No Arabic abstract
The arrangement of plasmonic nanoparticles in a non-symmetrical environment can feature the far-field and/or near-field interactions depending on the distance between the objects. In this work, we study the hybridization of three intrinsic plasmonic modes (dipolar, quadrupolar and hexapolar modes) sustained by one elliptical aluminium nanocylinder, as well as behavior of the hybridized modes when the nanoparticles are organized in array or when the refractive index of the surrounding medium is changed. The position and the intensity of these hybridized modes were shown to be affected by the near-field and far-field interactions between the nanoparticles. In this work, two hybridized modes were tuned in the UV spectral range to spectrally coincide with the intrinsic interband excitation and emission bands of ZnO nanocrystals. The refractive index of the ZnO nanocrystals layer influences the positions of the plasmonic modes and increases the role of the superstrate medium, which in turn results in the appearance of two separate modes in the small spectral region. Hence, the enhancement of ZnO nanocrystals photoluminescence benefits from the simultaneous excitation and emission enhancements.
We have theoretically demonstrated Rabi-like splitting and self-referenced refractive index sensing in hybrid plasmonic-1D photonic crystal structures. The coupling between Tamm plasmon and cavity photon modes are tuned by incorporating a low refractive index spacer layer close to the metallic layer to form their hybrid modes. Anticrossing observed in the dispersion validates the strong coupling between the modes and causes Rabi-like splitting, which is supported by coupled mode theory. The Rabi-like splitting energy decreases with increasing number of periods (N) and refractive index contrast ({eta}) of the two dielectric materials used to make the 1D photonic crystals, and the observed variation is explained by an analytical model. The angular and polarization dependency of the hybrid modes shows that the polarization splitting of the lower hybrid mode is much stronger than that of the upper hybrid mode. Further investigating the hybrid modes, it is seen that one of the hybrid modes remains unchanged while other mode undergoes significant change with varying the cavity medium, which makes it useful for designing self-referenced refractive index sensors for sensing different analytes. For {eta}=1.333 and N=10 in a hybrid structure, the sensitivity increases from 51 nm/RIU to 201 nm/RIU with increasing cavity thickness from 170 nm to 892 nm. For a fixed cavity thickness of 892 nm, the sensitivity increases from 201 nm/RIU to 259 nm/RIU by increasing {eta} from 1.333 to 1.605. The sensing parameters such as detection accuracy, quality factor, and figure of merit for two different hybrid structures ([{eta}=1.333, N=10] and [{eta}=1.605, N=6]) are evaluated and compared. The value of resonant reflectivity of one of the hybrid modes changes considerably with varying analyte medium which can also be used for refractive index sensing.
Sub-wavelength diffractive optics, commonly known as metasurfaces, have recently garnered significant attention for their ability to create ultra-thin flat lenses with extremely short focal lengths. Several materials with different refractive indices have been used to create metasurface lenses (metalenses). In this paper, we analyze the role of material refractive indices on the performance of these metalenses. We employ both forward and inverse design methodologies to perform our analysis. We found that, while high refractive index materials allow for extreme reduction of the focal length, for moderate focal lengths and numerical aperture (<0.6), there is no appreciable difference in focal spot-size and focusing efficiency for metalenses made of different materials with refractive indices ranging between n= 1.25 to n=3.5.
Which systems are ideal to obtain negative refraction with no absorption? Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is a method to suppress absorption and make a material transparent to a field of a given frequency. Such a system has been discussed in [1]; however the main limitations for negative refraction introduced are the necessity of resonant electric and magnetic dipole transitions, and the necessity of very dense media. We suggest using frequency translators in a composite system that would provide negative refraction for a range of optical frequencies while attempting to overcome the limitations discussed above. In the process of using frequency translators, we also find composite systems that can be used for refractive index enhancement.
It is interesting to observe that all optical materials with a positive refractive index have a value of index that is of order unity. Surprisingly, though, a deep understanding of the mechanisms that lead to this universal behavior seems to be lacking. Moreover, this observation is difficult to reconcile with the fact that a single, isolated atom is known to have a giant optical response, as characterized by a resonant scattering cross section that far exceeds its physical size. Here, we theoretically and numerically investigate the evolution of the optical properties of an ensemble of ideal atoms as a function of density, starting from the dilute gas limit, including the effects of multiple scattering and near-field interactions. Interestingly, despite the giant response of an isolated atom, we find that the maximum index does not indefinitely grow with increasing density, but rather reaches a limiting value $napprox 1.7$. We propose an explanation based upon strong-disorder renormalization group theory, in which the near-field interaction combined with random atomic positions results in an inhomogeneous broadening of atomic resonance frequencies. This mechanism ensures that regardless of the physical atomic density, light at any given frequency only interacts with at most a few near-resonant atoms per cubic wavelength, thus limiting the maximum index attainable. Our work is a promising first step to understand the limits of refractive index from a bottom-up, atomic physics perspective, and also introduces renormalization group as a powerful tool to understand the generally complex problem of multiple scattering of light overall.
Hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) are generated when infrared photons couple to polar optic phonons in anisotropic media, confining long-wavelength light to nanoscale volumes. However, to realize the full potential of HPhPs for infrared optics, it is crucial to understand propagation and loss mechanisms on substrates suitable for applications from waveguiding to infrared sensing. In this paper, we employ scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and nano-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, in concert with analytical and numerical calculations, to elucidate HPhP characteristics as a function of the complex substrate dielectric function. We consider propagation on suspended, dielectric and metallic substrates to demonstrate that the thickness-normalized wavevector can be reduced by a factor of 25 simply by changing the substrate from dielectric to metallic behavior. Moreover, by incorporating the imaginary contribution to the dielectric function in lossy materials, the wavevector can be dynamically controlled by small local variations in loss or carrier density. Such effects may therefore be used to spatially separate hyperbolic modes of different orders, and indicates that for index-based sensing schemes that HPhPs can be more sensitive than surface polaritons in the thin film limit. Our results advance our understanding of fundamental polariton excitations and their potential for on-chip photonics and planar metasurface optics.