Fano-Like Resonance from Disorder Correlation in Vacancy-Doped Photonic Crystals.

By preparing colloidal crystals with random missing scatterers, crystals are created where disorder is embodied as vacancies in an otherwise perfect lattice. In this special system, there is a critical defect concentration where light propagation undergoes a transition from an all but perfect reflector (for the spectral range defined by the Bragg condition), to a metamaterial exhibiting an enhanced transmission phenomenon. It is shown that this behavior can be phenomenologically described in terms of Fano-like resonances. The results show that the Fano's parameter q experiences a sign change signaling the transition from a perfect crystal exhibiting a reflectance Bragg peak, through a state where background scattering is maximum and Bragg reflectance reaches a minimum to a point where the system reenters a low scattering state recovering ordinary Bragg diffraction. A simple dipolar model considering the correlation between scatterers and vacancies is proposed and the reported evolution of the Fano-like scattering is explained in terms of the emerging covariance between the optical paths and polarizabilities and the effect of field enhancement in photonic crystal (PhC) defects.

Towards chiral acoustoplasmonics.

The possibility of creating and manipulating nanostructured materials encouraged the exploration of new strategies to control electromagnetic properties. Among the most intriguing nanostructures are those that respond differently to helical polarization, i.e., exhibit chirality. Here, we present a simple structure based on crossed elongated bars where light-handedness defines the dominating cross-section absorption or scattering, with a 200 % difference from its counterpart (scattering or absorption). The proposed chiral system opens the way to enhanced coherent phonon excitation and detection. We theoretically propose a simple coherent phonon generation (time-resolved Brillouin scattering) experiment using circularly polarized light. In the reported structures, the generation of acoustic phonons is optimized by maximizing the absorption, while the detection is enhanced at the same wavelength and different helicity by engineering the scattering properties. The presented results constitute one of the first steps towards harvesting chirality effects in the design and optimization of efficient and versatile acoustoplasmonic transducers.

Circular dichroism in magneto-optical forces.

In this article we use an exact method to resolve the fields scattered by a spherical magneto-optical particle and calculate the optical forces exerted on it. The resulting force and the contributing components, i.e. magneto-optical gradient force and magneto-optical extinction force, are presented in an analytical form. We also derive analytical expressions for the scattering and extinction cross sections of a magneto-optical particle, expressions which intuitively demonstrate the effect of circular dichroism in magneto-optical scattering and forces. Finally, we demonstrate that the magneto-optical extinction force is the result of circular dichroism in magneto-optical scattering. We show that it is possible to completely cancel the scattering in the forward or in the backward direction, when the incident field is composed of a circularly-polarized reflected beam. Moreover, the directional scattering is interrelated to the direction of the force exerted on the particle.

Luminescence enhancement effects on nanostructured perovskite thin films for Er/Yb-doped solar cells.

Recent attempts to improve solar cell performance by increasing their spectral absorption interval incorporate up-converting fluorescent nanocrystals on the structure. These nanocrystals absorb low energy light and emit higher energy photons that can then be captured by the solar cell active layer. However, this process is very inefficient and it needs to be enhanced by different strategies. In this work, we have studied the effect of nanostructuration of perovskite thin films used in the fabrication of hybrid solar cells on their local optical properties. The perovskite surface was engraved with a focused ion beam to form gratings of one-dimensional grooves. We characterized the surfaces with a fluorescence scanning near-field optical microscope, and obtained maps showing a fringe pattern oriented in a direction parallel to the grooves. By scanning structures as a function of the groove depth, ranging from 100 nm to 200 nm, we observed that a 3-fold luminescence enhancement could be obtained for the deeper ones. Near-field luminescence was found to be enhanced between the grooves, not inside them, independent of the groove depth and the incident polarization direction. This indicates that the ideal position of the nanocrystals is between the grooves. In addition, we also studied the influence of the inhomogeneities of the perovskite layer and we observed that roughness tends to locally modify the intensity of the fringes and distort their alignment. All the experimental results are in good agreement with numerical simulations.

