Near field enhancement for THz switching and THz nonlinear spectroscopy applications.

Slits in thin metal sheets and split-ring resonators (SRR) featuring gaps on the micro- or nano-scale are shown to be a promising tool for THz switching or THz nonlinear spectroscopy applications. Both structures show strong field enhancement in the gap region due to light-induced current flows and capacitive charging across the gap. Whereas nano-slits allow for broadband enhancement the resonant behavior of the SRRs leads to narrowband amplification and results in field enhancement of tens of thousands. This property is particularly beneficial for the realization of nonlinear THz experiments.

High aspect ratio plasmonic nanostructures for sensing applications.

We present an experimental and theoretical study of plasmonic modes in high aspect ratio nanostructures in the visible wavelength region and demonstrate their high performance for sensing applications. Ordered and well-defined plasmonic structures with various cross-sectional profiles and heights are obtained using a top-down fabrication process. We show that, compared to cylindrical nanorods, structures with split-ring resonator-like cross sections have great potential for powerful sensing due to a pronounced polarization dependence, strong field enhancement, structural tunability, and improved mechanical stability. The plasmonic structures under study exhibit high sensitivities, up to nearly 600 nm/RIU, and figures of merit above 20.

Near-field investigation of induced transparency in similarly oriented double split-ring resonators.

We present near-field measurements of an induced transparency behavior using a double split-ring resonator geometry. Mapping the out-of-plane electric field component directly reveals that the induced transparency is linked to an asymmetric mode profile with the subunits oscillating in antiphase. The measurements are compared to complementary numerical simulations, and excellent agreement is found.

Second harmonic generation based on strong field enhancement in nanostructured THz materials.

The THz response of slit structures and split-ring resonators (SRRs) featuring extremely small gaps on the micro- or nanoscale is investigated numerically. Both structures exhibit strong field enhancement in the gap region due to light-induced current flows and capacitive charging across the gap. Whereas nanoslits allow for broadband enhancement the resonant behavior of the SRRs leads to narrowband amplification and results in significantly higher field enhancement factors reaching several 10,000. This property is particularly beneficial for the realization of nonlinear THz experiments which is exemplarily demonstrated by a second harmonic generation process in a nonlinear substrate material. Positioning nanostructures on top of the substrate is found to result in a significant increase of the generation efficiency for the frequency doubled component.

Terahertz near-field microscopy of complementary planar metamaterials: Babinet's principle.

Using terahertz near-field imaging we experimentally investigate the resonant electromagnetic field distributions behind a split-ring resonator and its complementary structure with sub-wavelength spatial resolution. For the out-of-plane components we experimentally verify complementarity of electric and magnetic fields as predicted by Babinet's principle. This duality of near-fields can be used to indirectly map resonant magnetic fields close to metallic microstructures by measuring the electric fields close to their complementary analogues which is particularly useful since magnetic near-fields are still extremely difficult to access in the THz regime. We find excellent agreement between the results from theory, simulation and two different experimental near-field techniques.

Lattice modes mediate radiative coupling in metamaterial arrays.

We show that a resonant response with very high quality factors can be achieved in periodic metamaterials by radiatively coupling their structural elements. The coupling is mediated by lattice modes and can be efficiently controlled by tuning the lattice periodicity. Using a recently developed terahertz (THz) near-field imaging technique and conventional far-field spectroscopy together with numerical simulations we pinpoint the underlying mechanisms. In the strong coupling regimes we identify avoided crossings between the plasmonic eigenmodes and the diffractive lattice modes.

Terahertz near-field imaging of electric and magnetic resonances of a planar metamaterial.

Experimental investigations of the microscopic electric and in particular the magnetic near-fields in metamaterials remain highly challenging and current studies rely mostly on numerical simulations. Here we report a terahertz near-field imaging approach which provides spatially resolved measurements of the amplitude, phase and polarization of the electric field from which we extract the microscopic magnetic near-field signatures in a planar metamaterial constructed of split-ring resonators (SRRs). In addition to studying the fundamental resonances of an individual double SRR unit we further investigate the interaction with neighboring elements.

Investigation of aqueous alcohol and sugar solutions with reflection terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

We give a detailed analysis of a general realization of reflection terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The method is self-referenced and applicable at all incidence angles and for all polarizations of the incident terahertz radiation. Hence it is a general method for the determination of the dielectric properties of especially liquids in environments where transmission measurements are difficult. We investigate the dielectric properties in the 0.1-1.0 THz frequency range of liquids using reflection terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. We apply the technique for the determination of alcohol and sugar concentration of commercial alcoholic beverages and liquors. The special geometry of the experiment allows measurement on sparkling beverages.