photons are converted to a signal and to an idler photon. Under certain conditions, related to the phase evolution of the waves involved, this

Microwave signal filtering is a fundamental and central functionality in radio-frequency (RF) systems. Underpinned by advanced integrated photonics technologies, emerging integrated microwave photonic (IMWP) filter platforms enable reconfigurable and widely tunable RF signal filtering functionalities that were unattainable using conventional electronics while also exhibiting superior features in terms

This work presents a review on the effect of transverse mode instability in high-power fiber laser systems and the corresponding investigations led worldwide over the past decade. This paper includes a description of the experimental observations and the physical origin of this effect, as well as some of the proposed mitigation strategies.

Guifang Li, the new Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Optics and Photonics, outlines his vision for the Journal.

Guifang Li, the new Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Optics and Photonics, outlines his vision for the Journal.

Editor-in-Chief Govind Agrawal reflects on his term and bids farewell.

We present in this erratum a supplement to the review of experimental implementations of the Kramers–Kronig receiver in Section 20 of our paper [Adv. Opt. Photon. 11, 480 (2019) [CrossRef] ] describing the work performed at Nokia Bell Labs, Germany. This addition does not affect to any extent the conclusions presented in the original paper.

Multiphoton microscopy has emerged as a ubiquitous tool for studying microscopic structure and function across a broad range of disciplines. As such, the intent of this paper is to present a comprehensive resource for the construction and performance evaluation of a multiphoton microscope that will be understandable to the broad range of scientific fields that presently exploit, or wish to begin exploiting

We present a comprehensive overview of sensor technology exploiting optical whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonances. After a short introduction we begin by detailing the fundamental principles and theory of WGMs in optical microcavities and the transduction mechanisms frequently employed for sensing purposes. Key recent theoretical contributions to the modeling and analysis of WGM systems are highlighted

As author of the very first review in the inaugural issue of the Journal, I provide my perspective on how the field has developed since then and the effect that publishing in Advances in Optics and Photonics has had on my career.

The nature of light, extending from the optical to the x-ray regime, is reviewed from a diffraction point of view by comparing field-based statistical optics and photon-based quantum optics approaches. The topic is introduced by comparing historical diffraction concepts based on wave interference, Dirac’s notion of photon self-interference, Feynman’s interference of space–time photon probability amplitudes

A tomographic measurement is a ubiquitous tool for estimating the properties of quantum states, and its application is known as quantum state tomography (QST). The process involves manipulating single photons in a sequence of projective measurements, often to construct a density matrix from which other information can be inferred, and is as laborious as it is complex. Here we unravel the steps of a

Self-interference holography is a common technique to record holograms of incoherently illuminated scenes. In this review, we survey the main milestones in the topic of self-interference incoherent digital holography from two main points of view. First, we review the prime architectures of optical hologram recorders over more than 50 years. Second, we discuss some of the key applications of these recorders

This publisher’s note corrects errors in the funding and references of Adv. Opt. Photon. 10, 703 (2018) [CrossRef] .

This review paper addresses topics of fabrication, testing, alignment, and as-built performance of reflective space optics for the next generation of telescopes across the x-ray to far-infrared spectrum. The technology presented in the manuscript represents the most promising methods to enable a next level of astronomical observation capabilities for space-based telescopes as motivated by the science

We review recent developments in directly modulated lasers (DMLs) with low operating energy for datacom and computercom applications. Key issues are their operating energy and the cost for employing them in these applications. To decrease the operating energy, it is important to reduce the active volume of the laser while maintaining the cavity Q-factor or photon lifetime in the cavity. Therefore,