Article
Optics
Wenhe Jia, Meng Liu, Yongchang Lu, Xi Feng, Qingwei Wang, Xueqian Zhang, Yibo Ni, Futai Hu, Mali Gong, Xinlong Xu, Yuanyuan Huang, Weili Zhang, Yuanmu Yang, Jiaguang Han
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of generating broadband terahertz radiation through surface optical rectification on a simple 19 nm-thick indium tin oxide thin film. The enhancement of the generated terahertz signal is observed when the pump laser is tuned around the epsilon-near-zero region of the film. This work opens up new avenues for broadening the bandwidth of terahertz generation in subwavelength thin films made of ENZ materials.
LIGHT-SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hyebi Kim, Geunpil Kim, Young-Uk Jeon, Wonjun Lee, Byeong-Hyeon Lee, In Soo Kim, Kwanil Lee, Soo Jin Kim, Jongbum Kim
Summary: Recent research has explored optical phenomena for thermal energy management using near-zero-index (NZI) materials. A perovskite oxide, La:BaSnO3 (LBSO), is introduced as a high-temperature NZI material for near-infrared thermal emission. LBSO exhibits stability at 1000 degrees C and resistance to intense UV laser irradiation. Using LBSO in a metal-insulator-metal nanocavity, selective narrow-band thermal emission, promising for high-temperature energy conversion, is achieved.
Article
Optics
Xiangyuan Liu, Gang Song, Rongzhen Jiao
Summary: A new structure of nanoantenna has been designed in this study, using an Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) material film (Indium Tin Oxide, ITO) and trapezoid metal, to achieve high absorption (above 90%) of incident light between 1310 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths. The results were verified using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) Solutions. The designed nanoantenna can be applied to single photon detectors operating at either 1310 nm or 1550 nm wavelengths. Additionally, by adjusting the carrier concentration of ITO, the operating range of the nanoantenna can be modified, enhancing its practicality.
OPTICS COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wenjuan Shi, Hongjun Liu, Zhaolu Wang
Summary: Orthogonal nanoantennas coupled to Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material can achieve broadband large optical nonlinearity for two orthogonal polarization states simultaneously, showing great potential for highly nonlinear all-optical devices on the nanoscale.
Article
Optics
Qingdong Yang, Yi Wang, Jinhui Shi, Changxu Liu, Shuang Zhang
Summary: This study proposes a novel method for achieving arbitrary power distribution by leveraging the unique properties of an Epsilon Near Zero (ENZ) environment. It shows that power from a single source can be transferred to multiple receivers inside an ENZ medium by modifying the optical properties of the receivers. This approach eliminates the need for complex configurations and communications and enables efficient energy transfer.
LASER & PHOTONICS REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Geoffrey Barbet, Bo Qiang, Yuhao Jin, Tingting Wu, Patrice Genevet, Qijie Wang, Yu Luo
Summary: This work improves the nonlinear properties of a MQW heterostructure by tailoring its permittivity and achieves unprecedented nonlinear efficiency within subwavelength propagation lengths.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Optics
Justus Bohn, Ting Shan Luk, Simon Horsley, Euan Hendry
Summary: When light travels through a medium with changing refractive index over time, it can lead to a frequency shift. Recent studies have shown significant frequency shifting effects in transparent conductive oxides, likely due to temporal changes in the refractive index. Experimental results indicate that the frequency shift in certain materials originates not only from bulk response, but also from temporal changes in spatial boundary conditions.
