Engineering Giant Rabi Splitting via Strong Coupling between Localized and Propagating Plasmon Modes on Metal Surface Lattices: Observation of √N Scaling Rule.

We present a strong coupling system realized by coupling the localized surface plasmon mode in individual silver nanogrooves and propagating surface plasmon modes launched by periodic nanogroove arrays with varied periodicities on a continuous silver medium. When the propagating modes are in resonance with the localized mode, we observe a √N scaling of Rabi splitting energy, where N is the number of propagating modes coupled to the localized mode. Here, we confirm a giant Rabi splitting on the order of 450-660 meV (N = 2) in the visible spectral range, and the corresponding coupling strength is 160-235 meV. In some of the strong coupling cases studied by us, the coupling strength is about 10% of the mode energy, reaching the ultrastrong coupling regime.

Tuning of Two-Dimensional Plasmon-Exciton Coupling in Full Parameter Space: A Polaritonic Non-Hermitian System.

Non-Hermitian photonic systems with gains and/or losses have recently emerged as a powerful approach for topology-protected optical transport and novel device applications. To date, most of these systems employ coupled optical systems of diffraction-limited dielectric waveguides or microcavities, which exchange energy spatially or temporally. Here, we introduce a diffraction-unlimited approach using a plasmon-exciton coupling (polariton) system with tunable plasmonic resonance (energy and line width) and coupling strength. By designing a chirped silver nanogroove cavity array and coupling a single tungsten disulfide monolayer with a large contrast in resonance line width, we show the tuning capability through energy level anticrossing and plasmon-exciton hybridization (line width crossover), as well as spontaneous symmetry breaking across the exceptional point at zero detuning. This two-dimensional hybrid material system can be applied as a scalable and integratable platform for non-Hermitian photonics, featuring seamless integration of two-dimensional materials, broadband tuning, and operation at room temperature.

Chiral Second-Harmonic Generation from Monolayer WS2/Aluminum Plasmonic Vortex Metalens.

Two-dimensional spiral plasmonic structures have emerged as a versatile approach to generate near-field vortex fields with tunable topological charges. We demonstrate here a far-field approach to observe the chiral second-harmonic generation (SHG) at designated visible wavelengths from a single plasmonic vortex metalens. This metalens comprises an Archimedean spiral slit fabricated on atomically flat aluminum epitaxial film, which allows for precise tuning of plasmonic resonances and subsequent transfer of two-dimensional materials on top of the spiral slit. The nonlinear optical measurements show a giant SHG circular dichroism. Furthermore, we have achieved an enhanced chiral SHG conversion efficiency (about an order of magnitude greater than the bare aluminum lens) from monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS2)/aluminum metalens, which is designed at the C-exciton resonance of WS2. Since the C-exciton is not a valley exciton, the enhanced chiral SHG in this hybrid system originates from the plasmonic vortex field-enhanced SHG under the optical spin-orbit interaction.

High optical nonlinearity in low-dimensional halide perovskite polycrystalline films.

The nonlinear optical properties of low-dimensional polycrystalline halide perovskite films consisting of ethylammonium (EA) and butylammonium (BA) cations are investigated using Z-scan technique. Across the band-edge, two-dimensional (BA)2PbI4 exhibits a transition from saturable absorption (SA) to reverse-SA and its nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refractive index are much smaller than those of bulk counterparts. Meanwhile, EAPbI3 with one-dimensionality of the inorganic structure shows the SA behavior both above and below band-edge and the estimated nonlinear optical parameters of polycrystalline EAPbI3 are comparable to those of single-crystalline ones, attributed to high dielectric contrast between the inorganic and organic elements in one-dimensional structures.

Anisotropic exciton relaxation in nanostructured metal (Zn and F(16)Zn)-phthalocyanine.

We report ultrafast excited state dynamics of zinc phthalocyanine and zinc hexadecafluoro phthalocyanine thin films which have nanorod-like structures. Excitons in the singlet states undergo multi-exponential relaxation processes to the ground state and the singlet lifetime within a few tens of picoseconds is attributed to the diffusion-limited exciton annihilation process. Diffusive migration of the singlet excitons shows the anisotropic lifetimes depending on the polarization of probe beam. Similar anisotropy is observed in the X-ray diffraction data which exhibits long-range alignment of molecular columns along the long axis of nanorod, whereas disordered arrangement in lateral direction to the axis of nanorod.

