On Your Wavelength

This month, we're looking into the impressive white colour of the Pacific Cleaner shrimp. A recent study in Nature Photonics reveals how birefringence enables the the shrimp to overcome optical crowding. Tune in to find out more...Featuring Benjamin Palmer and Tali Lemcof (Ben-Gurion University, Israel) and Giampaolo Pitruzzello (Nature Photonics).Hosted by Ankita Anirban (Nature Reviews Physics) and Cristiano Matricardi (Nature communications)Ref: Lemcoff, T., Alus, L., Haataja, J.S. et al. Brilliant whiteness in shrimp from ultra-thin layers of birefringent nanospheres. Nat. Photon. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-023-01182-4

This month, we're going back to a classic quantum experiment - done with a twist. A recent study in Nature Physics does Young's double-slit experiment, but in time rather than in space. Tune in to find out more...Featuring Riccardo Sapienza (Imperial College London, UK) and Nina Meinzer (Nature Physics)Hosted by Ankita Anirban (Nature Reviews Physics) and Cristiano Matricardi (Nature communications)Ref: Tirole, R., Vezzoli, S., Galiffi, E. et al. Double-slit time diffraction at optical frequencies. Nat. Phys. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-023-01993-w

Welcome to Season 2! This month, we're finding out how to solve equations with light. A recent study in Nature Nanotechnology uses ultrathin optical metagratings to solve integral equations in free space. Tune in to find out more...Featuring Andrea Cordaro (AMOLF, The Netherlands) and Alberto Moscatelli (Nature Nanotechnology)Hosted by Ankita Anirban (Nature Reviews Physics) and Cristiano Matricardi (Nature communications)Ref: Cordaro, A., Edwards, B., Nikkhah, V. et al. Solving integral equations in free space with inverse-designed ultrathin optical metagratings. Nat. Nanotechnol. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-022-01297-9

A special live show brought to you from the Berlin Science Week 2022. A recent study in Communications Engineering presents a photonic setup to create a neural network. Tune in to find out more...Featuring Charis Mesaritakis (University of the Aegean) and Miranda Vinay (Communications Engineering)Hosted by Cristiano Matricardi (Nature Communications)Ref: Sozos, K., Bogris, A., Bienstman, P. et al. High-speed photonic neuromorphic computing using recurrent optical spectrum slicing neural networks. Commun Eng 1, 24 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-022-00024-5

This month, we're looking inside the atom. A recent study uses a combination of techniques to probe the shapes that the orbitals of a nucleus can take, and finds some fascinating results. Tune in to find out more...Featuring Janne Pakarinen (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and Grigory Rogachev (Texas A&M University, USA and Editorial Board Member of Communications Physics)Hosted by Ankita Anirban (Nature Reviews Physics) and Cristiano Matricardi (Nature communications)Ref: Ojala, J., Pakarinen, J., Papadakis, P. et al. Reassigning the shapes of the 0+ states in the 186Pb nucleus. Commun Phys 5, 213 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-022-00990-4

This month, we take a look inside cells. A recent study uses a new Raman scattering technique to probe liquid-liquid phase separation in cells. Tune in to find out more...Featuring Samrat Mukhopadhyay (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research) and Adriana Savastano (Nature Communications)Hosted by Ankita Anirban (Nature Reviews Physics) and Cristiano Matricardi (Nature communications)Ref: Avni, A., Joshi, A., Walimbe, A. et al. Single-droplet surface-enhanced Raman scattering decodes the molecular determinants of liquid-liquid phase separation. Nat Commun 13, 4378 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32143-0