Article
Optics
Lin Cheng, Kun Huang, Yu Wang, Fan Wu
Summary: Epsilon-near-zero nanoantennas based on indium tin oxide (ITO) are proposed to tune the far-field radiation pattern. The deflection angle changes 17 degrees as incident intensities increase. By employing an array of ITO or hybrid nanodisks, the unidirectionality of the radiation pattern is enhanced, resulting in a needle-like shape with an angular beam width a < 8 degrees of the main lobe. The deflection angle of the radiation pattern response with the needle-like lobe paves the way for further studies and applications in beam steering and optical modulation.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Robab Zadjamal-Sayfi, Reza Abdi-Ghaleh, Kazem Jamshidi-Ghaleh
Summary: This study investigates the Imbert-Fedorov (IF) shift of an optical beam with a Gaussian profile reflected from a dielectric/air interface and an air/Epsilon-Near-Zero material interface. The behavior and amount of the IF shift can be changed by altering the polarization and angle of the incident light, as well as the dielectric constant of the matter. The peaks of the IF shift occur at different incidence angles for different dielectric constants. Additionally, the amplitude and phase of the Fresnel reflection coefficients and the difference of the IF shift for incident p and s polarizations have been studied.
OPTICAL AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jiaye Wu, Ze Tao Xie, H. Y. Fu, Qian Li
Summary: This study demonstrates the cascaded high harmonic generations and quasi-supercontinuum generations by epsilon-near-zero AZO nanolayers, showing the potential application in designing nanoscale multi-wavelength light sources.
RESULTS IN PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Optics
Wendong Tian, Fei Liang, Dazhi Lu, Haohai Yu, Huaijin Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates highly efficient ultraviolet harmonic generation directly from an indium tin oxide film, overcoming the challenge of small high-order nonlinear coefficients. The experiment achieved a high energy conversion efficiency, opening up new possibilities for compact solid-state high-harmonic generation sources at the nanoscale.
PHOTONICS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Kuidong Wang, Minghao Li, Hui-Hsin Hsiao, Fengling Zhang, Marcus Seidel, Ai-Yin Liu, Jie Chen, Eloise Devaux, Cyriaque Genet, Thomas Ebbesen
Summary: The study demonstrates a large, ultrafast anisotropic modulation of light using the anisotropic nonlinear response of indium tin oxide and plasmonic nanoantennas. A polarization elliptic rotation and phase delay between the oscillations of linear polarization axes are achieved, showing promise for implementing all-optical high-speed polarization modulators and retarders.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiangyuan Liu, Bowen Xie, RongZhen Jiao
Summary: A PIT-like transparency is achieved by the strong coupling of plasmonic dipole and epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) mode, resulting in triple transparent windows. The tunability of the resonant frequency and transmission amplitude can be achieved by adjusting the length or gap of the gold nanorods and the carrier concentration of ITO. The model exhibits high sensitivity (330.57 THz/RIU) and a figure of merit (27.54/RIU), providing a theoretical reference for applications in optical storage, filtering, and ultra-sensitive infrared band sensor design.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Kyu-Ri Choi, Minjae Kim, Jeong Weon Wu, Anthony D'Aleo, Yeon Ui Lee
Summary: Researchers have achieved enhanced directionality of photoluminescence emission by placing an organic dielectric film on top of a polymeric fluorophore film. The directive emission is increased by 42% by utilizing the structural coherence in the polymeric fluorophore film and the epsilon-near-zero response in the organic dielectric film. This capability to control directive emission with organic dielectric films is highly useful in applications requiring bio-compatibility of a fluorophore-embedding medium.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Heng Wang, Lixun Sun, Kang Du, Wending Zhang, SooJin Chua, Guixin Li, Ting Mei
Summary: This paper proposes a theoretical concept to explain the total energy of conduction electrons exceeding their thermal equilibrium value. The time-varying thermal energy is used to describe the transient optical response of typical ENZ material ITO, and the response to optical excitation is experimentally verified.
SCIENCE CHINA-PHYSICS MECHANICS & ASTRONOMY
(2022)
News Item
Optics
Shambhu Ghimire
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lauren Zundel, Alvaro Cuartero-Gonzalez, Stephen Sanders, Antonio Fernandez-Dominguez, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: When metallic nanostructures are arranged in a periodic geometry, lattice resonances can occur, resulting in strong and narrow optical responses. This study shows that periodic arrays of metallic nanoparticles can enhance the long-range coupling between dipole emitters, making them a promising platform for applications such as nanoscale energy transfer and quantum information processing.
