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Nanomaterials
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Nano-Optics and Light-Matter Interactions
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Nano-Optics and Light-Matter Interactions

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2024) | Viewed by 4038

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Siyuan Dai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Materials Research and Education Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
Interests: light-matter interactions; nano-optics; nanophotonics; nano & low dimensional materials; optical spectroscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nano-optics and specifically interactions between light and matter at the nanoscale are a subject of rapidly increasing scientific importance and technical relevance. Nanoscale light–matter interactions possess notable advantages in spectroscopy, quantum computing, communication, data storage, and lasers. In the last few decades, light–matter interactions have been actively investigated in quasiparticles called polaritons. Polaritons arise from the interactions between electromagnetic fields and dipolar oscillations in the matter, including electrons, phonons, and excitons. Polaritons, with their half-light–half-matter nature, can have vastly different polarization and dispersion and are confined to the scale of nanometers. Such photonic quasiparticles make it possible to reveal various kinds of light–matter interactions and to produce optical functionalities to manipulate the properties and energy of light at the nanoscale. The related research has given a significant boost to the development of nano-optics and nanophononics.

This Special Issue will present comprehensive research outlining progress in the coupling of photons to material resonances (plasmons, phonons, and excitons) and welcome contributions focusing on optics and photonics, optical materials, optical spectroscopy, quantum physics, condensed matter physics, and optical chemistry. We sincerely invite relevant researchers to contribute to the growing field of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale.

Dr. Siyuan Dai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • nanophotonics and nanoplasmonics
  • light–matter interactions
  • phonon polaritons
  • van der waals materials
  • quantum physics
  • condensed matter physics
  • optical materials and optical spectroscopy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 3754 KiB  
Article
Low Dielectric Medium for Hyperbolic Phonon Polariton Waveguide in van der Waals Heterostructures
by Byung-Il Noh, Salvio Reza, Cassie Hardy, Jiahan Li, Adib Taba, Masoud Mahjouri-Samani, James H. Edgar and Siyuan Dai
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(16), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14161344 - 14 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1132
Abstract
Polar van der Waals (vdW) crystals, composed of atomic layers held together by vdW forces, can host phonon polaritons—quasiparticles arising from the interaction between photons in free-space light and lattice vibrations in polar materials. These crystals offer advantages such as easy fabrication, low [...] Read more.
Polar van der Waals (vdW) crystals, composed of atomic layers held together by vdW forces, can host phonon polaritons—quasiparticles arising from the interaction between photons in free-space light and lattice vibrations in polar materials. These crystals offer advantages such as easy fabrication, low Ohmic loss, and optical confinement. Recently, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), known for having hyperbolicity in the mid-infrared range, has been used to explore multiple modes with high optical confinement. This opens possibilities for practical polaritonic nanodevices with subdiffractional resolution. However, polariton waves still face exposure to the surrounding environment, leading to significant energy losses. In this work, we propose a simple approach to inducing a hyperbolic phonon polariton (HPhP) waveguide in hBN by incorporating a low dielectric medium, ZrS2. The low dielectric medium serves a dual purpose—it acts as a pathway for polariton propagation, while inducing high optical confinement. We establish the criteria for the HPhP waveguide in vdW heterostructures with various thicknesses of ZrS2 through scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and by conducting numerical electromagnetic simulations. Our work presents a feasible and straightforward method for developing practical nanophotonic devices with low optical loss and high confinement, with potential applications such as energy transfer, nano-optical integrated circuits, light trapping, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Optics and Light-Matter Interactions)
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13 pages, 3935 KiB  
Article
Streamlines of the Poynting Vector and Chirality Flux around a Plasmonic Bowtie Nanoantenna
by Yun-Cheng Ku, Mao-Kuen Kuo and Jiunn-Woei Liaw
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(1), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14010061 - 25 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1096
Abstract
The streamlines of the energy flux (Poynting vectors) and chirality flux as well as the intensity of the electric field around various plasmonic nanostructures (nanocube, nanocuboid, nanotriangle, hexagonal nanoplate and bowtie nanoantenna) induced by a circularly polarized (CP) or linearly polarized (LP) light [...] Read more.
The streamlines of the energy flux (Poynting vectors) and chirality flux as well as the intensity of the electric field around various plasmonic nanostructures (nanocube, nanocuboid, nanotriangle, hexagonal nanoplate and bowtie nanoantenna) induced by a circularly polarized (CP) or linearly polarized (LP) light were studied theoretically. The boundary element method combined with the method of moment was used to solve a set of surface integral equations, based on the Stratton–Chu formulation, for analyzing the highly distorted electromagnetic (EM) field in the proximity of these nanostructures. We discovered that the winding behavior of these streamlines exhibits versatility for various modes of the surface plasmon resonance of different nanostructures. Recently, using plasmonic nanostructures to facilitate a photochemical reaction has gained significant attention, where the hot carriers (electrons) play important roles. Our findings reveal a connection between the flow pattern of energy flux and the morphology of the photochemical deposition around various plasmonic nanostructures irradiated by a CP light. For example, numerical results exhibit vertically helical streamlines of the Poynting vector around an Au nanocube and transversely twisted-roll streamlines around a nanocuboid. Additionally, the behaviors of the winding energy and chirality fluxes at the gap and corners of a plasmonic bowtie nanoantenna, implying a highly twisted EM field, depend on the polarization of the incident LP light. Our analysis of the streamlines of the Poynting vector and chirality flux offers an insight into the formation of plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Optics and Light-Matter Interactions)
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11 pages, 2872 KiB  
Article
Angle-Insensitive Ultrathin Broadband Visible Absorber Based on Dielectric–Semiconductor–Lossy Metal Film Stacks
by Yuanchen Ma, Junhao Hu, Wenfeng Li and Zhengmei Yang
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(19), 2726; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13192726 - 8 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1266
Abstract
Ultrathin broadband absorbers with high efficiency, wide angular tolerance, and low fabrication cost are in demand for various applications. Here, we present an angle-insensitive ultrathin (<150 nm) broadband absorber with an average 96.88% (experiment) absorptivity in the whole visible range by utilizing a [...] Read more.
Ultrathin broadband absorbers with high efficiency, wide angular tolerance, and low fabrication cost are in demand for various applications. Here, we present an angle-insensitive ultrathin (<150 nm) broadband absorber with an average 96.88% (experiment) absorptivity in the whole visible range by utilizing a simple dielectric–semiconductor–lossy metal triple-layer film structure. The excellent broadband absorption performance of the device results from the combined action of the enhanced absorptions in the semiconductor and lossy metal layers exploiting strong interference effects and can be maintained over a wide viewing angle up to ±60°. Benefiting from the lossy metal providing additional absorption, our design reduces the requirement for the semiconductor’s material dispersion and has great flexibility in the material selection of the metal layer. Additionally, the lithography-free nature of the proposed broadband visible absorber provides a high-throughput fabrication convenience, thus holding great potential for its large-area applications in various fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Optics and Light-Matter Interactions)
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