Tunable circular dichroism through absorption in coupled optical modes of twisted triskelia nanostructures.

We present a system consisting of two stacked chiral plasmonic nanoelements, so-called triskelia, that exhibits a high degree of circular dichroism. The optical modes arising from the interactions between the two elements are the main responsible for the dichroic signal. Their excitation in the absorption cross section is favored when the circular polarization of the light is opposite to the helicity of the system, so that an intense near-field distribution with 3D character is excited between the two triskelia, which in turn causes the dichroic response. Therefore, the stacking, in itself, provides a simple way to tune both the value of the circular dichroism, up to 60%, and its spectral distribution in the visible and near infrared range. We show how these interaction-driven modes can be controlled by finely tuning the distance and the relative twist angle between the triskelia, yielding maximum values of the dichroism at 20° and 100° for left- and right-handed circularly polarized light, respectively. Despite the three-fold symmetry of the elements, these two situations are not completely equivalent since the interplay between the handedness of the stack and the chirality of each single element breaks the symmetry between clockwise and anticlockwise rotation angles around 0°. This reveals the occurrence of clear helicity-dependent resonances. The proposed structure can be thus finely tuned to tailor the dichroic signal for applications at will, such as highly efficient helicity-sensitive surface spectroscopies or single-photon polarization detectors, among others.

Magneto-optical binding in the near field.

In this paper we show analytically and numerically the formation of a near-field stable optical binding between two identical plasmonic particles, induced by an incident plane wave. The equilibrium binding distance is controlled by the angle between the polarization plane of the incoming field and the dimer axis, for which we have calculated an explicit formula. We have found that the condition to achieve stable binding depends on the particle's dielectric function and happens near the frequency of the dipole plasmonic resonance. The binding stiffness of this stable attaching interaction is four orders of magnitude larger than the usual far-field optical binding and is formed orthogonal to the propagation direction of the incident beam (transverse binding). The binding distance can be further manipulated considering the magneto-optical effect and an equation relating the desired equilibrium distance with the required external magnetic field is obtained. Finally, the effect induced by the proposed binding method is tested using molecular dynamics simulations. Our study paves the way to achieve complete control of near-field binding forces between plasmonic nanoparticles.

Near-field mechanism of the enhanced broadband magneto-optical activity of hybrid Au loaded Bi:YIG.

We unravel the underlying near-field mechanism of the enhancement of the magneto-optical activity of bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet films (Bi:YIG) loaded with gold nanoparticles. The experimental results show that the embedded gold nanoparticles lead to a broadband enhancement of the magneto-optical activity with respect to the activity of the bare Bi:YIG films. Full vectorial near- and far-field simulations demonstrate that this broadband enhancement is the result of a magneto-optically enabled cross-talking of orthogonal localized plasmon resonances. Our results pave the way to the on-demand design of the magneto-optical properties of hybrid magneto-plasmonic circuitry.

TiO2 Nanocolumn Arrays for More Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells have attracted much attention due to their high power conversion efficiency (>25%) and low-cost fabrication. Yet, improvements are still needed for more stable and higher-performing solar cells. In this work, a series of TiO2 nanocolumn photonic structures have been intentionally fabricated on half of the compact TiO2-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate by glancing angle deposition with magnetron sputtering, a method particularly suitable for industrial applications due to its high reliability and reduced cost when coating large areas. These vertically aligned nanocolumn arrays were then applied as the electron transport layer into triple-cation lead halide perovskite solar cells based on Cs0.05(FA0.83MA0.17)0.95Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3. By comparison to solar cells built onto the same substrate without nanocolumns, the use of TiO2 nanocolumns can significantly enhance the power conversion efficiency of the perovskite solar cells by 7% and prolong their shelf life. Here, detailed characterizations on the morphology and the spectroscopic aspects of the nanocolumns, their near-field and far-field optical properties, solar cells characteristics, as well as the charge transport properties provide mechanistic insights on how one-dimensional TiO2 nanocolumns affect the performance of perovskite halide solar cells in terms of charge transport, light harvesting, and stability, knowledge necessary for the future design of higher-performing and more stable perovskite solar cells.

