Top 5 Emerging Trends in Optical Science for 2025

By Ibtisam AbbasiReviewed by Lexie CornerApr 18 2025

Optical technology is driving innovation across key sectors, from aerospace and defense to biomedical engineering and digital manufacturing. This article highlights five of the most promising developments in optical science in 2025.

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Helically Dichroic Hollow-Core Fibers Advance Vortex-Based Optical Communication

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have demonstrated exceptionally strong broadband helical dichroism (HD) in the visible spectrum using a novel twisted hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. This marks the first reported observation of HD in such a fiber architecture.

The team fabricated a 25 cm-long single-ring hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (SR HC-PCF) with a twisted structure. Unlike conventional fibers, this design enables selective guidance of optical vortices—light modes that carry orbital angular momentum. These modes are of growing interest in advanced optical communication and mode-division multiplexing.

The twisted hollow-core fiber demonstrated attenuation ratios exceeding 10 dB. Numerical simulations showed that optical losses in the twisted HC-PCF can differ by more than 100 dB/m depending on polarization state.¹ This represents a significant step forward in developing high-discrimination polarizing elements for hollow-core waveguides, with potential applications in chiral sensing.

Cascaded-Mode Interferometer for Advanced Linewidth Control

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have introduced a novel optical architecture: the cascaded-mode interferometer.

Unlike traditional Mach–Zehnder interferometers, which split light into two separate paths, this design uses interference between multiple transverse modes within a single multimode waveguide. Built on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform, the device enables multiple transmission paths for controlling both the amplitude and phase of light.

Mode coupling is achieved using transmissive mode converters (TMCs), which transfer energy between modes. By carefully designing the waveguide to control the effective refractive index and propagation constants, the researchers created a highly tunable system.

Testing showed that the interferometer produces narrow, adjustable transmission peaks and valleys, offering greater sensitivity and flexibility than conventional designs.² Its compact size and integrated architecture make it a promising platform for next-generation optical sensing and signal processing devices.

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Ultra-Compact Vernier Micro-Comb Atomic Clocks for GPS Precision

Optical atomic clocks offer exceptional timing accuracy and are essential for technologies like global positioning systems (GPS). However, traditional systems tend to be bulky and difficult to scale. Recent research has focused on micro-comb-based platforms, which are more compact and easier to manufacture.

In a recent collaboration between researchers in the United States and Sweden, a scalable dual micro-comb system was developed to support miniaturized optical atomic clocks. Unlike conventional atomic clocks that rely on microwave transitions, this system uses laser-based oscillations to achieve greater precision by dividing time into much finer intervals.

The platform combines an octave-spanning terahertz repetition-rate micro-comb with a broadband secondary micro-comb, all integrated on a silicon nitride chip. This configuration enables precise frequency division of a continuous-wave laser (at 871 nm) down to a 235 MHz RF clock signal, using only two feedback servos.³

Further integration with on-chip thermal heaters allows for spectral filtering and wavelength routing, enhancing the system’s ability to detect environmental changes. This development marks a significant step toward deployable, low-power atomic clock systems that can be used in satellite navigation, secure communications, and timing-critical infrastructure.

First-Ever 193 nm Vortex Beam for Deep Ultraviolet Laser Applications

Deep ultraviolet (DUV) lasers are known for their high photon energy and short wavelengths, offering advantages in coherence, sensitivity, and energy efficiency over traditional laser systems.

In a recent development, researchers have created the first compact solid-state nanosecond pulsed laser system capable of generating 193 nm coherent vortex beams, a milestone in DUV photonics.

The research, presented in Advanced Photonics Nexus (SPIE), describes a laser architecture developed by a team in China. The system begins with a high-power 1030 nm pulsed laser, amplified using a Ytterbium (Yb)-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) bulk crystal amplifier. This amplifier is split into two functional stages:

• One-half powers a two-stage optical parametric amplifier (OPA), producing a 1553 nm beam.
• The other generates a 1.2 W, 258 nm beam.

These outputs are combined in a two-stage sum-frequency generation (SFG) process, yielding coherent beams at 221 nm and 193 nm, respectively. The resulting 193 nm vortex beam demonstrated a linewidth below 880 MHz, indicating high spectral purity.⁴

This DUV vortex beam laser offers potential for a range of industrial applications, particularly in semiconductor lithography, nanostructure fabrication, and high-resolution defect inspection.

Manufacturable Silicon Photonics Platform for Quantum Computing

PsiQuantum, a leading photonics-based quantum computing company, has made a major advancement in developing a manufacturable silicon photonics platform capable of supporting million-qubit-scale systems.

As part of its Project Omega, PsiQuantum has raised USD 450 million to accelerate the development of modular quantum computing architectures. The company’s approach is based on monolithically integrated silicon photonic chips designed for the generation, manipulation, and transmission of photonic qubits.

Each chip is fabricated on standard silicon wafers. It integrates high-performance single-photon sources and barium titanate-based optical switches, providing the necessary components for large-scale entanglement and quantum logic operations.⁵

Performance metrics from recent tests are promising. The chips demonstrated:

• Single-Qubit State Preparation and Measurement (SPAM) fidelity of 99.98 %, indicating highly reliable qubit initialization.
• Chip-to-Chip Qubit Interconnect Fidelity of 99.72 %, confirming the system’s ability to transmit qubits over long-distance optical links with minimal loss.

The platform also incorporates cryogenic infrastructure to support low-noise operation and efficient scaling, making it one of the first serious candidates for utility-scale quantum computing using a photonics-based approach.⁶

Optical Science in 2025: Where Innovation Is Heading

These developments represent just a sample of the innovations shaping optical science in 2025. Ongoing research continues to advance areas such as adaptive optics, integrated photonic circuits, and ultra-fast laser technologies, with new applications emerging across sensing, computing, and communications.

For further reading on cutting-edge developments in optics and photonics, explore the following articles:

• Self-Detecting Dual-Comb Spectroscopy Using Injection-Locked QCLs
• Are Photonic Chips Better than Silicon Chips?
• Fluorescent Cellulose Pulp: A Scalable Solution for Thermal Management
• Using High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy to Improve Biomarker Discovery
• Exploring the Use of Photonics in Neuromorphic Computing

References and Further Reading

1. Helfrich, C., et. al. (2025). Giant Helical Dichroism in Twisted Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fibers. ACS Photonics. 12(2). 564-569. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.4c02019
2. Lu, J. et. al. (2025). Cascaded-mode interferometers: Spectral shape and linewidth engineering. Science Advances, 11(12), eadt4154. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt4154
3. Wu, K. et al. (2025). Vernier microcombs for integrated optical atomic clocks. Nat. Photon. 19, 400–406. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-025-01617-0
4. Zhang, Z. et. al. (2025). Compact narrow-linewidth solid-state 193-nm pulsed laser source utilizing an optical parametric amplifier and its vortex beam generation. Advanced Photonics Nexus, 4(2), 026011. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1117/1.APN.4.2.026011
5. PsiQuantum Team. (2025). A manufacturable platform for photonic quantum computing. Nature. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08820-7
6. PsiQuantum. (2025). Introducing Omega - Inside the Chipset. [Online]. Available at: https://www.psiquantum.com/featured-news/introducing-omega [Accessed on: April 12, 2025].

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