Split Hole Resonator: A Nanoscale UV Light Source.

Because of strong light absorption by metals, it is believed that plasmonic nanostructures cannot be used for generating intensive radiation harmonics in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral range. This work presents results of investigation of nonlinear optical interaction with a single gold nanostructure, the split-hole resonator (SHR) under the state-of-the-art experimentally realized conditions. To realize interaction with all spectral components of a 6 fs laser pulse several multipole plasmon resonances were simultaneously excited in the SHR nanostructure. To the best of our knowledge, this paper reports for the first time a strong nonlinear optical interaction at the frequencies of these resonances that leads to (i) the second harmonic generation, (ii) the third harmonic generation (THG), and (iii) the light generation at mixed frequencies. The THG near field amplitude reaches 0.6% of the fundamental frequency field amplitude, which enables the creation of UV radiation sources with a record high intensity. The UV THG may find many important applications including biomedical ones (such as cancer therapy).

Giant enhancement of two photon induced luminescence in metal nanostructure.

We experimentally demonstrate a drastic increase in the rate of radiative process of a nanoscale physical system with implementation of the three physical effects: (1) the size effect, (2) plasmon resonance and (3) the optical Tamm state. As an example of a nanoscale physical system, we choose a single nanohole in Au film when the nanohole is embedded in a photonic crystal of a specific type that maintains an optical Tamm state and as a radiative process - a nonlinear photoluminescence. The efficiency of the nonlinear photoluminescence is increased by more than 10(7) times in compare to a bulk material.

Giant optical nonlinearity of a single plasmonic nanostructure.

We realize giant optical nonlinearity of a single plasmonic nanostructure which we call a split hole resonator (SHR). The SHR is the marriage of two basic elements of nanoplasmonics, a nanohole and a nanorod. A peak field intensity in the SHR occurs at the single tip of the nanorod inside the nanohole. The peak field is much stronger than those of the nanorod and nanohole, because the SHR field involves contributions from the following two field-enhancement mechanisms: (1) the excitation of surface plasmon resonances and (2) the lightning-rod effect. Here, we demonstrate the use of the SHR as a highly efficient nonlinear optical element for: (i) the generation of the third harmonic from a single SHR; (ii) the excitation of intense multiphoton luminescence from a single SHR.

Subwavelength light localization based on optical nonlinearity and light polarization.

We propose and experimentally realize subwavelength light localization based on the optical nonlinearity of a single nonlinear element in nanoplasmonics-a split hole resonator (SHR). The SHR is composed of two basic elements of nanoplasmonics, a nanohole, and a nanorod. A peak field intensity occurs at the single spot of the SHR nanostructure. We demonstrate the use of the SHR as a highly efficient nonlinear optical element for (i) the construction of a polarization-ultrasensitive nanoelement and, as a practical application, (ii) the building up of an all-optical display.

Single nanohole and photoluminescence: nanolocalized and wavelength tunable light source.

We are first to demonstrate a broadband, nanometer-scale, and background-free light source that is based on photoluminescence of a single nanohole in an Au film. We show that a nanohole with a diameter of as small as 20 nm in a 200-nm thick Au film can be used for this purpose. Further development of the localized source that involves the use of a photon-crystal microcavity with a Q-factor of 100 makes it possible to create a 30-fold enhanced, narrowband tunable light source and with a narrow directivity of the radiation.