Optical Properties of Nanomaterials: Linear and Nonlinear Behavior

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2026 | Viewed by 1171

Special Issue Editors

Key Laboratory of In-fiber Integrated Optics, Ministry of Education of China, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: ultrafast optics; two-dimensional material photonics; ocean optics
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Guest Editor
Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Interests: nonlinear optical crystal laser performance evaluation; mid-infrared solid laser technology; ultraviolet solid laser technology; optical detection technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of nanomaterials is of great significance due to their potential applications in various fields, such as photonics, optoelectronics, and information technology. Nanomaterials exhibit unique optical properties at the nanoscale that differ from those of bulk materials, making them promising candidates for advanced optical devices and technologies.

One of the key advantages of nanomaterials is their tunable optical properties, which can be controlled by manipulating their size, shape, and composition. This tunability allows for the design of materials with specific optical properties tailored for a particular application. For example, their ability to tune the absorption and emission wavelengths of nanomaterials makes them suitable for use in light-harvesting devices, sensors, and displays. Moreover, nanomaterials exhibit enhanced optical nonlinearities compared to bulk materials, due to their high surface-to-volume ratio and quantum confinement effects. This results in efficient nonlinear optical processes, such as multiphoton absorption, harmonic generation, and four-wave mixing, which are essential for applications in nonlinear optics, signal processing, and ultrafast photonics. The use of nanomaterials in nonlinear optical devices can lead to improved performance, reduced power consumption, and increased bandwidth. Additionally, the study of nanomaterials' linear and nonlinear optical properties can provide valuable insights into the fundamental physics of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale. By understanding the mechanisms that govern the optical response of nanomaterials, researchers can develop new theoretical models and experimental techniques to advance the field of nanophotonics. This knowledge can also aid in the development of novel materials with tailored optical properties for emerging technologies, such as quantum computing, plasmonics, and metamaterials.

We are pleased to invite authors to contribute to this Special Issue on "Optical Properties of Nanomaterials: Linear and Nonlinear Behavior". We welcome submissions from scholars in related fields to share their research and insights on this important topic.

Dr. Bo Guo
Prof. Dr. Linjun Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • 2D materials
  • nonlinear optics
  • saturable absorbers
  • fiber lasers
  • solid lasers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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14 pages, 3979 KB  
Article
Spatial-Multiplexed Four-Channel Optical Amplification via Multiple Four-Wave Mixing in a Double-Λ Atomic System
by Xin Li, Dan Song, Yu-Xia Fan, Rong Miao, Dan Wang, Bao-Dong Yang, Hai-Tao Zhou and Jun-Xiang Zhang
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(3), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16030184 - 29 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 727
Abstract
Optical amplification and spatial multiplexing technologies have important applications in quantum communication, quantum networks, and optical information processing. In this paper, based on the non-reciprocal amplification of a pair of co-propagating conjugate four-wave mixing (FWM) signals induced by a one-way pump field in [...] Read more.
Optical amplification and spatial multiplexing technologies have important applications in quantum communication, quantum networks, and optical information processing. In this paper, based on the non-reciprocal amplification of a pair of co-propagating conjugate four-wave mixing (FWM) signals induced by a one-way pump field in a double-Λ-type hot atomic system, we demonstrate spatially multiplexed multiple FWM processes by introducing a counter-propagating collinear pump field. This configuration enables simultaneous amplification of bidirectional four-channel FWM signals. Furthermore, when the injected signal and pump beams are modulated to Laguerre–Gaussian beams carrying different optical orbital angular momentum (OAM), the OAM of the pump beam is transferred to each amplified field. Through the tilted lens method, we experimentally demonstrate that the OAM of the amplified signal light remains identical to that of the original injected signal light. In contrast, the OAM of the other three newly generated FWM fields is governed by the angular momentum conservation law of their respective FWM processes, which enables the precise manipulation of the OAM for the other generated amplified fields. Theoretical analysis of the dynamical transport equation for the density operator in light–matter interaction processes fully corroborates the experimental results. These findings establish a robust framework for developing OAM-compatible optical non-reciprocal devices based on complex structured light. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Properties of Nanomaterials: Linear and Nonlinear Behavior)
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