Stimulated plasmon polariton scattering.

Plasmon and phonon polaritons of two-dimensional (2D) and van-der-Waals materials have recently gained substantial interest. Unfortunately, they are notoriously hard to observe in linear response because of their strong confinement, low frequency and longitudinal mode symmetry. Here, we propose an approach of harnessing nonlinear resonant scattering that we call stimulated plasmon polariton scattering (SPPS) in analogy to the opto-acoustic stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). We show that SPPS allows to excite, amplify and detect 2D plasmon and phonon polaritons all across the THz-range while requiring only optical components in the near-IR or visible range. We present a coupled-mode theory framework for SPPS and based on this find that SPPS power gains exceed the very top gains observed in on-chip SBS by at least an order of magnitude. This opens exciting possibilities to fundamental studies of 2D materials and will help closing the THz gap in spectroscopy and information technology.

Role of diffusive surface scattering in nonlocal plasmonics.

The recent generalised nonlocal optical response (GNOR) theory for plasmonics is analysed, and its main input parameter, namely the complex hydrodynamic convection-diffusion constant, is quantified in terms of enhanced Landau damping due to diffusive surface scattering of electrons at the surface of the metal. GNOR has been successful in describing plasmon damping effects, in addition to the frequency shifts originating from induced-charge screening, through a phenomenological electron diffusion term implemented into the traditional hydrodynamic Drude model of nonlocal plasmonics. Nevertheless, its microscopic derivation and justification is still missing. Here we discuss how the inclusion of a diffusion-like term in standard hydrodynamics can serve as an efficient vehicle to describe Landau damping without resorting to computationally demanding quantum-mechanical calculations, and establish a direct link between this term and the Feibelman d parameter for the centroid of charge. Our approach provides a recipe to connect the phenomenological fundamental GNOR parameter to a frequency-dependent microscopic surface-response function. We therefore tackle one of the principal limitations of the model, and further elucidate its range of validity and limitations, thus facilitating its proper application in the framework of nonclassical plasmonics.

Efficient electro-optic modulation in low-loss graphene-plasmonic slot waveguides.

Surface plasmon polaritons enable light concentration within subwavelength regions, opening thereby new avenues for miniaturizing the device and strengthening light-matter interactions. Here we realize efficient electro-optic modulation in low-loss plasmonic waveguides with the aid of graphene, and the devices are fully integrated in the silicon-on-insulator platform. By advantageously exploiting low-loss plasmonic slot-waveguide modes, which weakly leak into a substrate while featuring strong fields within the two-layer-graphene covered slots in metals, we successfully achieve a tunability of 0.13 dB µm-1 for our fabricated graphene-plasmonic waveguide devices with extremely low insertion loss, which outperforms previously reported graphene-plasmonic devices. Our results highlight the potential of graphene plasmonic leaky-mode hybrid waveguides to realize active ultra-compact devices for optoelectronic applications.

Layered van der Waals crystals with hyperbolic light dispersion.

Compared to artificially structured hyperbolic metamaterials, whose performance is limited by the finite size of the metallic components, the sparse number of naturally hyperbolic materials recently discovered are promising candidates for the next generation of hyperbolic materials. Using first-principles calculations, we extend the number of known naturally hyperbolic materials to the broad class of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). The diverse electronic properties of the transition metal dichalcogenides result in a large variation of the hyperbolic frequency regimes ranging from the near-infrared to the ultraviolet. Combined with the emerging field of van der Waals heterostructuring, we demonstrate how the hyperbolic properties can be further controlled by stacking different two-dimensional crystals opening new perspectives for atomic-scale design of photonic metamaterials. As an application, we identify candidates for Purcell factor control of emission from diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers.Natural hyperbolic materials retain the peculiar optical properties of traditional metamaterials whilst not requiring artificial structuring. Here, the authors perform a theoretical screening of a large class of natural materials with hyperbolic dispersion among the family of layered transition metal dichalcogenides.

Gap and channeled plasmons in tapered grooves: a review.

Tapered metallic grooves have been shown to support plasmons - electromagnetically coupled oscillations of free electrons at metal-dielectric interfaces - across a variety of configurations and V-like profiles. Such plasmons may be divided into two categories: gap-surface plasmons (GSPs) that are confined laterally between the tapered groove sidewalls and propagate either along the groove axis or normal to the planar surface, and channeled plasmon polaritons (CPPs) that occupy the tapered groove profile and propagate exclusively along the groove axis. Both GSPs and CPPs exhibit an assortment of unique properties that are highly suited to a broad range of cutting-edge nanoplasmonic technologies, including ultracompact photonic circuits, quantum-optics components, enhanced lab-on-a-chip devices, efficient light-absorbing surfaces and advanced optical filters, while additionally affording a niche platform to explore the fundamental science of plasmon excitations and their interactions. In this Review, we provide a research status update of plasmons in tapered grooves, starting with a presentation of the theory and important features of GSPs and CPPs, and follow with an overview of the broad range of applications they enable or improve. We cover the techniques that can fabricate tapered groove structures, in particular highlighting wafer-scale production methods, and outline the various photon- and electron-based approaches that can be used to launch and study GSPs and CPPs. We conclude with a discussion of the challenges that remain for further developing plasmonic tapered-groove devices, and consider the future directions offered by this select yet potentially far-reaching topic area.

