Highly sensitive ratiometric fluorescent fiber matrices for oxygen sensing with micrometer spatial resolution

Oxygen(O_(2))-sensing matrices are promising tools for the live monitoring of extracellular O_(2) consumption levels in long-term cell cultures.In this study,ratiometric O_(2)-sensing membranes were prepared by electrospinning,an easy,low-cost,scalable,and robust method for fabricating nanofibers.Poly(ε-caprolactone)and poly(dimethyl)siloxane polymers were blended with tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II)dichloride,which was used as the O_(2)-sensing probe,and rhodamine B isothiocyanate,which was used as the reference dye.The functionalized scaffolds were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy,and their physicochemical profiles were obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis,and water contact angle measurement.The sensing capabilities were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy,performing photobleaching,reversibility,and calibration curve studies toward different dissolved O_(2)(DO)concentrations.Electrospun sensing nanofibers showed a high response to changes in DO concentrations in the physiological-pathological range from 0.5%to 20%and good stability under ratiometric imaging.In addition,the sensing systems were highly biocompatible for cell growth promoting adhesiveness and growth of three cancer cell lines,namely metastatic melanoma cell line SK-MEL2,breast cancer cell line MCF-7,and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line Panc-1,thus recreating a suitable biological environment in vitro.These O_(2)-sensing biomaterials can potentially measure alterations in cell metabolism caused by changes in ambient O_(2)content during drug testing/validation and tissue regeneration processes.

Polarization shaping of Poincare´ beams by polariton oscillations

We propose theoretically and demonstrate experimentally the generation of light pulses whose polarization varies temporally to cover selected areas of the Poincare´sphere with both tunable swirling speed and total duration(1 ps and 10 ps,respectively,in our implementation).The effect relies on the Rabi oscillations of two polariton polarized fields excited by two counter-polarized and delayed pulses.The superposition of the oscillating fields result in the precession of the Stokes vector of the emitted light while polariton lifetime imbalance results in its drift from a circle of controllable radius on the Poincare´sphere to a single point at long times.The positioning of the initial circle and final point allows to engineer the type of polarization spanning,including a full sweeping of the Poincare´sphere.The universality and simplicity of the scheme should allow for the deployment of time-varying full-Poincare´polarization fields in a variety of platforms,timescales,and regimes.

Superluminal X-waves in a polariton quantum fluid

In this work,we experimentally demonstrate for the first time the spontaneous generation of two-dimensional exciton-polariton X-waves.X-waves belong to the family of localized packets that can sustain their shape without spreading,even in the linear regime.This allows the wavepacket to maintain its shape and size for very low densities and very long times compared to soliton waves,which always necessitate a nonlinearity to compensate the diffusion.Here,we exploit the polariton nonlinearity and uniquely structured dispersion,comprising both positive-and negative-mass curvatures,to trigger an asymmetric four-wave mixing in momentum space.This ultimately enables the self-formation of a spatial X-wave front.Using ultrafast imaging experiments,we observe the early reshaping of the initial Gaussian packet into the X-pulse and its propagation,even for vanishingly small densities.This allows us to outline the crucial effects and parameters that drive the phenomena and to tune the degree of superluminal propagation,which we found to be in close agreement with numerical simulations.

High-speed flow of interacting organic polaritons

The strong coupling of an excitonic transition with an electromagnetic mode results in composite quasi-particles called exciton polaritons,which have been shown to combine the best properties of their individual components in semiconductor microcavities.However,the physics and applications of polariton flows in organic materials and at room temperature are still unexplored because of the poor photon confinement in such structures.Here,we demonstrate that polaritons formed by the hybridization of organic excitons with a Bloch surface wave are able to propagate for hundreds of microns showing remarkable third-order nonlinear interactions upon high injection density.These findings pave the way for the study of organic nonlinear light–matter fluxes and for a technologically promising route of the realization of dissipation-less on-chip polariton devices operating at room temperature.

Quantum hydrodynamics of a single particle

Semiconductor devices are strong competitors in the race for the development of quantum computational systems.In this work,we interface two semiconductor building blocks of different dimensionalities with complementary properties:(1)a quantum dot hosting a single exciton and acting as a nearly ideal single-photon emitter and(2)a quantum well in a 2D microcavity sustaining polaritons,which are known for their strong interactions and unique hydrodynamic properties,including ultrafast real-time monitoring of their propagation and phase mapping.In the present experiment,we can thus observe how the injected single particles propagate and evolve inside the microcavity,giving rise to hydrodynamic features typical of macroscopic systems despite their genuine intrinsic quantum nature.In the presence of a structural defect,we observe the celebrated quantum interference of a single particle that produces fringes reminiscent of wave propagation.While this behavior could be theoretically expected,our imaging of such an interference pattern,together with a measurement of antibunching,constitutes the first demonstration of spatial mapping of the self-interference of a single quantum particle impinging on an obstacle.