Harmonic generation at the nanoscale

International audience; Nonlinear photon conversion is a fundamental physical process that lies on the basis of many modern disciplines, from bioimaging and theranostics in nanomedicine to material characterization in materials science and nanotechnology. It also holds great promise in laser physics with applications in information technology for optical signal processing and in the development of novel coherent light sources. The capability to efficiently generate harmonics at the nanoscale will have an enormous impact on all these fields, since it would allow one to realize much more compact devices and to interrogate matter in extremely confined volumes. Here, we present a perspective on the most recent advances in the generation of nonlinear optical processes at the nanoscale and their applications, proposing a palette of future perspectives that range from material characterization and the development of novel compact platforms for efficient photon conversion to bioimaging and sensing.