Structural and optical analyses for InGaN-based red micro-LED.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the structural and optical properties of an InGaN-based red micro-LED with a high density of V-shaped pits, offering insights for enhancing emission efficiency. The presence of V-shaped pits is considered advantageous in reducing non-radiative recombination. Furthermore, to systematically investigate the properties of localized states, we conducted temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL). The results of PL measurements indicate that deep localization in the red double quantum wells can limit carrier escape and improve radiation efficiency. Through a detailed analysis of these results, we extensively investigated the direct impact of epitaxial growth on the efficiency of InGaN red micro-LEDs, thereby laying the foundation for improving efficiency in InGaN-based red micro-LEDs.

Carrier dynamics in InN nanorod arrays.

In this report, we investigated ultrafast carrier dynamics of vertically aligned indium nitride (InN) nanorod (NR) arrays grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(111) substrates. Dominant band filling effects were observed and were attributed to a partial bleaching of absorption at the probe wavelengths near the absorption edge. Carrier relaxation in nanorod samples was strongly dependent on the rod size and length. In particular, a fast initial decay was observed for carriers in NRs with a small diameter (~30 nm), the lifetime of which is much shorter than the carrier cooling time, demonstrating the substantial surface-associated influence on carrier relaxation in semiconductor nanostructures.

Plasmonic green nanolaser based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure.

Realization of smaller and faster coherent light sources is critically important for the emerging applications in nanophotonics and information technology. Semiconductor lasers are arguably the most suitable candidate for such purposes. However, the minimum size of conventional semiconductor lasers utilizing dielectric optical cavities for sustaining laser oscillation is ultimately governed by the diffraction limit (∼(λ/2n)(3) for three-dimensional (3D) cavities, where λ is the free-space wavelength and n is the refractive index). Here, we demonstrate the 3D subdiffraction-limited laser operation in the green spectral region based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure, comprising a bundle of green-emitting InGaN/GaN nanorods strongly coupled to a gold plate through a SiO(2) dielectric nanogap layer. In this plasmonic nanocavity structure, the analogue of MOS-type "nanocapacitor" in nanoelectronics leads to the confinement of the plasmonic field into a 3D mode volume of 8.0 × 10(-4) µm(3) (∼0.14(λ/2n)(3)).

Ultrathin TiN Epitaxial Films as Transparent Conductive Electrodes.

Titanium nitride (TiN), a transition-metal compound with tight covalent Ti-N bonding, has a high melting temperature and superior mechanical and chemical stabilities compared to noble metals. With a reduction in thickness, the optical transmittance of TiN films can be drastically increased, and in combination with its excellent electrical conductivity, the ultrathin and continuous TiN film can be considered as an ideal alternative of the metal oxide electrodes. However, the deposition of ultrathin and continuous metallic layer with a smooth surface morphology is a major challenge for typical deposition methods such as thermal evaporation or reactive sputtering. In particular, defects mainly related with oxygen contents and surface scattering can significantly limit the performance of ultrathin TiN films. In this work, ultrathin TiN films with 2-10 nm in thickness are grown by using the nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) method in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. Excellent surface morphology with a root-mean-square roughness of ≤0.12 nm and a high optical transparency of 75% over the whole visible regime are achieved for ultrathin TiN epitaxial films. The dielectric properties determined by the spectroscopic ellipsometry and the electrical properties measured by the terahertz spectroscopy and the Hall effect method reveal that the percolation thickness of the TiN epitaxial film is less than 2.4 nm and its electrical conductivity is higher than 1.1 × 104 Ω-1 cm-1. These features make MBE-grown ultrathin TiN epitaxial films a good candidate for robust, low cost, and large-area transparent conductive electrodes.

Terahertz Analysis of CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskites Associated with Graphene and Silver Nanowire Electrodes.

