@article{63827, abstract = {{Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are becoming increasingly important across various sectors of the lighting industry and are being used more frequently. In the field of symbolic projection, research is increasingly focusing on implementing light modulation using energy-efficient, incoherent LEDs rather than lasers. Since light modulation in micro- and nano-optics is typically achieved through phase modulation, Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulations are employed for analysis. The objective of this article is to investigate different approaches for approximating incoherent monochromatic light sources within FDTD simulations. To this end, two approaches based on dipole sources are considered, as well as a method involving plane waves with modulated wavefronts based on Cosine–Fourier functions and a method based on the superposition of Gaussian beams. These methods are evaluated in terms of their accuracy using a two-dimensional double-slit configuration and are compared against a fully incoherent analytical reference.}}, author = {{Metzner, Dominik and Potthoff, Jens and Zentgraf, Thomas and Förstner, Jens}}, issn = {{2304-6732}}, journal = {{Photonics}}, keywords = {{tet_topic_opticalantenna, tet_topic_numerics, tet_topic_meta}}, number = {{2}}, publisher = {{MDPI AG}}, title = {{{Approximating Incoherent Monochromatic Light Sources in FDTD Simulations}}}, doi = {{10.3390/photonics13020128}}, volume = {{13}}, year = {{2026}}, } @article{64873, abstract = {{Continuous flow catalysis utilizing gel-bound organocatalysts within a microfluidic reactor represents a compelling strategy in the realm of organic synthesis. In this study, a quinuclidine-based catalytic monomer (QMA) was synthesized to create polymer gel dots through the process of photopolymerization that serve as a support for the catalyst. The resulting gel-bound organocatalysts were assembled within a continuous microfluidic reactor to facilitate the Baylis–Hillman reaction between various aldehydes and acrylonitrile at a temperature of 50 °C. The conversion of the product was assessed using 1H NMR spectroscopy as an offline analytical method over a duration of 8 h. The findings indicated that highly reactive aldehydes achieved conversion rates exceeding 90%, in contrast to their less reactive counterparts. Furthermore, these results were juxtaposed with previously published data derived from alternative synthetic methodologies, revealing that the continuous microfluidic reactions employing integrated organocatalysts within polymer networks exhibited significantly higher conversions with reduced reaction times (8 h) at the same temperature (50 °C). Additionally, the influence of different geometries (round, triangular, and square) of the gel dots on catalytic activity was investigated, with round and square gel dots demonstrating slightly superior performance compared with triangular gel dots, attributed to their increased surface area. Moreover, an extended reaction period of 6 days was conducted using 4-bromobenzaldehyde and acrylonitrile, resulting in a conversion rate exceeding 70%, which remained stable for 5 days before experiencing a slight decline due to product accumulation on the gel dots.}}, author = {{Killi, Naresh and Kumar, Amit and Nebhani, Leena and Obst, Franziska and Richter, Andreas and Reineke Matsudo, Bernhard and Zentgraf, Thomas and Kuckling, Dirk}}, issn = {{2470-1343}}, journal = {{ACS Omega}}, number = {{9}}, publisher = {{American Chemical Society (ACS)}}, title = {{{Integrating an Organocatalyst into a Polymeric Gel Framework for the Continuous Microflow Baylis–Hillman Reaction}}}, doi = {{10.1021/acsomega.5c09476}}, volume = {{11}}, year = {{2026}}, } @article{61523, abstract = {{AbstractMetasurface holography offers a powerful approach for manipulating wavefronts at the nano and micro scale. Extensive research has been conducted to enhance the multiplexing capacity for diverse wavefronts. However, the independence of multiplexed channels is fundamentally restricted in techniques using single‐layer metasurfaces, resulting in unavoidable crosstalk and the need for post‐filtering of the output wavefronts. Here, a universal wavefront multiplexing concept is presented based on non‐injective transformation. By employing joint optimization on two metasurfaces, different channels can be independently designed without any constraints on the output wavefronts. To validate this approach, ultra‐compact orbital angular momentum (OAM) sorters are designed. In these experiments, the output beams from different channels can be independently mapped to 2D positions with high fineness. In another application of wavefront‐multiplexed holography, 10‐channel multiplexing is experimentally achieved with minimal crosstalk and without the need for post‐processing. These results demonstrate the independence between channels enabled by the non‐injective transformation in the method. The precise wavefront control and high multiplexing capacity underscore its potential for scalable wavefront manipulation devices.