Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Published
On this page
Optics Letters is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Optica Publishing Group dedicated to the rapid dissemination of short, high-impact research across optical science, photonics, and optical engineering. Founded in 1977 by the Optical Society of America (now Optica), the journal serves as a premier venue for announcing novel optical phenomena, devices, and applications where rapid publication accelerates ongoing research across physics and engineering.
What it is
Optics Letters is a premier short-communication journal specializing in concise reports of original research in optics and photonics. Unlike archival journals that publish lengthy, multi-part papers with exhaustive derivations, Optics Letters focuses strictly on brief communications—traditionally designated as “letters.” Each published article presents a self-contained discovery or technological advance that is sufficiently complete to be evaluated by peers, yet concise enough to read quickly and integrate into active laboratory investigations.
The journal operates on an article-at-a-time digital publication model with bi-monthly compiled issues. Under its editorial workflow, manuscripts undergo accelerated peer review by active subject-matter experts. Accepted articles appear online immediately under Early Posting prior to formal issue assignment, minimizing delay between discovery and community access.
Who runs it and what it covers
Optics Letters is owned and published by Optica Publishing Group, the publishing division of Optica (formerly OSA, the Optical Society of America), based in Washington, D.C. The journal is led by Editor-in-Chief Carsten Rockstuhl, who assumed leadership on January 1, 2026, supported by an international board of topical and associate editors. The journal carries print ISSN 0146-9592 and online ISSN 1539-4794, publishing 24 issues per year semi-monthly on the 1st and 15th of each month.
The scope of Optics Letters spans optical science, photonics, and optoelectronic engineering, including:
- Lasers and Coherent Sources: Ultrafast laser systems, semiconductor lasers, fiber lasers, and optical frequency combs.
- Nonlinear and Quantum Optics: Parametric frequency conversion, soliton dynamics, entangled photon generation, and quantum key distribution.
- Fiber Optics and Communications: Microstructured fibers, spatial division multiplexing, silicon photonics, and optical links.
- Integrated Optics and Nanophotonics: Metamaterials, plasmonic waveguides, photonic crystal circuits, and micro-resonators.
- Biomedical Optics and Imaging: Optical coherence tomography (OCT), multiphoton microscopy, and optical diagnostics.
- Optical Materials and Instrumentation: Electro-optic modulators, adaptive optics, diffractive optics, and interferometers.
The journal is indexed in Clarivate Web of Science (SCIE), Elsevier Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, INSPEC, and Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS).
How to search or use it
Researchers, librarians, and authors interact with Optics Letters through the Optica Publishing Group Digital Library (opg.optica.org/ol) and the Prism peer-review platform. To discover research or navigate the platform effectively, follow these operational steps based on the official interface:
- Access the Journal Portal: Navigate to the Optica Publishing Group Digital Library at
opg.optica.org/ol. For broader literature tracking, consult our guide on how to search for peer-reviewed articles across major scientific databases. - Select Search Category: In the platform header search box, choose your target search modality by selecting Article Search (for peer-reviewed papers), ImageBank Search (for figures and micrographs), or Site Search.
- Configure Query Fields: In Advanced Search, enter queries into Keywords / All text, refine terms in Title and Abstract, or specify researcher names in Authors (formatted as LastName or FirstInitial LastName).
- Apply Publication Facet Filters: On the results page, use the left sidebar under Publications. Check Optics Letters to restrict retrieval to letters, or select adjacent Optica publications (such as Optics Express or Applied Optics).
- Filter by Optics and Photonics Topics: Utilize the hierarchical Topics taxonomy in the facet sidebar (which replaced legacy OCIS codes) to isolate specialized technical fields like nonlinear optics or semiconductor waveguides.
- Sort and Temporal Refinement: Adjust the date range using Years Published, and sort papers by Relevance, Newest First, Oldest First, Title (A–Z), or Citation Count to identify foundational letters.
- Browse Current Issue and Early Posting: Monitor emerging research ahead of issue compilation via the Early Posting tab on the journal homepage, or browse the Current Issue and Issues in Progress tables of contents.
- Access the Submission Portal: Authors submit manuscripts via the Submit to this Journal button on the journal homepage, which routes directly to the Prism submission system (
prism.optica.org) for document upload and disclosures.
Strengths and limits
Understanding both the structural advantages and editorial boundaries of Optics Letters helps authors determine whether this venue matches their project objectives:
Strengths:
- Fast Turnaround: Editorial triage quickly routes manuscripts to specialized topical editors, facilitating prompt referee feedback and accelerated publication.