In order to investigate the thermal and chemical (in)stabilities of MAPbI3 incorporated with graphene and silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes, we employed the terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy, which has a unique ability to deliver the information of electrical properties and the intermolecular bonding and crystalline nature of materials. In in situ THz spectroscopy of MAPbI3, we observed a slight blue-shift in frequency of the 2 THz phonon mode as temperatures increase across the tetragonal-cubic structural phase transition. For MAPbI3 with the graphene top electrode, no noticeable frequency shift is observed until the temperature reaches the maximum operating temperature of solar cells (85 °C). Phonon frequency shift is sensitive to the strain-induced tilt of PbI6 octahedra and our results indicate that graphene forms a stable interface with MAPbI3 and is also effective in suppression of the undesirable phase transition. Meanwhile, for MAPbI3 coupled with the AgNW bottom electrode, the THz conductivity was found to be as low as that of the MAPbI3 single layer, attributed to the chemical reaction between Ag atoms and iodide ions. The THz conductivity is greatly increased when an ultrathin Al2O3 interlayer is introduced to cover the AgNW network via the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. ALD of Al2O3 on the AgNW surfaces at low temperature guarantees a conformal coating, which strongly affects the ohmic contacts between the NWs. Our results demonstrate the advantage of THz spectroscopy for the comprehensive analysis of thermal and chemical stabilities of perovskites associated with the electrode materials.

Ultrafast Exciton Dynamics in Scalable Monolayer MoS2 Synthesized by Metal Sulfurization.

Excitons in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have exceptionally large binding energies and dominate the optical properties of materials. Exploring the relaxation behavior of excitons is crucial for understanding the fundamental physics as well as the performance of TMD-based optoelectronic devices. However, ultrafast carrier dynamics is sensitive to the structural defects and surface conditions of TMDs, depending on the growth or transfer process. Here, we utilized pump-probe transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy with a white-light probe to investigate the dynamics of excitons in monolayer MoS2 synthesized by the metal sulfurization method. The sulfurization method was used for the fabrication of large-scale, continuous, and uniform thin films with a controllable number of layers. The excitation dynamics of the wafer-size monolayer MoS2 is found to be comparable to that of monolayer MoS2 flakes grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The dominant processes of carrier relaxation in the monolayer MoS2 are exciton-exciton annihilation (hundreds of femtoseconds), the trapping of the excitons by surface states (a few picoseconds), and interband carrier-phonon scattering (tens of picoseconds). Moreover, the induced absorption due to mid-gap defects, which is often observed for samples fabricated by growth methods, such as CVD, is not observed for our continuous and uniform monolayer films. Understanding the charge carrier dynamics of the exciton in the scalable and uniform monolayer MoS2 can provide physical insights that are valuable in the design and development of complex 2D devices.

Structure-Dependent Photoluminescence in Low-Dimensional Ethylammonium, Propylammonium, and Butylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskites.

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have attracted great attention as the next generation materials for photovoltaic and light-emitting devices. However, their environment instability issue remains as the largest challenge for practical applications. Recently emerging two-dimensional (2D) perovskites with Ruddlesden-Popper structures are found to greatly improve the stability and aging problems. Furthermore, strong confinement of excitons in these natural quantum-well structures results in the distinct and narrow light emission in the visible spectral range, enabling the development of spectrally tunable light sources. Besides the strong quasi-monochromatic emission, some 2D perovskites composed of the specific organic cations and inorganic layer structures emit a pronounced broadband emission. Herein, we report the light-emitting properties and the degradation of low-dimensional perovskites consisting of the three shortest alkylammonium spacers, mono-ethylammonium (EA), n-propylammonium (PA), and n-butylammonium (BA). While (BA)2PbI4 is known to form well-oriented 2D thin films consisting of layers of corner-sharing PbI6 octahedra separated by a bilayer of BA cations, EA with shorter alkyl chains tends to form other types of lower-dimensional structures. Nevertheless, optical absorption edges of as-prepared fresh EAPbI3, (PA)2PbI4, and (BA)2PbI4 are obviously blue-shifted to 2.4-2.5 eV compared to their 3D counterpart, methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite, and they all emit narrow excitonic photoluminescence. Furthermore, by carefully optimizing deposition conditions, we have achieved a predominantly 2D structure for (PA)2PbI4. However, unlike (BA)2PbI4, upon exposure to ambient environment, (PA)2PbI4 readily transforms to a different crystal structure, exhibiting a prominently broadband light from ∼500 to 800 nm and a gradual increase in intensity as structural transformation proceeds.