}}, author = {{Jin, Xiao and Zentgraf, Thomas}}, issn = {{0935-9648}}, journal = {{Advanced Materials}}, publisher = {{Wiley}}, title = {{{Independent Wavefront Multiplexing with Metasurfaces via Non‐Injective Transformation}}}, doi = {{10.1002/adma.202511823}}, volume = {{38}}, year = {{2026}}, } @article{63531, author = {{Doshi, Siddharth and Güsken, Nicholas Alexander and Dijk, Gerwin and Carlström, Johan and Ortiz-Cárdenas, Jennifer E. and Suzuki, Peter and Li, Bohan and Fordyce, Polly M. and Salleo, Alberto and Melosh, Nicholas A. and Brongersma, Mark L.}}, issn = {{0028-0836}}, journal = {{Nature}}, number = {{8096}}, pages = {{345--352}}, publisher = {{Springer Science and Business Media LLC}}, title = {{{Soft photonic skins with dynamic texture and colour control}}}, doi = {{10.1038/s41586-025-09948-2}}, volume = {{649}}, year = {{2026}}, } @article{64877, author = {{Taheri, Behnood and Kopylov, Denis and Hammer, Manfred and Meier, Torsten and Förstner, Jens and Sharapova, Polina R.}}, journal = {{arXiv}}, title = {{{Gain-induced spectral non-degeneracy in type-II parametric down-conversion}}}, doi = {{10.48550/ARXIV.2603.01656}}, year = {{2026}}, } @article{64978, abstract = {{The degrees of freedom (DoFs) of light determine the maximum number of independent signal channels an optical system can support. However, the polarization DoF is intrinsically limited to two by orthogonality, which causes unavoidable crosstalk and often forces position multiplexing, where different channels are assigned to distinct spatial locations to suppress crosstalk. This research introduces a multilayer synchronous polarization projection method that fundamentally increases the DoF for polarization multiplexing. The DoF equals twice the number of projection layers. We experimentally demonstrate six- channel polarization multiplexing holography without position multiplexing. The six-channel multiplexing results indicate that our approach exceeds the conventional polarization multiplexing method, yielding an average 3.79 dB improvement in extinction ratio across the six channels. Compared with the theoretical limit of traditional polarization multiplexing, our method reduces crosstalk by an average of 6.52 dB across all channels in a seven-channel design. The polarization projection method breaks the DoF limitation of polarization multiplexing, opening a path toward high-dimensional photonic information encoding for communication, encryption, and imaging.}}, author = {{Jin, Xiao and Zentgraf, Thomas}}, issn = {{2577-5421}}, journal = {{Advanced Photonics}}, number = {{02}}, publisher = {{SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng}}, title = {{{Increasing the design degree of freedom for polarization through multilayer synchronous polarization projection}}}, doi = {{10.1117/1.ap.8.2.026010}}, volume = {{8}}, year = {{2026}}, } @article{65316, abstract = {{Metasurfaces are powerful tools for manipulating light using small structures on the nanoscale. In most metasurfaces, near-field couplings are treated as being unfavorable perturbations. Here, we experimentally investigate a structure consisting of sinusoidally modulated silicon waveguides where near-field coupling of local resonances leads to negative coupling, i.e., a negative coupling constant. This gives rise to wave-vector-dependent eigenstates of elliptical, linear, and circular polarizations. In particular, fully circular polarization states are not only present at a single point in momentum space (k-space) but also along a line. This circular polarization line, as well as a linear polarization line, emanates from a polarization degeneracy at the Dirac point. We experimentally validate the existence of these eigenstates and demonstrate the energy-, polarization-, and wave vector dependence of this metasurface as well as its sensitivity to fabrication tolerances. By tuning the incident k-vector, certain polarization-energy eigenstates are strongly reflected, allowing for uses in angle-tunable polarization filters and light sources.