- High Citation Velocity: Because letters represent timely advances, published letters frequently achieve rapid initial citation rates, establishing priority for novel concepts.
- Prestigious Dissemination Channel: Optics Letters has maintained a distinguished reputation in physical optics and electrical engineering since 1977.
- Flexible Publication Model: As a hybrid journal, Optics Letters allows authors to publish without author fees under subscription, or choose immediate open access publishing through Optica Open with an article processing charge (APC).
Limits:
- Strict Four-Page Limit: The journal enforces an inflexible ceiling of exactly four printed pages, including all titles, abstracts, text, equations, figures, tables, and citations. Manuscripts exceeding four pages cannot pay overlength fees and must be cut or transferred.
- Requirement for Demonstrated Urgency: The journal does not accept incremental experimental variations or routine characterizations. Work must clearly justify why immediate letter publication is necessary rather than a full-length article.
- Condensed Methodological Detail: Space constraints prevent lengthy theoretical derivations or extensive fabrication recipes in the main text, requiring concise descriptions and supplementary materials.
Alternatives
When selecting a dissemination platform in optics and photonics, researchers evaluate several peer-reviewed options depending on manuscript length, open-access requirements, and topical breadth:
| Journal | Publisher | Format & Length | Model | Primary Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optics Letters | Optica Publishing Group | Strict 4 pages (no overlength) | Hybrid (Subscription or Optica Open) | Urgent breakthroughs across all optical science and engineering fields. |
| IEEE Photonics Technology Letters | IEEE Photonics Society | 4 pages (5th page with fee) | Hybrid (Subscription or IEEE OA) | Applied photonics, optoelectronics, and optical communications. |
| Applied Physics Letters | AIP Publishing | ~3,500 words maximum | Hybrid (Subscription or AuthorSelect) | Broad applied physics, semiconductor materials, and device physics. |
| Optics Express | Optica Publishing Group | Full length (up to 15 pages) | Gold Open Access (mandatory APC) | Comprehensive, rapid research covering optics and photonics in full detail. |
| Physical Review Letters | American Physical Society | ~3,750 words maximum | Hybrid (Subscription or APS OA) | Fundamental physics discoveries, quantum physics, and optical phenomena. |
FAQ
What is the page limit for Optics Letters?
Optics Letters enforces a strict page limit of exactly four printed journal pages. This limit encompasses the article title, author affiliations, abstract, main text, mathematical expressions, embedded figures, tables, acknowledgments, and bibliographic references. Authors prepare manuscripts using official Optica Word or LaTeX templates to guarantee compliance prior to typesetting.
Can authors pay an overlength charge to exceed four pages?
No. Optics Letters does not allow overlength papers, and authors cannot pay an overlength fee to publish a fifth page. If a manuscript exceeds four printed pages upon final layout, authors must condense text, resize figures, or transfer the paper to another publication.
What happens if a manuscript is deemed too long for Optics Letters?
When a submission contains valuable research but requires more space than four pages permit, the editorial office typically offers a streamlined transfer to a sister Optica journal. Manuscripts are commonly transferred to Optics Express (which accommodates full-length papers up to 15 pages under gold open access) or Applied Optics without restarting the review process.
Is Optics Letters an open access journal or a subscription journal?
Optics Letters operates as a hybrid journal. Authors choose between traditional subscription publication, which requires no author fees, and open access publication through Optica Open, where the paper is made freely accessible immediately upon publication under a Creative Commons license in exchange for an article processing charge.
What peer-review model does Optics Letters use?
Optics Letters utilizes a standard single-anonymized peer review model, in which reviewer identities remain confidential while author names and institutional affiliations are visible to referees. In addition, the journal offers an optional double-anonymized peer-review track upon author request at the time of submission in the Prism portal.
Sources
The information in this guide was compiled from official documentation and policy guidelines published by Optica Publishing Group:
- Optica Publishing Group, Optics Letters Journal Overview and Editorial Scope, https://opg.optica.org/ol/home.cfm (verified November 11, 2026).
- Optica Publishing Group, Author Guidelines and Manuscript Preparation Style Guide, https://opg.optica.org/submit/style/ (verified November 11, 2026).
- Optica Publishing Group, Optics Letters Specific Author Guidelines and Page Limits, https://opg.optica.org/ol/submit/guidelines/ (verified November 11, 2026).
- Optica Publishing Group, Prism Article Tracking and Submission System, https://prism.optica.org/ (verified November 11, 2026).
- Optica Publishing Group, Open Access, Copyright, and Permissions Guide, https://opg.optica.org/submit/review/copyright_permissions.cfm (verified November 11, 2026).