Article
Physics, Applied
Stephen Sanders, Mohammadjavad Dowran, Umang Jain, Tzu-Ming Lu, Alberto M. Marino, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: Periodic arrays of nanoholes in metallic thin films can be used as highly sensitive optical sensors, and their sensing capabilities can be enhanced by probing them with quantum light. In this study, we compared the sensing capabilities of metallic nanohole arrays with one and two holes per unit cell and found that the two-hole array has a higher sensitivity limit. The experimental measurements validated the optical response of the analyzed arrays.
PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Lauren Zundel, Paul Gieri, Stephen Sanders, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: The plasmonic response of metallic nanodisks is investigated under far-field and near-field excitation conditions. The thickness and aspect ratio of the nanodisks have a significant impact on their plasmonic response. The results show that, for far-field excitation, the plasmonic response increases with thickness, while for near-field excitation, reducing the thickness leads to a stronger plasmonic response.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Optics
Christian Heide, Yuki Kobayashi, Amalya C. Johnson, Fang Liu, Tony F. Heinz, David A. Reis, Shambhu Ghimire
Summary: This study investigates the influence of coherence of electron-hole pairs on high harmonic generation in atomically thin semiconductors under strong electromagnetic excitation. By disrupting the coherence of electron-hole pairs, a reduction in harmonic intensity was observed, and this trend was explained by the decay of interband polarization.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hyunseung Jung, Lucy L. Hale, Jayson Briscoe, Raktim Sarma, Ting Shan Luk, Sadhvikas J. Addamane, John L. Reno, Igal Brener, Oleg Mitrofanov
Summary: By nanostructuring low temperature grown GaAs into a highly absorbing metasurface, THz photoconductive detection with a pulsed laser at 1.55 μm is achieved, with high sensitivity and large bandwidth. The metasurface has the potential to serve as a universal ultrafast switching element for THz applications, enabling low-cost, turn-key THz systems for a variety of real-world applications.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Luis Cerdan, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: Metallic nanostructures with optical gain show enhanced optical responses and can be used to explore phenomena such as parity-time symmetry and nonreciprocity. However, the complexity of these systems often requires simplified gain models. In this study, we analyzed the optical response of a small active metallic nanoparticle using a semianalytical model that accounts for the nonlinear nature of the gain. We found that the optical response of the nanoparticle is greatly enhanced under weak probe fields, but becomes passive when the probe field strength depletes the excited-state population of the gain medium. Our results help to clarify the limits of linear models used to describe gain in plasmonic nanostructures, opening up new possibilities for applications.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lauren Zundel, Kellen Malone, Luis Cerdan, Rosario Martinez-Herrero, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: Thanks to their ability to support localized surface plasmons, metallic nanostructures have become ideal tools for converting light into heat at the nanoscale, leading to the field of thermoplasmonics. When arranged in a periodic array, metallic nanostructures can generate a stronger and more spectrally narrow optical response known as a lattice resonance. Through comprehensive analysis, it has been shown that arrays supporting a lattice resonance can absorb more energy and achieve a larger temperature increase under pulsed illumination conditions. This research paves the way for thermoplasmonics applications utilizing the exceptional optical response and tunability provided by lattice resonances.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hanzhe Liu, Jonathan M. Michelsen, Jocelyn L. Mendes, Isabel M. Klein, Sage R. Bauers, Jake M. Evans, Andriy Zakutayev, Scott K. Cushing
Summary: Transient extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectroscopy has the ability to separate photoexcited electron and hole dynamics with element specificity, making it a valuable tool for characterizing solar energy materials. In this study, surface-sensitive femtosecond XUV reflection spectroscopy is used to measure the dynamics of photoexcited electron, hole, and band gap in ZnTe, a promising photocathode for CO2 reduction. By developing an ab initio theoretical framework, the complex transient XUV spectra are assigned to the electronic states of the material, allowing the identification of relaxation pathways and quantification of their time scales in photoexcited ZnTe.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Juan R. Deop-Ruano, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: Within the framework of fluctuational electrodynamics, this study investigates the simultaneous transfer of energy and angular momentum in a pair of rotating nanostructures. The results demonstrate that the radiative heat transfer between the nanostructures can be influenced by their rotation, leading to an increase, decrease, or even reversal of the transfer compared to non-rotating conditions. This work uncovers the counterintuitive phenomena resulting from the simultaneous transfer of energy and angular momentum in rotating nanostructures.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Luis Cerdan, Lauren Zundel, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: Lattice resonances are collective electromagnetic modes supported by periodic arrays of metallic nanostructures. Recent studies have shown that arrays with chiral unit cells can exhibit lattice resonances with different responses to right- and left-handed circularly polarized light. In this study, we investigate lattice resonances supported by square bipartite arrays that function as 2.5-dimensional arrays. We find that despite the achirality of the unit cell, these systems can support lattice resonances with almost perfect chiral responses and very large quality factors.
