Review
Physics, Applied
Alexey Kavokin, Timothy C. H. Liew, Christian Schneider, Pavlos G. Lagoudakis, Sebastian Klembt, Sven Hoefling
Summary: Polariton lasers emit coherent monochromatic light through a spontaneous emission process and show properties of Bose-Einstein condensation and superfluidity at room temperature. Emerging material systems for polariton lasers include organic molecules, transition metal dichalcogenides, perovskites, and liquid-crystal microcavities, which have potential applications in topological lasing, classical neuromorphic computing, and quantum information processing. Polaritonics, the study of strongly coupled light-matter states, offers advantages in classical and quantum information processing with full optical control and read-out capabilities.
NATURE REVIEWS PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tamsin Cookson, Kirill Kalinin, Helgi Sigurdsson, Julian D. Topfer, Sergey Alyatkin, Matteo Silva, Wolfgang Langbein, Natalia G. Berloff, Pavlos G. Lagoudakis
Summary: Researchers successfully generated vortices of topological charge greater than one in an exciton-polariton condensate using a GaAs microcavity embedded with InGaAs quantum wells. The stable discrete vortex state was observed due to antibonding frustration between odd number of polariton condensates, providing an alternative testbed for studying vortices in systems of light-matter interaction. Interest lies in exploring vorticity in different platforms for light-matter interaction systems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Optics
J. D. Topfer, I Chatzopoulos, H. Sigurdsson, T. Cookson, Y. G. Rubo, P. G. Lagoudakis
Summary: Artificial lattices of coherently coupled macroscopic states play a key role in solving complex optimization problems and simulating physical systems. By engineering polariton condensate lattices with active control, researchers have achieved emission close to diffraction limits and significantly improved spatial coherence. This advancement has allowed for a better understanding of the dependence of spatial correlations between polariton condensates on lattice geometry.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yao Li, Xuekai Ma, Xiaokun Zhai, Meini Gao, Haitao Dai, Stefan Schumacher, Tingge Gao
Summary: This study controls exciton polariton condensates using Rashba-Dresselhaus (RD) spin-orbit coupling. By utilizing CsPbBr3 perovskite microplates as the gain material in a liquid-crystal filled microcavity, an artificial gauge field acting on the CsPbBr3 exciton polariton condensate is achieved, splitting the condensate fractions with opposite spins in both momentum and real space.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sayantan Chatterjee, Yelena Kan, Mateusz Brzezinski, Kaloian Koynov, Roshan Mammen Regy, Anastasia C. Murthy, Kathleen A. Burke, Jasper J. Michels, Jeetain Mittal, Nicolas L. Fawzi, Sapun H. Parekh
Summary: The authors show that thermal trigger can lead to formation of at least two distinct liquid condensed phases of the FUS LC domain. Forming FUS LC condensates directly at low temperature leads to metastable, kinetically trapped condensates showing arrested coalescence, which can be escaped via thermal annealing to untrapped condensates. This study demonstrates two unique liquid FUS condensates with different molecular structures and dynamics.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Dmitriy Dovzhenko, Denis Aristov, Lucinda Pickup, Helgi Sigurosson, Pavlos Lagoudakis
Summary: We experimentally observed the next-nearest-neighbor coupling between ballistically expanding spinor exciton-polariton condensates in a planar semiconductor microcavity. We demonstrated all-optical control over the coupling strength between neighboring condensates by distance-periodic pseudospin screening. By screening the nearest-neighbor coupling, we overcame the conventional spatial coupling hierarchy between condensates.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Pierre Ronceray, Yaojun Zhang, Xichong Liu, Ned S. Wingreen
Summary: Multivalent associative proteins are essential for phase separation in intracellular liquid condensates. This study investigates the internal dynamics of bond-network condensates composed of two complementary proteins through scaling analysis and molecular dynamics. The findings reveal that when the stoichiometry is balanced, relaxation significantly slows down due to a lack of alternative binding partners, which strongly influences bulk diffusivity, viscosity, and mixing. This provides an experimental means to test the prediction.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Optics
Jingjing Hong, Xingping Zhou, Rui Zhuang, Wei Peng, Jiawei Liu, Aiping Liu, Qin Wang
Summary: A stable and manipulatable nanoparticle trapping method called Counter-Surface Plasmon Polariton Lens (CSPPL) is proposed in this paper. By adjusting the incident angle and phase difference, the optical potential depth and center position on CSPPL can be accurately controlled. This study promotes the development of integrated optical tweezers.
