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Volume 6 Issue ，2026
Research Article
Abstract：The nonreciprocal magnetoelectric effect in Tellegen materials enables exotic phenomena such as axion-modified electrodynamics and fosters the development of magnet-free nonreciprocal media. As the nonreciprocal counterpart to the well-known chiral electromagnetic response, it offers a parallel framework in which many concepts developed for chiral materials can be translated to Tellegen media, potentially unlocking new avenues for fundamental studies and applications. Although predicted over 75 years ago and observed in only a handful of natural materials with very low strength, the strong optical Tellegen effect has remained experimentally elusive. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of a resonant optical diagonal Tellegen effect in a metasurface, showcasing a response that is 100 times greater than that of any known natural material. This optical metasurface, consisting of randomly distributed cobalt-silicon nanoscatterers with strong shape anisotropy, utilizes spontaneous magnetization to achieve a robust Tellegen effect without the need for an external magnetic field. In addition to the Tellegen response, the metasurface exhibits both gyroelectric and gyromagnetic effects, contributing to nonreciprocal cross-polarized light reflection. We introduce a technique to independently extract the amplitudes of these three effects using conventional magneto-optical single-side-illumination measurements. The observation of the resonant Tellegen effects in the optical frequency range may lead to the experimental observation of axionic electrodynamics and compact bias-free nonreciprocal optical devices.7|0|0Updated：2026-03-02- Abstract：The resolution of an imaging system has long been constrained by the Abbe-Rayleigh diffraction limit. While significant progress has been made in developing superresolution techniques, many approaches rely on near-field scanning, fluorescence labeling, and are hindered by trade-offs among resolution, field-of-view, and energy efficiency. Here, we introduce a conceptually new approach that enables far-field, label-free superresolution imaging while avoiding the image-plane sidebands inherent to real-space superoscillatory imaging systems. By exploiting a 3D-patterned metalens with a topology-optimized response in both real- and k (wavevector)-space, we disrupt the spatially shift-invariance assumption in classical imaging systems, significantly expanding the effective lens aperture through a mechanism we term k-space superoscillation. This achieves resolution beyond the Rayleigh criterion. Prototype experiments at microwave frequencies demonstrate a twofold resolution enhancement over the diffraction limit without computational post-processing. This work opens avenues for applications ranging from biology, astronomy, and materials science.5|0|0Updated：2026-02-12
- Abstract：Neuromorphic photonics promises sub-nanosecond latency, ultrawide bandwidth, and high parallelism, but practical scalability is constrained by fabrication tolerances, spectral alignment, and tuning energy. Here, we present a large-scale, compact, and reconfigurable photonic neuron in which each microring performs modulation and weighting simultaneously. By exploiting both carrier and thermal tuning within a single device, this architecture reduces footprint, relaxes spectral alignment requirements to just two optical components, and yields a steep transfer response that lowers tuning energy. The proposed neuron supports multiple operating configurations, allowing its dynamical behavior to be adapted to different computational tasks. In particular, a short electrical feedback path enables recurrent operation, providing tunable short- and long-term memory for temporal processing. Using a 10-microring resonator array, we demonstrate both spatial and temporal computing, including a 3
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- Abstract：The transport of quantum states is a crucial aspect of information processing systems, facilitating operations such as quantum key distribution and inter-component communication within quantum computers. Most quantum networks rely on symmetries to achieve an efficient state transfer. A straightforward way to design such networks is to use spatial symmetries, which severely limits the design space. Our work takes a novel approach to designing photonic networks that do not exhibit any conventional spatial symmetries, yet nevertheless support an efficient transfer of quantum states. Paradoxically, while a perfect transfer efficiency is technically unattainable in these networks, a fidelity arbitrarily close to unity is always reached within a finite time of evolution. Key to this approach are so-called latent, or 'hidden', symmetries, which are embodied in the spectral properties of the network. Latent symmetries substantially expand the design space of quantum networks and hold significant potential for applications in quantum cryptography and secure state transfer. We experimentally realize such a nine-site latent-symmetric network and successfully observe state transfer between two sites with a measured fidelity of 75%. Furthermore, by launching a two-photon state, we show that quantum interference is preserved by the network. This demonstrates that the latent symmetries enable efficient quantum state transfer, while offering greater flexibility in designing quantum networks.Keywords：Quantum state transfer;Latent symmetries;Quantum optics;Photonics5|0|0Updated：2026-01-13
- Abstract：The discovery of topological phases of matter and topological boundary states had a tremendous impact on condensed matter physics, photonics, and material sciences, where topological phases are defined via energy bands, described by the topological band theory. However, there are topological materials that cannot be described by this theory, which support non-trivial boundary states but are little-known and largely unexplored. Here, we uncover a new class of topological phases—termed "multi-topological phase" (MTPs)—arising from constrained inter-cell coupling in lattice systems, and experimentally demonstrate them in a photonic platform. The MTP features multiple sets of boundary states, where each set is associated with one distinct topological invariant. Unlike conventional topological phases, the MTP cannot be identified via the original band structure, being a "hidden" topological phase, where the phase transition can occur without band-gap closing. We present typical examples of MTPs in both one- and two-dimensional structures, as well as in indirectly gapped Chern insulators, beyond the regime where the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence predicts the existence of boundary states. Furthermore, we directly observe the MTPs in the first two examples using laser-written photonic lattices. Our work offers a new design strategy for topological materials, paving the way for future exploration and applications in photonics.Keywords：Topological photonics;Multi-topological phase;Higher-order topological phase;Bulk-boundary correspondence;Chern insulator;Photonic lattices5|0|0Updated：2026-01-13
- Abstract：The mesoscale characterization of biological specimens has traditionally required compromises between resolution, field-of-view, depth-of-field, and molecular specificity, with most approaches relying on external labels. Here we present the Deep-ultrAviolet ptychogRaphic pockeT-scope (DART), a handheld platform that transforms label-free molecular imaging through intrinsic deep-ultraviolet spectroscopic contrast. By leveraging biomolecules’ natural absorption fingerprints and combining them with lensless ptychographic microscopy, DART resolves down to 308-nm linewidths across centimeter-scale areas while maintaining millimeter-scale depth-of-field. The system’s virtual error-bin methodology effectively eliminates artifacts from limited temporal coherence and other optical imperfections, enabling high-fidelity molecular imaging without lenses. Through differential spectroscopic imaging at deep-ultraviolet wavelengths, DART quantitatively maps nucleic acid and protein distributions with femtogram sensitivity, providing an intrinsic basis for explainable virtual staining. We demonstrate DART’s capabilities through imaging of tissue sections, cytopathology specimens, blood cells, and neural populations, revealing detailed molecular contrast without external labels. The combination of high-resolution molecular mapping and broad mesoscale imaging in a portable platform opens new possibilities from rapid clinical diagnostics, tissue analysis, to biological characterization in space exploration.5|0|0Updated：2026-01-07
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