Strong green photoluminescence from InxGa1-xN/GaN nanorod arrays.

We report intense green photoluminescence (PL) from vertically aligned indium gallium nitride (InxGa(1-x)N) nanorod arrays. The formation of InxGa(1-x)N/GaN-heterostructure nanorods increases the localization depth of the radially confined carriers (> 100 meV). Temperature dependent PL peak energy of InGaN nanorods shows the characteristic S-shaped behavior, indicating the prominent carrier trapping in band-tail states associated with the nonuniformity of In content. Time-resolved PL (TRPL) response decays biexponentially and the dominant slow decay component of TRPL for InxGa(1-x)N nanorods is due to the transfer of excitons to the localized states before the radiative decay.

Efficient Defect Healing of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides by Metallophthalocyanine.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted great attention as alternatives to graphene with semiconducting band gaps. Mono- or few-layer TMDCs can be prepared by various methods, but regardless of the fabrication methods [such as mechanical exfoliation and chemical vapor deposition (CVD)], TMDCs contain many structural defects, which significantly affect their physical properties and limit their performance in applications. Metallophthalocyanines (MPcs) are organic semiconductors, and as dopants, they are capable of modulating the optical and electrical properties of other semiconducting materials. Here, we report that besides the ability to modulate the optoelectronic properties of 2D TMDCs, MPc molecules can be used to heal defects and improve the physicochemical properties of TMDCs. Doping of planar MPc molecules to TMDCs is achieved by a simple solution dip-coating method and results in a significant improvement in the optical properties and thermal responses of CVD-grown TMDCs, even comparable to those of mechanically exfoliated counterparts. Study of carrier dynamics shows that the adsorption of MPc on the TMDC surface leads to the complete suppression of the mid-gap defect-induced absorption in TMDCs. Furthermore, MPc molecules with a large lateral size are found to effectively reduce the point defects in mechanically exfoliated TMDCs introduced during the preparation process. Our results not only clarify the optoelectronic modulation mechanism of chemical doping but also offer a simple method to control the nanosized defects in 2D TMDCs.

[The effects of inhalation of essential oils on the body weight, food efficiency rate and serum leptin of growing SD rats].

PURPOSES: This experimental study was designed to verify the effect of inhalation of essential oils on body weight, feed intake, food efficiency rate and serum leptin. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 90 growing SD rats (46 males and 44 females). They were allocated into one of four groups, the Fennel group, Patchouli group, Bergamot group and control group. The experimental treatment was the inhalation of aromatherapy essential oils which was applied two times a day for 10 minutes each during 8 weeks. To evaluate the effects, body weight, feed intake, food efficiency rate and serum leptin were measured before and after the treatment. The collected data was analyzed by repeated measures of Kolmogorov-smirnov test and Normal Q-Q plot for normality, Kruskal Wallis test and chi2-test for experimental effects with the SPSS program. RESULTS: The food efficiency rate was significantly lower in the Patchouli group and Fennel group than in the Bergamot group and control group (P=.000). No significant group effects were found for SD rat's body weight, feeding amount and serum leptin. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, these findings indicate that the inhalation of essential oils could be effective in lowering the food efficiency rate rather than the feed intake.

Giant colloidal silver crystals for low-loss linear and nonlinear plasmonics.

The development of ultrasmooth, macroscopic-sized silver (Ag) crystals exhibiting reduced losses is critical to fully characterize the ultimate performance of Ag as a plasmonic material, and to enable cascaded and integrated plasmonic devices. Here we demonstrate the growth of single-crystal Ag plates with millimetre lateral sizes for linear and nonlinear plasmonic applications. Using these Ag crystals, surface plasmon polariton propagation lengths beyond 100 µm in the red wavelength region are measured. These lengths exceed the predicted values using the widely cited Johnson and Christy data. Furthermore, they allow the fabrication of highly reproducible plasmonic nanostructures by focused ion beam milling. We have designed and fabricated double-resonant nanogroove arrays using these crystals for spatially uniform and spectrally tunable second-harmonic generation. In conventional 'hot-spot'-based nonlinear processes such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering and second-harmonic generation, strong enhancement can only occur in random, localized regions. In contrast, our approach enables uniform nonlinear signal generation over a large area.