Mueller matrix study of the dichroism in nanorods dimers: rod separation effects.

We have studied the optical response of chiral metastructures composed of a disordered array of couples of plasmonic Au nanorods helically piled along the vertical direction. The fabrication is based on the use of multiaxial and multimaterial evaporation of the different metastructure building blocks through nanohole masks. From the analysis of the Mueller Matrix elements of the system, obtained both experimentally and from dedicated numerical simulations in forward and backward illumination conditions, we have been able to determine the linear and circular dichroic response of the system, as well as to sort out the optical anisotropy and intrinsic circular dichroism contributions to the circular differential extinction. We have also analyzed the dependence of the optical properties as a function of the angle between the rods and of the thickness of the dielectric separator. The study of quasi-planar as well as three-dimensional structures allows unraveling the role played by interactions between the constituting building blocks and, in particular, the distance between rods. We have experimentally and theoretically observed a decrease of the circular dichroic contribution and a change of the optical anisotropic contribution when the structures evolve from non-planar to planar.

Mapping plasmon-enhanced upconversion fluorescence of Er/Yb-doped nanocrystals near gold nanodisks.

Fluorescence enhancement effects have many potential applications in the domain of biochemical sensors and optoelectronic devices. Here, the emission properties of up-converting nanocrystals near nanostructures that support surface plasmon resonances have been investigated. Gold nanodisks of various diameters were illuminated in the near-infrared (λ = 975 nm) and a single fluorescent nanocrystal glued at the end of an atomic force microscope tip was scanned around them. By detecting its visible fluorescence around each structure, it is found that the highest fluorescence enhancement occurs in a zone that forms a two-lobe pattern near the nanodisks and which corresponds to the map of the near-field intensity calculated at the excitation wavelength. In agreement with numerical simulations, it is also observed that the maximum fluorescence enhancement takes place when the disk diameter is around 200 nm. Surprisingly, this disk size is small when compared to that yielding the highest far-field scattering resonance, which occurs for disks with a diameter of 300-350 nm at the same excitation wavelength. This shift between the near and far-field resonances should be taken into account in the design of structures in systems that use plasmon enhanced fluorescence effects.

Role of interactions in the magneto-plasmonic response at the geometrical threshold of surface continuity: publisher's note.

This publisher's note amends the author listing of [Opt. Express26, 32792 (2017)].

Optical Forces at the Nanoscale: Size and Electrostatic Effects.

The reduced magnitude of the optical trapping forces exerted over sub-200 nm dielectric nanoparticles complicates their optical manipulation, hindering the development of techniques and studies based on it. Improvement of trapping capabilities for such tiny objects requires a deep understanding of the mechanisms beneath them. Traditionally, the optical forces acting on dielectric nanoparticles have been only correlated with their volume, and the size has been traditionally identified as a key parameter. However, the most recently published research results have shown that the electrostatic characteristics of a sub-100 nm dielectric particle could also play a significant role. Indeed, at present it is not clear what optical forces depend. In this work, we designed a set of experiments in order to elucidate the different mechanism and properties (i.e., size and/or electrostatic properties) that governs the magnitude of optical forces. The comparison between experimental data and numerical simulations have shown that the double layer induced at nanoparticle's surface, not considered in the classical description of nanoparticle's polarizability, plays a relevant role determining the magnitude of the optical forces. Here, the presented results constitute the first step toward the development of the dielectric nanoparticle over which enhanced optical forces could be exerted, enabling their optical manipulation for multiples purposes ranging from fundamental to applied studies.

Cloaking of solar cell contacts at the onset of Rayleigh scattering.

