Titanium dioxide is an emerging optical material, with a relatively high refractive index (n ∼ 2), which allows for high confinement of the electromagnetic field. Extensive research has been conducted on the negatively charged nitrogen vacancy centre in diamond due to its robust electronic and optical properties. In particular, its stable room-temperature photoluminescence properties have been ...

We study the strain state of doubly clamped VO2 nanobeam devices by dynamically probing resonant frequency of the nanoscale electromechanical device across the metal-insulator transition. Simultaneous resistance and resonance measurements indicate M1-M2 phase transition in the insulating state with a drop in resonant frequency concomitant with an increase in resistance. The resonant frequency i...

The concept of parity-time symmetry (PT symmetry) originates from the canonical quantum mechanics and has become a hot topic recently. As a versatile platform to investigate the intriguing concept, both theoretical and experimental works in optics have been implemented. In this paper, the PT symmetry breaking phenomenon is investigated in a coupled nanobeam cavity system. An exceptional point i...

The deployment of nanocavities may efficiently enhance the light-matter interaction for photonic components on chip. Three nanoscale cavity designs are investigated, including the one-dimensional (1-D) photonic crystal (PhC) nanobeam cavity, inline waveguide-integrated plasmon cavity, and square plasmon resonator embedded in the 1-D PhC nanobeam cavity (i.e., Combo cavity). The cavity performan...

Exploring the limits of spontaneous emission coupling is not only one of the central goals in the development of nanolasers, it is also highly relevant regarding future large-scale photonic integration requiring energy-efficient coherent light sources with a small footprint. Recent studies in this field have triggered a vivid debate on how to prove and interpret lasing in the high-β regime. We ...

We have performed scanning x-ray nanobeam diffraction experiments on single cells of the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Cells have been investigated in 1), freeze-dried, 2), frozen-hydrated (vitrified), and 3), initially alive states. The spatially resolved small-angle x-ray scattering signal shows characteristic streaklike patterns in reciprocal space, which we attribute to fiber bundles of ...

The combination of ultrafast optical excitation and time-resolved synchrotron x-ray nanodiffraction provides unique insight into the photoinduced dynamics of materials, with the spatial resolution required to probe individual nanostructures or small volumes within heterogeneous materials. Optically excited x-ray nanobeam experiments are challenging because the high total optical power required ...