Magnetic field control of light is among the most intriguing methods for modulation of light intensity and polarization on sub-nanosecond timescales. The implementation in nanostructured hybrid materials provides a remarkable increase of magneto-optical effects. However, so far only the enhancement of already known effects has been demonstrated in such materials. Here we postulate a novel magneto-optical phenomenon that originates solely from suitably designed nanostructured metal-dielectric material, the so-called magneto-plasmonic crystal. In this material, an incident light excites coupled plasmonic oscillations and a waveguide mode. An in-plane magnetic field allows excitation of an orthogonally polarized waveguide mode that modifies optical spectrum of the magneto-plasmonic crystal and increases its transparency. The experimentally achieved light intensity modulation reaches 24%. As the effect can potentially exceed 100%, it may have great importance for applied nanophotonics. Further, the effect allows manipulating and exciting waveguide modes by a magnetic field and light of proper polarization.

We report a fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of temperature and water salinity. The proposed sensor structure is based on a three-wave Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) fabricated in a single-mode optical fiber (SMF) by focused ion beam (FIB) milling. The open cavity of the three-wave FPI was filled with water under test and used as the main sensing element and the lengths of the open and silica cavity were comparable. These features of the proposed sensor lead to three groups of interference fringes with distinct sensitivities in the wavelength domain with respect to the changes in both the water salinity and ambient temperature are obtained. Consequently, simultaneous determination of the ambient temperature and water salinity variations is achieved using the sensitivity matrix method.

We present a review of the current state of the field for a rapidly evolving group of technologies related to solar energy harvesting in built environments. In particular, we focus on recent achievements in enabling the widespread distributed generation of electric energy assisted by energy capture in semi-transparent or even optically clear glazing systems and building wall areas. Whilst concentrating on recent cutting-edge results achieved in the integration of traditional photovoltaic device types into novel concentrator-type windows and glazings, we compare the main performance characteristics reported with these using more conventional (opaque or semi-transparent) solar cell technologies. A critical overview of the current status and future application potential of multiple existing and emergent energy harvesting technologies for building integration is provided.

Bismuth-substituted iron garnets are considered to be the most promising magneto-optical materials because of their excellent optical transparency and very high magneto-optical figures of merit in the near-infrared spectral region. However, the practical application of garnets in the visible and short-wavelength infrared parts of spectrum is currently limited, due to their very high optical absorption (especially in sputtered films) in these spectral regions. In this paper, we identify the likely source of excess absorption observed in sputtered garnet films in comparison with epitaxial layers and demonstrate (Bi,Dy)₃(Fe,Ga)₅O₁₂: Bi₂O₃ composites possessing record MO quality in the visible region.