[The effect of a child abuse prevention program for parents with disabled children].

PURPOSE: This study describes the ecological variables effect on child abuse potential and the results from a prevention program for parents with disabled children aiming at decreasing child abuse potential. METHOD: Data was collected from 30 parents with disabled preschoolers attending an early education center in a community. The program consisted of handouts, small group lectures, support group meetings on understanding the disabled child-parents relationship, communication skill improvement, non-punitive discipline techniques, and influences of child abuse. A non equivalent pre-post test design was employed. RESULT: Ecological variables, and parenting self-efficacy, had a significant effect on child abuse potential in parents with a disabled child. By regression parenting self-efficacy showed (27.1%) child abuse potential. Both parenting self-efficacy and beliefs in corporal punishment directly related to (52.0%) child abuse potential in parents. The program was effective in bringing some positive changes on parenting self-efficacy beliefs in corporal punishment, and child abuse potential toward disabled children. However, marital discord was not significantly effected. CONCLUSION: Child abuse prevention programs should decrease the child abuse potential in parents. Thus I recommend a child abuse prevention program development; for parents with disabled adolescents, and teachers in disabled child education.

Thermally induced percolational transition and thermal stability of silver nanowire networks studied by THz spectroscopy.

Great demand toward flexible optoelectronic devices finds metal nanowires (NWs) the most promising flexible transparent conducting material with superior mechanical properties. However, ultrathin metal nanowires suffer from relatively poor thermal stability and sheet conductance, attributed to the poor adhesivity of the ohmic contact between nanowires. Thermal heating and annealing at 200 °C increase the conductivity of the metal network, but prolonged annealing accelerates the breakage of NWs near the NW junction and the formation of Ag droplets. In this study, the thermal stability of silver NW (AgNW) films is investigated through the in situ measurements of sheet resistance and terahertz (THz) conductivity. With the improved ohmic contact at the NW junctions by heating, a characteristic transition from the subpercolative to percolative network is observed by in situ THz spectroscopy. It is found that stamp-transferred graphene incorporated with a near-percolative AgNW network can dramatically enhance the thermal stability of the graphene-AgNW (GAgNW) hybrid film. In both in situ measurements, little variation of physical parameters in GAgNW film is observed for up to 3 h of annealing. The presented results offer the potential of graphene-incorporated metal nanowire film as a highly conductive electrode that also has high thermal stability and excellent transparency for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics on flexible substrates.

Realization of metal-insulator transition and oxidation in silver nanowire percolating networks by terahertz reflection spectroscopy.

Metal nanowires (NWs) enable versatile applications in printed electronics and optoelectronics by serving as thin and flexible transparent electrodes. The performance of metal NWs as thin electrodes is highly correlated to the connectivity of NW meshes. The percolation threshold of metal NW films corresponds to the minimum density of NWs to form the transparent, yet conductive metal NW networks. Here, we determine the percolation threshold of silver NW (AgNW) networks by using morphological analysis and terahertz (THz) reflection spectroscopy. From the divergent behavior of carrier scattering time and the increase of carrier backscattering factor, the critical NW density at which crossover from Drude to non-Drude behavior of THz conductivity occurs can be unambiguously determined for AgNW thin films. Furthermore, the natural oxidation of AgNWs which causes the gradual reduction of the connectivity of the AgNW network is also realized by the THz spectroscopy. The selective oxidation of NW-to-NW junctions weakens the ohmic contact, and for AgNWs near a critical density, it can even lead to metal-insulator transition. The presented results offer invaluable information to accelerate the deployment of metal nanowires for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics on flexible substrates.

Absolute frequency measurement of rubidium 5S-7S two-photon transitions with a femtosecond laser comb.

The absolute frequencies of rubidium 5S-7S two-photon transitions at 760 nm are measured to an accuracy of 20 kHz with an optical frequency comb based on a mode-locked femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser. The rubidium 5S-7S two-photon transitions are potential candidates for frequency standards and serve as important optical frequency standards for telecommunication applications. The accuracy of the hyperfine constant of the 7S1/2 state is improved by a factor of 5 in comparison with previous results.