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Optical techniques are methods that use light to probe or control matter. One prominent example is optical spectroscopy, which includes such methods as pump–probe spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoemission spectroscopy. Other examples of optical techniques are microscopy, interferometry, ellipsometry, optical tweezers, and imaging and sensing.
Electro-optical photonic integrated circuits based on lithium tantalate perform as well as current state-of-the-art ones using lithium niobate but the material has the advantage of existing commercial uses in consumer electronics, easing the problem of scalability.
Conventional spectrometers can be bulky and efforts are being made to develop miniaturised versions. Here, the authors present a miniature computational spectrometer based on silver nanoparticles in Fabry-Pérot microcavities for measuring visible spectra.
Sub-cycle confinement and control of phase transitions in strongly correlated materials are theoretically demonstrated, potentially providing a way to investigate electron dynamics on timescales previously unattainable with these materials.