The reflectance from the iridophores in the skin of the neon tetra Paracheirodon innesi (Myers) and the iridophores in the cornea of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas) changes in response to light. In both cases the reflectance comes from the constructive interference of alternating plates of material of high and low refractive index. In the neon tetra the high refractive index plate...

We demonstrate how to design thin-film multilayer structures that separate multiple wavelength channels with a single stack by spatial dispersion, thus allowing compact manufacturable wavelength multiplexers and demultiplexers and possibly beam-steering or dispersion-control devices. We discuss four types of structure--periodic one-dimensional photonic crystal superprism structures, double-chir...

Conventional silicon photonic integrated circuits do not normally possess memory functions, which require on-chip power in order to maintain circuit states in tuned or field-configured switching routes. In this context, we present an electrically programmable add/drop microring resonator with a wavelength shift of 426 pm between the ON/OFF states. Electrical pulses are used to control the choic...

In this paper we present an in-ground intrusion detection system for security applications. Here, an optical fibre pressure switch is directly connected to a standard digital input of a programmable logic controller (PLC). This is achieved using an intensiometric detection system, where a laser diode and Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) are optically mismatched, resulting in a static dc offset from th...

Microcavities, such as spheres, rings or toroids, show sharp optical resonances at specific wavelengths, called whispering gallery modes (WGMs). They correspond to light waves circling around the cavity, relying on continuous total internal reflection at the cavity surface. After one roundtrip, the light waves return to the same point with the same phase, hence interfere constructively with the...

Background Microalgae, being a phototroph, grow in the presence of light, and utilizing photons in narrow and specific range of wavelengths. There have been numerous attempts to take advantage of this trait of wavelength-dependent growth for the purpose of increasing biomass productivity. One potential option involves wavelength conversion of sunlight. In the present study, three fluorescent dy...

The past two decades witnessed the emergence of upconversion nanoparticles as promising luminophores finding multifarious uses from biological studies to solar cells. Progress in their practical use, however, has been hampered by requirements to be excited within a narrow absorption band at around 980 nm. Since the main constituent of biological tissue--water--absorbs strongly in this region, s...

It is well established that light carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) can be used to induce a mechanical torque causing an object to spin. We consider the complementary scenario: will an observer spinning relative to the beam axis measure a change in OAM as a result of their rotational velocity? Remarkably, although a linear Doppler shift changes the linear momentum of a photon, the angular...

Wavelength-selective fluorescence comprises a set of approaches based on the red edge effect in fluorescence spectroscopy, which can be used to monitor directly the environment and dynamics around a fluorophore in a complex biological system. A shift in the wavelength of maximum fluorescence emission toward higher wavelengths, caused by a shift in the excitation wavelength toward the red edge o...