A generalized non-local optical response theory for plasmonic nanostructures.

Metallic nanostructures exhibit a multitude of optical resonances associated with localized surface plasmon excitations. Recent observations of plasmonic phenomena at the sub-nanometre to atomic scale have stimulated the development of various sophisticated theoretical approaches for their description. Here instead we present a comparatively simple semiclassical generalized non-local optical response theory that unifies quantum pressure convection effects and induced charge diffusion kinetics, with a concomitant complex-valued generalized non-local optical response parameter. Our theory explains surprisingly well both the frequency shifts and size-dependent damping in individual metallic nanoparticles as well as the observed broadening of the crossover regime from bonding-dipole plasmons to charge-transfer plasmons in metal nanoparticle dimers, thus unravelling a classical broadening mechanism that even dominates the widely anticipated short circuiting by quantum tunnelling. We anticipate that our theory can be successfully applied in plasmonics to a wide class of conducting media, including doped semiconductors and low-dimensional materials such as graphene.

Extraordinary absorption of sound in porous lamella-crystals.

We present the design of a structured material supporting complete absorption of sound with a broadband response and functional for any direction of incident radiation. The structure which is fabricated out of porous lamellas is arranged into a low-density crystal and backed by a reflecting support. Experimental measurements show that strong all-angle sound absorption with almost zero reflectance takes place for a frequency range exceeding two octaves. We demonstrate that lowering the crystal filling fraction increases the wave interaction time and is responsible for the enhancement of intrinsic material dissipation, making the system more absorptive with less material.

Perfect imaging, epsilon-near zero phenomena and waveguiding in the scope of nonlocal effects.

Plasmons in metals can oscillate on a sub-wavelength length scale and this large-k response constitutes an inherent prerequisite for fascinating effects such as perfect imaging and intriguing wave phenomena associated with the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) regime. While there is no upper cut-off within the local-response approximation (LRA) of the plasma polarization, nonlocal dynamics suppress response beyond ω/v(F), where v(F) is the Fermi velocity of the electron gas. Nonlocal response has previously been found to pose limitations to field-enhancement phenomena. Accounting for nonlocal hydrodynamic response, we show that perfect imaging is surprisingly only marginally affected by nonlocal properties of a metal slab, even for a deep subwavelength case and an extremely thin film. Similarly, for the ENZ response we find no indications of nonlocal response jeopardizing the basic behaviors anticipated from the LRA. Finally, our study of waveguiding of gap plasmons even shows a positive nonlocal influence on the propagation length.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: nonlocal limitations.

Giant field enhancement and field singularities are a natural consequence of the commonly employed local-response framework. We show that a more general nonlocal treatment of the plasmonic response leads to new and possibly fundamental limitations on field enhancement with important consequences for our understanding of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The intrinsic length scale of the electron gas serves to smear out assumed field singularities, leaving the SERS enhancement factor finite, even for geometries with infinitely sharp features. For silver nanogroove structures, mimicked by periodic arrays of half-cylinders (up to 120 nm in radius), we find no enhancement factors exceeding 10 orders of magnitude (10(10)).

Evaporation of water droplets on "lock-and-key" structures with nanoscale features.

Highly ordered poly(dimethylsiloxane) microbowl arrays (MBAs) and microcap arrays (MCAs) with "lock-and-key" properties are successfully fabricated by self-assembly and electrochemical deposition. The wetting properties and evaporation dynamics of water droplets for both cases have been investigated. For the MBAs case, the wetting radius of the droplets remains unchanged until the portion of the droplet completely dries out at the end of the evaporation process. The pinning state extends for more than 99.5% of the total evaporation time, and the pinning-shrinking transition is essentially prevented whereas in the case of the MCAs the contact radius exhibits distinct stages during evaporation and the contact line retreats significantly in the middle of the evaporation process. We explain the phenomenon by a qualitative energy balance argument based on the different shrinkage types of the nanoscale-folded contact line.

Metamaterial localized resonance sensors: prospects and limitations.

The prospects and limitations of metamaterial localized resonance sensors are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Gold split-ring resonators are employed as the model system where the light induced LC-resonance yields a figure-of-merit, sensitivity divided by linewidth, up to 54 depending on the split-ring resonator design and engineering of the light-plasmon coupling. This highest measured value is comparable to quasi-static predictions, suggesting incremental improvements beyond this point. Further optimization attempts show the effect of inhomogeneous broadening giving some indication that the limits have been reached for this particular design and material choice.