}}, author = {{Wetter, Helene and Wingenbach, Jan and Rehberg, Falk and Gao, Wenlong and Schumacher, Stefan and Zentgraf, Thomas}}, issn = {{2330-4022}}, journal = {{ACS Photonics}}, publisher = {{American Chemical Society (ACS)}}, title = {{{Polarization- and Wave-Vector Selective Optical Metasurface with Near-Field Coupling}}}, doi = {{10.1021/acsphotonics.5c02865}}, year = {{2026}}, } @inproceedings{65357, author = {{Kim, Minjun and Devaraj, Vasanthan and Seo, Hyeon-Seok and Eom, Seongjae and Lee, Jeong-Su and Lee, Donghan and Zentgraf, Thomas and Lee, Jong-Min and Jeon, Min Yong}}, booktitle = {{Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XXII}}, editor = {{Razeghi, Manijeh and Khodaparast, Giti A. and Vitiello, Miriam S.}}, publisher = {{SPIE}}, title = {{{Fabrication of uniform, high-field-enhanced plasmonic satellite clusters using multidewetting}}}, doi = {{10.1117/12.3095416}}, year = {{2026}}, } @inproceedings{60022, author = {{Brauckmann, Michael and Narvaez Castaneda, Emmanuel and Siebert, Dustin and Brecht, Benjamin and Förstner, Jens and Zentgraf, Thomas}}, booktitle = {{Proceedings of The 15th International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics}}, location = {{Malaga, Spain}}, title = {{{Enhancement Of Light-matter Interaction In Topological Waveguides And Resonators}}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{58606, author = {{Mathew, Albert and Aschwanden, Rebecca and Tripathi, Aditya and Jangid, Piyush and Sain, Basudeb and Zentgraf, Thomas and Kruk, Sergey}}, issn = {{1530-6984}}, journal = {{Nano Letters}}, publisher = {{American Chemical Society (ACS)}}, title = {{{Nonreciprocal Metasurfaces with Epsilon-Near-Zero Materials}}}, doi = {{10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c06188}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{60565, author = {{Bocchini, Adriana and Gerstmann, Uwe and Schmidt, Wolf Gero}}, issn = {{2469-9950}}, journal = {{Physical Review B}}, number = {{10}}, publisher = {{American Physical Society (APS)}}, title = {{{Microscopic origin of gray tracks in KTiOPO4}}}, doi = {{10.1103/physrevb.111.104103}}, volume = {{111}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{60580, abstract = {{AbstractAlInP (001) is widely utilized as a window layer in optoelectronic devices, including world‐record III‐V multi‐junction solar cells and photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. The chemical and electronic properties of AlInP (001) depend on its surface reconstruction, which impacts its interaction with electrolytes in PEC applications and passivation layers. This study investigates AlInP (001) surface reconstructions using density functional theory and experimental methods. Phosphorus‐rich (P‐rich) and indium‐rich (In‐rich) AlInP surfaces are prepared with in situ monitoring of the process by reflection anisotropy (RA) spectroscopy and confirmed by low‐energy electron diffraction and photoemission spectroscopy. The experimental RA spectra closely match the theoretical predictions obtained by solving the Bethe–Salpeter equation. It is shown that missing hydrogen on P‐rich surfaces and formation of In–In 1D atomic chains on In‐rich surfaces introduce mid‐gap surface states that pin the Fermi level and induce band bending. Time‐resolved two‐photon photoemission measurements reveal ultrafast near‐surface electron dynamics for both P‐rich and In‐rich surfaces, demonstrating photoexcited electrons reaching the surface conduction band minimum and relaxing to mid‐gap surface states on about hundreds of fs. This work provides the most extensive AlInP surface analysis to date, allowing for more targeted surface and interface engineering, which is crucial for the optimization and design of III‐V heterostructures.}}, author = {{Zare Pour, Mohammad Amin and Shekarabi, Sahar and Ruiz Alvarado, Isaac Azahel and Diederich, Jonathan and Gao, Yuyings and Paszuk, Agnieszka and Moritz, Dominik C. and Jaegermann, Wolfram and Friedrich, Dennis and van de Krol, Roel and Schmidt, Wolf Gero and Hannappel, Thomas}}, issn = {{1616-301X}}, journal = {{Advanced Functional Materials}}, publisher = {{Wiley}}, title = {{{Exploring Electronic States and Ultrafast Electron Dynamics in AlInP Window Layers: The Role of Surface Reconstruction}}}, doi = {{10.1002/adfm.202423702}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{58642, abstract = {{We present a cost-effective self-assembly method to fabricate low-density dimer NPs in an NPoM architecture, using the M13 phage as a spacer layer. This will enable the development of dynamic plasmonic devices and advanced sensing applications.