CHINESE OPTICS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Daniel S. W. Lee, Ned S. Wingreen, Clifford P. Brangwynne
Summary: The study demonstrates that droplet growth dynamics are directly inhibited by the chromatin-dense environment, leading to an anomalously slow coarsening exponent. Through scaling arguments and simulations, the researchers show that this arrested growth can arise due to subdiffusion of individual condensates. Tracking the fluctuating motion of condensates within chromatin reveals a subdiffusive exponent, explaining the anomalous coarsening behaviour.
Article
Optics
Ivan Amelio, Iacopo Carusotto
Summary: In this paper, a Bogoliubov approach for the computation of laser emission linewidth in semiclassical laser dynamics is developed. It provides a unified perspective of the treatments by Henry and Petermann. The method allows the study of the interactions between drive dissipation, interactions, and spatial inhomogeneity in polariton condensates. The traditional theory of the Henry and Petermann factors fails dramatically in the presence of sizable optical nonlinearities stemming from polariton-polariton interactions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sindhana Pannir-Sivajothi, Jorge A. Campos-Gonzalez-Angulo, Luis A. Martinez-Martinez, Shubham Sinha, Joel Yuen-Zhou
Summary: The study focuses on molecules exhibiting laser-like phenomena at room temperature and investigates the impact of vibrational polariton condensate on chemical reactivity. It demonstrates the potential of using condensates to drive chemical reactions by bypassing the constraints of fast intramolecular vibrational redistribution typically seen in condensed phase environments.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew Z. Lin, Kiersten M. Ruff, Furqan Dar, Ameya Jalihal, Matthew R. King, Jared M. Lalmansingh, Ammon E. Posey, Nadia A. Erkamp, Ian Seim, Amy S. Gladfelter, Rohit V. Pappu
Summary: The authors report that protein-RNA condensates with shared proteins and distinct RNAs can form and persist in vitro and in cells as distinct entities if the nonshared RNA molecules are dynamically arrested, but the shared protein components are dynamically exchangeable.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yago del Valle-Inclan Redondo, Christian Schneider, Sebastian Klembt, Sven Hoefling, Seigo Tarucha, Michael D. Fraser
Summary: We have created a rotating polariton condensate at gigahertz frequencies by off-resonantly pumping with a rotating optical stirrer composed of structured laser modes. The results show that the rotating polariton condensate acquires angular momentum exceeding the critical 1n/particle and demonstrates deterministic nucleation and capture of quantized vortices with a handedness controlled by the pump rotation direction. This study enables new opportunities for exploring open dissipative superfluidity, ordering of non-Hermitian quantized vortex matter, and topological states in a highly nonlinear, photonic platform.
Article
Biology
Aniruddha Chattaraj, Michael L. Blinov, Leslie M. Loew
Summary: Research shows that biomolecular condensates are formed by liquid-liquid phase separation of multivalent molecules, and their concentration dependence is regulated by buffering and the solubility product constant. The role of these factors differs between homotypic and heterotypic systems.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Guo, Danyang Ji, Andrew B. Kinghorn, Feipeng Chen, Yi Pan, Xiufeng Li, Qingchuan Li, Wilhelm T. S. Huck, Chun Kit Kwok, Ho Cheung Shum
Summary: RNA encodes interactions to modulate the properties of biomolecular condensates, and rG4s formed by guanine-rich sequences can trigger the formation of these condensates. The mechanisms by which rG4 motifs modulate phase transitions and material properties of condensates are unclear.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Javier Redolat, Maria Camarena-Perez, Amadeu Griol, Miroslavna Kovylina, Angelos Xomalis, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Alejandro Martinez, Elena Pinilla-Cienfuegos
Summary: Controlled integration of metallic nanoparticles onto photonic nanostructures enables the realization of complex devices for extreme light confinement and enhanced light-matter interaction. A methodology for precise transfer and positioning of individual nanoparticles onto different photonic nanostructures is presented, using soft lithography printing. Raman spectroscopy confirms enhanced light-matter interactions in the resulting nanophotonic devices.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Marvin Syed, Natalia G. Berloff
