The butterfly effect: optical nanotechnology takes flight

When scientists look for keys to unlock problems such as quantum teleportation or faster internet speeds, answers can sometimes be found in the natural world. Controlling light at the nanoscale is necessary to develop the next generation of optical chips (integrated circuits which use light instead of electronics), but one of the missing pieces of the puzzle is a suitable device that could block or direct the flow of light based on its polarisation---until now. In Nature Photonics today, we (along with colleagues from Australia and Germany) show how we achieved this goal by making artificial crystals with unique light polarising properties inspired by the wings of a butterfly.