}}, author = {{Devaraj, Vasanthan and Ruiz Alvarado, Isaac Azahel and Lee, Jong-Min and Oh, Jin-Woo and Gerstmann, Uwe and Schmidt, Wolf Gero and Zentgraf, Thomas}}, issn = {{2055-6756}}, journal = {{Nanoscale Horizons}}, pages = {{537--548}}, publisher = {{Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)}}, title = {{{Self-assembly of isolated plasmonic dimers with sub-5 nm gaps on a metallic mirror}}}, doi = {{10.1039/d4nh00546e}}, volume = {{10}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{61245, author = {{Barkhausen, Franziska and Ares Santos, Laura and Schumacher, Stefan and Sperling, Jan}}, issn = {{2469-9926}}, journal = {{Physical Review A}}, number = {{3}}, publisher = {{American Physical Society (APS)}}, title = {{{Entanglement between dependent degrees of freedom: Quasiparticle correlations}}}, doi = {{10.1103/physreva.111.032404}}, volume = {{111}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{61246, abstract = {{Abstract The time-dependent one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) is solved numerically by a hybrid pseudospectral-variational quantum algorithm that connects a pseudospectral step for the Hamiltonian term with a variational step for the nonlinear term. The Hamiltonian term is treated as an integrating factor by forward and backward Fourier transforms, which are here carried out classically. This split allows us to avoid higher-order time integration schemes, to apply a first-order explicit time stepping for the remaining nonlinear NLSE term in a variational algorithm block, and thus to avoid numerical instabilities. We demonstrate that the analytical solution is reproduced with a small root mean square error for a long time interval over which a nonlinear soliton propagates significantly forward in space while keeping its shape. We analyze the accuracy and complexity of the quantum algorithm, the expressibility of the ansatz circuit and compare it with classical approaches. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of algorithm parameters on the accuracy of the results, including the temporal step width and the depth of the quantum circuit.}}, author = {{Köcher, Nikolas and Rose, Hendrik and Bharadwaj, Sachin S. and Schumacher, Jörg and Schumacher, Stefan}}, issn = {{2045-2322}}, journal = {{Scientific Reports}}, number = {{1}}, publisher = {{Springer Science and Business Media LLC}}, title = {{{Numerical solution of nonlinear Schrödinger equation by a hybrid pseudospectral-variational quantum algorithm}}}, doi = {{10.1038/s41598-025-05660-3}}, volume = {{15}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{61249, author = {{Ai, Qiang and Wingenbach, Jan and Yang, Xinmiao and Wei, Jing and Hatzopoulos, Zaharias and Savvidis, Pavlos G. and Schumacher, Stefan and Ma, Xuekai and Gao, Tingge}}, issn = {{2331-7019}}, journal = {{Physical Review Applied}}, number = {{2}}, publisher = {{American Physical Society (APS)}}, title = {{{Optically and remotely controlling localization of exciton-polariton condensates in a potential lattice}}}, doi = {{10.1103/physrevapplied.23.024029}}, volume = {{23}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{61351, abstract = {{AbstractThe interaction of water molecules with semiconductor surfaces is relevant to various optoelectronic phenomena and physicochemical processes. Despite advances in fundamental understanding of water‐exposed surfaces, the detailed time‐ and energy‐resolved behavior of excited electrons remains largely unexplored. Here, the effects of water exposure on the near‐surface electron dynamics of phosphorus‐terminated p(2×2)/c(4×2)‐reconstructed indium phosphide (100) (P‐rich InP) are studied experimentally and matched to theoretical calculations. The P‐rich InP surface, consisting of H‐passivated P‐dimers, serves as a model for other P‐containing III‐V semiconductors such as gallium phosphide (GaP) or aluminum indium phosphide (AlInP). Electron dynamics near the surface are probed with femtosecond resolution using time‐resolved two‐photon photoemission (tr‐2PPE), a pump‐probe spectroscopic technique. Pulsed water exposure preserves electronic states and significantly increases lifetimes at the conduction band minimum (CBM). Density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations attribute these findings to suppression of surface vibrational modes in the top P‐layer by water exposure, reducing electronic transition probabilities of near‐band‐gap surface states. The results suggest that many near‐surface state lifetimes reported in ultra‐high vacuum may change significantly upon electrolyte exposure. These states may thus contribute more strongly to surface reactions than traditionally assumed. Demonstrating this effect for the technologically relevant P‐rich InP surface opens new opportunities in this underexplored area of surface electrochemistry.