Summary: Many physical systems with dynamical evolution have been proposed and realized as promising alternatives to conventional computing, as they can solve optimization problems at their steady state. Systems of oscillators such as coherent Ising and XY machines based on lasers, optical parametric oscillators, memristors, polariton and photon condensates are particularly promising due to their scalability, low power consumption, and room temperature operation. Our work shows that the canonical Andronov-Hopf networks can capture the bifurcation behavior of physical optimizers, and by transforming any physical optimizer into the canonical network, the success of the physical XY-Ising machine depends on the control of network parameters. This allows for the hybridization of ideas across different physical platforms.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Rohit Chikkaraddy, Junyang Huang, Dean Kos, Eoin Elliott, Marlous Kamp, Chenyang Guo, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Bart de Nijs
Summary: Plasmonic nanoantennas can focus light at nanometer length scales, resulting in intense field enhancements. The tightest optical confinements achieved in plasmonic gaps depend on the gap spacing, refractive index, and facet width, making antenna shape tuning challenging. However, by controlling the surrounding refractive index, efficient frequency tuning and enhanced in-/output coupling can be achieved through retardation matching, enabling dark modes to become optically active and improving various functionalities.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Raphael P. B. Jacquat, Georg Krainer, Quentin A. E. Peter, Ali Nawaz Babar, Oliver Vanderpoorten, Catherine K. Xu, Timothy J. Welsh, Clemens F. Kaminski, Ulrich F. Keyser, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Tuomas P. J. Knowles
Summary: This paper presents an approach called nanocavity diffusional sizing (NDS) that relies on nanocavity confinement to measure the size of nanoscale particles and single biomolecules in solution. It uses particle residence times within nanofluidic cavities to determine their hydrodynamic radii. Experimental results show that the residence times scale linearly with the sizes of nanoscale colloids, protein aggregates, and single DNA oligonucleotides. NDS offers a new optofluidic approach for rapid and quantitative sizing of nanoscale particles with potential applications in nanobiotechnology, biophysics, and clinical diagnostics.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ioanna Demeridou, Emmanouil G. Mavrotsoupakis, Leonidas Mouchliadis, Pavlos G. Savvidis, Emmanuel Stratakis, George Kioseoglou
Summary: This study investigates the room temperature valley polarization of monolayer WS2 on different substrates. It is found that a degree of polarization of photoluminescence (PL) in excess of 27% can be achieved on graphite substrate through resonant excitation. By chemical doping, the polarization of the neutral exciton emission can be modulated from 27% to 38% for 1L-WS2/graphite. The results indicate that the valley polarization strongly depends on the interplay between doping and the choice of the supporting layer of TMDs. Time-resolved PL measurements and a rate equation model support these findings, suggesting a pathway towards engineering valley polarization and exciton lifetimes in TMDs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Alex Poppe, Jack Griffiths, Shu Hu, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Margarita Osadchy, Stuart Gibson, Bart de Nijs
Summary: Atomic-scale features play crucial roles in metal-molecule interactions and have significant implications in various applications. However, studying these interactions is challenging due to the small size and transient nature of atomic-scale structures. In this study, we combine single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with machine learning to extract spectra of perturbed molecules and investigate the formation dynamics of adatoms on metal surfaces. This approach provides unique insights into atomic-scale processes and helps us understand how metallic protrusions form and interact with nearby molecules. Our technique opens new possibilities for controlling metal-molecule interactions at an atomic level and contributes to rational heterogeneous catalyst design.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sara Rocchetti, Alexander Ohmann, Rohit Chikkaraddy, Gyeongwon Kang, Ulrich F. Keyser, Jeremy J. Baumberg
Summary: Developing highly enhanced plasmonic nanocavities allows direct observation of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. With DNA origami, precise nanopositioning of single-quantum emitters in ultranarrow plasmonic gaps enables detailed study of their modified light emission. By developing nanoparticle-on-mirror constructs with DNA nanostructures as reliable and customizable spacers for nanoparticle binding, it is revealed that the traditional understanding of Purcell-enhanced molecular dye emission is misleading, and the enhanced dipolar dye polarizability greatly amplifies optical forces acting on the facet Au atoms, causing their rapid destabilization. Different dyes exhibit emission spectra dominated by inelastic (Raman) scattering rather than fluorescence, challenging the conventional theories in the field of quantum optics using plasmonics.