Electrical contacts on the top surface of solar cells and light emitting diodes cause shadow losses. The phenomenon of extraordinary optical transmission through arrays of subwavelength holes suggests the possibility of engineering such contacts to reduce the shadow using plasmonics, but resonance effects occur only at specific wavelengths. Here we describe instead a broadband effect of enhanced light transmission through arrays of subwavelength metallic wires, due to the fact that, in the absence of resonances, metal wires asymptotically tend to invisibility in the small size limit regardless of the fraction of the device area taken up by the contacts. The effect occurs for wires more than an order of magnitude thicker than the transparency limit for metal thin films. Finite difference in time domain calculations predict that it is possible to have high cloaking efficiencies in a broadband wavelength range, and we experimentally demonstrate contact shadow losses less than half of the geometric shadow.

Light Localization and Magneto-Optic Enhancement in Ni Antidot Arrays.

We reveal an explicit strategy to design the magneto-optic response of a magneto-plasmonic crystal by correlating near- and far-fields effects. We use photoemission electron microscopy to map the spatial distribution of the electric near-field on a nanopatterned magnetic surface that supports plasmon polaritons. By using different photon energies and polarization states of the incident light we reveal that the electric near-field is either concentrated in spots forming a hexagonal lattice with the same symmetry as the Ni nanopattern or in stripes oriented along the Γ-K direction of the lattice and perpendicular to the polarization direction. We show that the polarization-dependent near-field enhancement on the patterned surface is directly correlated to both the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on the patterned surface as well as the enhancement of the polar magneto-optical Kerr effect. We obtain a relationship between the size of the enhanced magneto-optical behavior and the polarization and wavelength of optical excitation. The engineering of the magneto-optic response based on the plasmon-induced modification of the optical properties introduces the concept of a magneto-plasmonic meta-structure.

Magnetic field modification of optical magnetic dipoles.

Acting on optical magnetic dipoles opens novel routes to govern light-matter interaction. We demonstrate magnetic field modification of the magnetic dipolar moment characteristic of resonant nanoholes in thin magnetoplasmonic films. This is experimentally shown through the demonstration of the magneto-optical analogue of Babinet's principle, where mirror imaged MO spectral dependencies are obtained for two complementary magnetoplasmonic systems: holes in a perforated metallic layer and a layer of disks on a substrate.

Enhanced antibody recognition with a magneto-optic surface plasmon resonance (MO-SPR) sensor.

A comparison between sensing performance of traditional SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) and magneto-optic SPR (MOSPR) transducing techniques is presented in this work. MOSPR comes from an evolution of traditional SPR platform aiming at modulating Surface Plasmon wave by the application of an external magnetic field in transverse configuration. Previous work demonstrated that, when the Plasmon resonance is excited in these structures, the external magnetic field induces a modification of the coupling of the incident light with the Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPP). Besides, these structures can lead to an enhancement in the magneto-optical (MO) activity when the SPP is excited. This phenomenon is exploited in this work to demonstrate the possibility to use the enhanced MO signal as proper transducer signal for investigating biomolecular interactions in liquid phase. To this purpose, the transducer surface was functionalized by thiol chemistry and used for recording the binding between Bovine Serum Albumin molecules immobilized onto the surface and its complementary target. Higher sensing performance in terms of sensitivity and lower limit of detection of the MOSPR biosensor with respect to traditional SPR sensors is demonstrated.

Magnetic field modulation of chirooptical effects in magnetoplasmonic structures.

In this work we analyse the magnetic field effects on the chirooptical properties of magnetoplasmonic chiral structures. The structures consist of two-dimensional arrays of Au gammadions in which thin layers of Co have been inserted. Due to the magnetic properties of the Au/Co interface the structures have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy which favours magnetic saturation along the surface normal, allowing magnetic field modulation of the chirooptical response with moderate magnetic fields. These structures have two main resonances. The resonance at 850 nm has a larger chirooptical response than the resonance at 650 nm, which, on the other hand, exhibits a larger magnetic field modulation of its chirooptical response. This dissimilar behaviour is due to the different physical origin of the chirooptical and magneto-optical responses. Whereas the chirooptical effects are due to the geometry of the structures, the magneto-optical response is related to the intensity of the electromagnetic field in the magnetic (Co) layers. We also show that the optical chirality can be modulated by the applied magnetic field, which suggests that magnetoplasmonic chiral structures could be used to develop new strategies for chirooptical sensing.

