Photonics — the scientific study and application of light — has evolved to become a key technology behind many devices found in the modern home, factory and research lab. Today, the field is both a Nobel-prize-winning science and a billion-dollar industry, underpinning applications such as fibre-optic communication, data storage, flat-panel displays and materials processing.Nature Photonics is a monthly journal dedicated to this exciting field and publishes top-quality, peer-reviewed research in all areas of light generation, manipulation and detection.Coverage extends from research into the fundamental properties of light and how it interacts with matter through to the latest designs of optoelectronic device and emerging applications that exploit photons.The journal covers topics including:-Lasers, LEDs and other light sources-Imaging, detectors and sensors-Optoelectronic devices and components-Novel materials and engineered structures-Physics of light propagation, interaction and behaviour-Quantum optics and cryptography-Ultrafast photonics-Biophotonics-Optical data storage-Spectroscopy-Fibre optics and optical communications-Solar energy and photovoltaics-Displays-Terahertz technology-Nonlinear optics-Plasmonics-Nanophotonics-X-rays