Article
Optics
Lucy L. L. Hale, Zhengtianye Wang, C. Thomas Harris, Igal Brener, Stephanie Law, Oleg Mitrofanov
Summary: Plasmons supported by massless electron surface states in topological insulators (TIs), known as Dirac plasmons, have promising applications in optoelectronics. However, studying Dirac plasmons is challenging due to their confinement to the surface. In this study, aperture near-field spectroscopy was used to investigate localized terahertz (THz) Dirac plasmon resonances in Bi2Se3 ribbon arrays. The combination of THz time-domain spectroscopy and aperture near-field microscopy allowed for sampling of localized Dirac plasmons and mapping of their dispersion, revealing a coupled plasmon-phonon polariton interaction. Aperture near-field spectroscopy provides valuable information for the understanding and development of real-world TI devices.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Fei Liang, Junwen Zhu, Huichao Chai, Yongxiang Feng, Peng Zhao, Shaofeng Liu, Yuanmu Yang, Linhan Lin, Liangcai Cao, Wenhui Wang
Summary: Non-invasive and rapid imaging technique at subcellular resolution is significantly important for multiple biological applications. This study presents a long-term 3D refractive-index imaging system that integrates a cutting-edge white light diffraction phase microscopy module and an acoustofluidic device for single cell culture. The system allows efficient cell identification and enables long-term and frequency-on-demand 3D imaging of cancer cells, providing insights into cell growth, apoptosis, and necrosis. Overall, the proposed imaging technique opens up new avenues for visualizing intracellular structures and has potential applications in disease diagnosis and nanomedicine.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yuezhen Lu, Lucy L. L. Hale, Abdullah M. M. Zaman, Sadhvikas J. J. Addamane, Igal Brener, Oleg Mitrofanov, Riccardo Degl'Innocenti
Summary: Metamaterial resonators in the terahertz frequency range have proved to be efficient and versatile platforms with applications in integrated optical devices and fundamental research. However, characterizing the modes supported by these subwavelength elements has been challenging, relying on indirect observation of collective far-field transmission/reflection properties of arrays. In this study, we present a broadband time-domain spectroscopic investigation of individual metamaterial resonators using a THz aperture scanning near-field microscope (a-SNOM). The results allow mapping and quantitative analysis of confined modes supported by the resonators, including weakly radiative modes.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Alejandro Manjavacas, F. Javier Garcia de Abajo
Summary: Single-photon emitters are essential for quantum technologies, but generating single photons along specific directions usually requires complex configurations. In this study, we propose a photon source that can efficiently generate single photons along guided modes. By placing a quantum emitter in a periodically patterned linear waveguide, the emission of photons is preferentially directed along the waveguide in a region close to the period, resulting in a significant reduction in temporal uncertainty. Our research opens up a new approach for producing highly directional single photons with reduced temporal uncertainty.