Relación de las quejas de memoria con el rendimiento de memoria, el estado de ánimo y variables sociodemográficas en adultos jóvenes / Relationship between memory complaints and memory performance, mood and sociodemographic variables in young adults

Introducción. Las consultas en neurología por quejas de memoria se han incrementado en los últimos años, tanto en mayores como en jóvenes. Se han realizado pocos estudios sobre las variables que influyen en las quejas en adultos jóvenes. Objetivo. Analizar en esta población la relación de las quejas con el rendimiento objetivo de memoria, con la depresión y la ansiedad, con la edad, el sexo y el nivel de estudios. Sujetos y métodos. Muestra de 582 individuos trabajadores sin deterioro cognitivo y edad de 2-64 años. Los materiales utilizados fueron listas de palabras y escenas de familia de la escala de memoria de Wechsler, tercera edición, cuestionario de fallos de memoria de la vida diaria (MFE), y escala de depresión y ansiedad de Goldberg. Resultados. No se encontró asociación estadísticamente significativa entre la valoración subjetiva de la memoria y el rendimiento objetivo inmediato o demorado, ni en la memoria visual ni en la verbal. La depresión y la ansiedad fueron las variables con mayor correlación con la puntuación global del MFE. En el análisis de regresión, las variables significativas fueron: la depresión, con el mayor tamaño de efecto, la edad, los estudios universitarios y el sexo. Conclusión. Las personas jóvenes que manifestaron más olvidos cotidianos no presentaron un rendimiento menor en las pruebas objetivas de memoria. Las variables más importantes que intervinieron en las quejas fueron la depresión y la ansiedad. Las personas más jóvenes, las que tenían estudios universitarios y los varones manifestaron menos quejas de memoria (AU)

Introduction. Neurological consultations due to memory complaints have increased in recent years in both older and younger people. Few investigations have studied the variables related to memory complaints in young adults. Aim. To analyze, in a sample of young adults, the relationship between memory complaints and objective memory performance, depressive and anxiety symptoms, age, sex and level of studies. Subjects and methods. The study included 582 healthy workers, without cognitive impairment, aged 22-64 years. Assessment: Word List and Family Scenes of Wechsler Memory Scale-III, Memory Failures of Everyday Questionnaire (MFE) and Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results. We did not find any significant association between subjective assessment of memory and objective performance, both immediate and delayed in verbal and visual memory. Depression and anxiety had the highest correlation with MFE. The significant variables in the multiple regression analysis were: depression, with the largest effect size, age, college studies and sex. Conclusion. In young adults, those which had a greater perception of daily forgetfulness were not those with lesser memory performance. The most important variables involved in memory complaints were depression and anxiety. Younger people, people with college education and men reported less memory complaints (AU)

High magneto-optical activity and low optical losses in metal-dielectric Au/Co/Au-SiO(2) magnetoplasmonic nanodisks.

Metal-dielectric Au-Co-SiO(2) magnetoplasmonic nanodisks are found to exhibit large magneto-optical activity and low optical losses. The internal architecture of the nanodisks is such that, in resonant conditions, the electromagnetic field undertakes a particular spatial distribution. This makes it possible to maximize the electromagnetic field at the magneto-optically active layers and minimize it in the other, optically lossy ones.

Surface plasmons and magneto-optic activity in hexagonal Ni anti-dot arrays.

The influence of surface plasmons on the magneto-optic activity in a two-dimensional hexagonal array is addressed. The experiments were performed using hexagonal array of circular holes in a ferromagnetic Ni film. Well pronounced troughs are observed in the optical reflectivity, resulting from the presence of surface plasmons. The surface plasmons are found to strongly enhance the magneto-optic response (Kerr rotation), as compared to a continuous film of the same composition. The influence of the hexagonal symmetry of the pattern on the coupling between the plasmonic excitations is demonstrated, using optical diffraction measurements and theoretical calculations of the magneto-optic and of the angular dependence of the optical activity.