Quantum interference and entanglement induced by multiple scattering of light.

We report on the effects of quantum interference induced by the transmission of an arbitrary number of optical quantum states through a multiple-scattering medium. We identify the role of quantum interference on the photon correlations and the degree of continuous variable entanglement between two output modes. It is shown that quantum interference survives averaging over all ensembles of disorder and manifests itself as increased photon correlations due to photon antibunching. Furthermore, the existence of continuous variable entanglement correlations in a volume speckle pattern is predicted. Our results suggest that multiple scattering provides a promising way of coherently interfering many independent quantum states of light of potential use in quantum information processing.

Thin film Ag superlens towards lab-on-a-chip integration.

A thin metal film near-field superlens, as originally suggested by Pendry and realized by Fang et al. and Melville et al., is investigated with emphasis on materials suitable for integration on a lab-on-a-chip platform. A chemically resistant cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC), mr-I-T85 from microresist technology, is applied as dielectric matrix/spacer for an Ag thin film superlens. The superlens successfully resolves 80 nm half-pitch gratings when illuminated with UV radiation at a free space wavelength of 365 nm. The superlens design, fabrication and characterization is discussed.

Photonic crystal resonator integrated in a microfluidic system.

We report on a novel optofluidic system consisting of a silica-based 1D photonic crystal, integrated planar waveguides, and electrically insulated fluidic channels. An array of pillars in a microfluidic channel designed for electrochromatography is used as a resonator for on-column label-free refractive index detection. The resonator was fabricated in a silicon oxynitride platform, to support electro-osmotic flow, and operated at lambda=1.55 microm. Different aqueous solutions of ethanol with refractive indices ranging from n=1.3330 to 1.3616 were pumped into the column/resonator, and the transmission spectra were recorded. Linear shifts of the resonant wavelengths yielded a maximum sensitivity of Deltalambda/Deltan=480 nm/RIU (refractive index unit), and a minimum difference of Deltan=0.007 RIU was measured.

Frequency response in surface-potential driven electrohydrodynamics.

Using a Fourier approach we offer a general solution to calculations of slip velocity within the circuit description of the electrohydrodynamics in a binary electrolyte confined by a plane surface with a modulated surface potential. We consider the case with a spatially constant intrinsic surface capacitance where the net flow rate is, in general, zero while harmonic rolls as well as time-averaged vortexlike components may exist depending on the spatial symmetry and extension of the surface potential. In general, the system displays a resonance behavior at a frequency corresponding to the inverse time of the system. Different surface potentials share the common feature that the resonance frequency is inversely proportional to the characteristic length scale of the surface potential. For the asymptotic frequency dependence above resonance we find a omega(-2) power law for surface potentials with either an even or an odd symmetry. Below resonance we also find a power law omega(alpha) with alpha being positive and dependent of the properties of the surface potential. Comparing a tanh potential and a sech potential we qualitatively find the same slip velocity, but for the below-resonance frequency response the two potentials display different power-law asymptotics with alpha=1 and alpha approximately 2, respectively.

Levitated droplet dye laser.

We present the first observation, to our knowledge, of lasing from a levitated, dye droplet. The levitated droplets are created by computer controlled pico-liter dispensing into one of the nodes of a standing ultrasonic wave (100 kHz), where the droplet is trapped. The free hanging droplet forms a high quality optical resonator. Our 750 nL lasing droplets consist of Rhodamine 6G dissolved in ethylene glycol, at a concentration of 0.02 M. The droplets are optically pumped at 532 nm light from a pulsed, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser, and the dye laser emission is analyzed by a fixed grating spectrometer. With this setup we have achieved reproducible lasing spectra in the visible wavelength range from 610 nm to 650 nm. The levitated droplet technique has previously successfully been applied for a variety of bio-analytical applications at single cell level. In combination with the lasing droplets, the capability of this high precision setup has potential applications within highly sensitive intra-cavity absorbance detection.

Improved large-mode-area endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibers.

We numerically study the possibilities for improved large-mode-area endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibers for use in high-power delivery applications. By carefully choosing the optimal hole diameter, we find that a triangular core formed by three missing neighboring air holes considerably improves the mode area and loss properties compared with the case with a core formed by one missing air hole. In a realized fiber we demonstrate an enhancement of the mode area by approximately 30% without a corresponding increase in the attenuation.

Coulomb drag in coherent mesoscopic systems.

We present a theory for Coulomb drag between two mesoscopic systems. Our formalism expresses the drag in terms of scattering matrices and wave functions, and its range of validity covers both ballistic and disordered systems. The consequences can be worked out either by analytic means, such as the random matrix theory, or by numerical simulations. We show that Coulomb drag is sensitive to localized states, which usual transport measurements do not probe. For chaotic 2D systems we find a vanishing average drag, with a nonzero variance. Disordered 1D wires show a finite drag, with a large variance, giving rise to a possible sign change of the induced current.