Efficient optical nonlinear effects in waveguides play an important role in integrated photonic functionalities. The dispersion characteristics need to be well designed to satisfy the phase-matching condition of the interacting waves in waveguides. Here we demonstrate a novel phase-matching process of second-harmonic generation (SHG) in a symmetrical metal-cladding optical waveguide (SMCOW) wit...

The surface of a material may exhibit physical phenomena that do not occur in the bulk of the material itself. For this reason, the behaviour of nanoscale devices is expected to be conditioned, or even dominated, by the nature of their surface. Here, we show that in silicon photonic nanowaveguides, massive surface carrier generation is induced by light travelling in the waveguide, because of na...

Optical nanostructures have enabled the creation of subdiffraction detection volumes for single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Their applicability is extended by the ability to place molecules in the confined observation volume without interfering with their biological function. Here, we demonstrate that processive DNA synthesis thousands of bases in length was carried out by individual DNA ...

In this work, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a highly sensitive porous silicon membrane waveguide biosensor in the Kretschmann configuration, and show how the cladding material directly impacts the waveguide sensor detection sensitivity and resonance width. Dielectric and metal-clad porous waveguides in the Kretchmann configuration have the potential to achieve significantly en...

In this work, we explore the possibility of using photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) as a fiber-optic sensing platform for structural health monitoring, based on long-period gratings (LPGs). Two types of PCF-LPG sensors are proposed for detection of structure corrosion and vibration, respectively. We numerically and experimentally investigate the behaviors of modal transition in the PCF-LPG humidit...

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) can be excited on metal-coated optical fibres, enabling the accurate monitoring of refractive index changes. Configurations reported so far mainly operate in liquids but not in air because of a mismatch between permittivities of guided light modes and the surrounding medium. Here we demonstrate a plasmonic optical fibre platform that overcomes this limitation. T...

Metal thin-walled members have been widely used in building industry. Usually they are utilized as purlins, girts or ceiling beams. Due to slenderness of thin-walled cross-sections these structural members are prone to stability problems (e.g. flexural buckling, lateral torsional buckling). If buckling is not constructionally prevented their resistance is limited by buckling strength. In practi...