}}, author = {{Diederich, Jonathan and Paszuk, Agnieszka and Ruiz Alvarado, Isaac Azahel and Krenz, Marvin and Zare Pour, Mohammad Amin and Babu, Diwakar Suresh and Velazquez Rojas, Jennifer and Höhn, Christian and Gao, Yuying and Schwarzburg, Klaus and Ostheimer, David and Eichberger, Rainer and Schmidt, Wolf Gero and Hannappel, Thomas and de Krol, Roel van and Friedrich, Dennis}}, issn = {{2196-7350}}, journal = {{Advanced Materials Interfaces}}, number = {{16}}, publisher = {{Wiley}}, title = {{{Ultrafast Electron Dynamics at the Water‐Modified InP(100) Surface}}}, doi = {{10.1002/admi.202500463}}, volume = {{12}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{61356, abstract = {{First-principles calculations reveal how topological defects in semiconducting carbon nanotubes trap triplet excitons and enable single-photon emission at telecom wavelengths, offering new insights into their potential for photonic devices.}}, author = {{Biktagirov, Timur and Gerstmann, Uwe and Schmidt, Wolf Gero}}, issn = {{2040-3364}}, journal = {{Nanoscale}}, number = {{11}}, pages = {{6884--6891}}, publisher = {{Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)}}, title = {{{Topological defects in semiconducting carbon nanotubes as triplet exciton traps and single-photon emitters}}}, doi = {{10.1039/d4nr03904a}}, volume = {{17}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{58519, abstract = {{A unified theoretical approach to describe the properties of multimode squeezed light generated in a lossy medium is presented. This approach is valid for Markovian environments and includes both a model of discrete losses based on the beamsplitter approach and a generalized continuous loss model based on the spatial Langevin equation. For an important class of Gaussian states, we derive master equations for the second-order correlation functions and illustrate their solution for both frequency-independent and frequency-dependent losses. Studying the mode structure, we demonstrate that in a lossy environment no broadband basis without quadrature correlations between the different broadband modes exists. Therefore, various techniques and strategies to introduce broadband modes can be considered. We show that the Mercer expansion and the Williamson-Euler decomposition do not provide modes in which the maximal squeezing contained in the system can be measured. In turn, we find a new broadband basis that maximizes squeezing in the lossy system and present an algorithm to construct it.}}, author = {{Kopylov, Denis A. and Meier, Torsten and Sharapova, Polina R.}}, issn = {{2521-327X}}, journal = {{Quantum}}, publisher = {{Verein zur Forderung des Open Access Publizierens in den Quantenwissenschaften}}, title = {{{Theory of Multimode Squeezed Light Generation in Lossy Media}}}, doi = {{10.22331/q-2025-02-04-1621}}, volume = {{9}}, year = {{2025}}, } @article{60891, abstract = {{Straight dielectric waveguide channels made from slabs of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), or lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI), are investigated in the linear regime, for channels of rib and strip type with common trapezoidal cross sections, in Z-cut and X-cut samples at varying on-chip orientation. We clarify the theoretical basis for the waveguides with potentially non-diagonal core permittivity. Symmetry classes can be distinguished that differ in their consequences for potential modal degeneracy and polarization conversion. Our rigorous numerical analysis by means of a finite-element solver takes the anisotropy of the lithium niobate cores rigorously into account. We discuss extensive data for effective indices, polarization properties, and hybridization of guided modes, in single- and multimode channels. Scans over the waveguide width and orientation as primary parameters are complemented by a series of illustrations of vectorial mode profiles. These turn out to be essentially complex in cases of X-cut channels at non-crystal-axis-aligned orientations.}}, author = {{Hammer, Manfred and Khan, Shahriar and Taheri, Behnood and Farheen, Henna and Förstner, Jens}}, issn = {{2770-0208}}, journal = {{Optics Continuum}}, keywords = {{tet_topic_waveguide}}, number = {{10}}, pages = {{2356}}, publisher = {{Optica Publishing Group}}, title = {{{TFLN channel waveguides of rib and strip type: Properties of guided modes}}}, doi = {{10.1364/optcon.569959}}, volume = {{4}}, year = {{2025}}, }