Article
Optics
Rohit Chikkaraddy, Rakesh Arul, Lukas A. Jakob, Jeremy J. Baumberg
Summary: This study proposes a method for detecting molecular vibrations in the mid-infrared range at room temperature. By assembling molecules into a plasmonic nanocavity resonant at both mid-infrared and visible wavelengths, and optically pumping them below the electronic absorption band, successful conversion of mid-infrared light and observation of enhanced visible luminescence were achieved.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aoife Gregg, Michael De Volder, Jeremy J. Baumberg
Summary: Light-responsive microactuators composed of carbon nanotube and hydrogel composites exhibit efficient radiative heating capture and fast response time. The kinetics of these microactuators are limited by polymer diffusion. Additionally, these actuators have potential applications as microswimmers.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marika Niihori, Tamas Foeldes, Charlie A. Readman, Rakesh Arul, David-Benjamin Grys, Bart de Nijs, Edina Rosta, Jeremy J. Baumberg
Summary: This study demonstrates the sensing of neurotransmitters at nm concentrations using self-assembled monolayers of plasmonic Au nanoparticles. By integrating Fe(III) sensitizers into nanogaps, enhanced surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is achieved for dopamine sensing. The transparent glass substrates allow for repeated sensing in different analytes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
David-Benjamin Grys, Marika Niihori, Rakesh Arul, Sarah May Sibug-Torres, Elle W. Wyatt, Bart de Nijs, Jeremy J. Baumberg
Summary: We demonstrate reliable creation of multiple layers of Au nanoparticles in random close-packed arrays with sub-nm gaps as a sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate. The nanogaps can be precisely controlled below 1 nm by removing and replacing the original molecules with scaffolding ligands using oxygen plasma etching. The resulting high-performance fluidic sensing cells allow cyclic cleaning and reusing of the films for various analytes.
Review
Quantum Science & Technology
Nikita Stroev, Natalia G. Berloff
Summary: This review provides an overview of photonics computing, which utilizes photons, photons coupled with matter, and optics-related technologies for efficient computational purposes. It covers the history and development of photonics computing, focusing on optimization tasks and neural network implementations. The authors examine special-purpose optimizers, mathematical descriptions of photonics optimizers, and discuss various applications such as logistics, finance, machine learning, and image processing. The paper also explores the technological advancements and challenges in photonics computing, as well as the prospects and potential applications of optical quantum computing.
ADVANCED QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Optics
Angelos Xomalis, Jeremy J. Baumberg
Summary: In this article, a multichannel lock-in vibrational spectroscopy method is reported, which utilizes acousto-optic modulators to convert nanosecond periodic temporal perturbations into spatially distinct spectra. By projecting the perturbed and reference spectra onto different locations of the spectrometer image, they can be simultaneously resolved. This multichannel time-resolved technique is applied to detect molecular frequency upconversion in plasmonic nanocavities through perturbed Raman scattering at different wavelengths. The phase-sensitive detection scheme can be applied to any spectroscopy within the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Wei-Hsin Chen, Wenting Wang, Qianqi Lin, David-Benjamin Grys, Marika Niihori, Junyang Huang, Shu Hu, Bart de Nijs, Oren A. Scherman, Jeremy J. Baumberg
Summary: A liquid-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy assay, called PSALM, has been developed for the selective detection of neurotransmitters (NTs) in urine with a detection limit below the physiological range. This assay involves quick and simple mix-and-measure protocols with nanoparticles (NPs), where Fe-III bridges NTs and gold NPs in sensing hotspots. The optimized PSALM allows long-term monitoring of NT variation in urine, enabling the development of NTs as predictive or correlative biomarkers for clinical diagnosis.
ACS NANOSCIENCE AU
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ekaterina Aladinskaia, Roman Cherbunin, Evgeny Sedov, Alexey Liubomirov, Kirill Kavokin, Evgeny Khramtsov, Mikhail Petrov, P. G. Savvidis, Alexey Kavokin
Summary: This study investigates the formation of exciton-polariton condensates in potlike traps created by optical pumping in a planar microcavity with embedded quantum wells. The experiment reveals the discrete spectrum of polariton eigenstates and demonstrates the control of these states through manipulating the shape and size of the trap and the spatial density distribution of the exciton reservoir.
