The origin of second harmonic generation hotspots in chiral optical metamaterials [Invited]

Novel ways to detect the handedness in chiral optical metamaterials by means of the second harmonic generation (SHG) process have recently been proposed. However, the precise origin of the SHG emission has yet to be unambiguously established. In this paper, we present computational simulations of both the electric currents and the electromagnetic fields in chiral planar metamaterials, at the fundamental frequency (FF), and discuss the implications of our results on the characteristics of experimentally measured SHG. In particular, we show that the results of our numerical simulations are in good agreement with the experimental mapping of SHG sources. Thus, the SHG in these metamaterials can be attributed to a strong local enhancement of the electromagnetic fields at the FF, which depends on the particular structure of the patterned metamaterial

Second harmonic hotspots at the edges of the unit cells in G-shaped gold nanostructures

peer reviewedWe report our latest results on second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy from arrays of G-shaped chiral gold nanostructures. The nanostructures are arranged in unit cells composed of four Gs, each rotated at 90° with respect to its neighbors. As it has already been demonstrated, for linearly polarized light, these unit cells yield a pattern of four SHG hotspots. However, upon increasing the pitch of the nanostructured arrays, extra hotspots can be observed at the edges of the unit cells. While the origin of these extra hotspots remains to be elucidated, their position indicates a relationship to coupling behavior between the unit cells

Robustness of the scanning second harmonic generation microscopy technique for characterization of hotspot patterns in plasmonic nanomaterials

peer reviewedScanning second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is becoming an important tool for characterizing nanopatterned metal surfaces and mapping plasmonic local field enhancements. Here we study G-shaped and mirror-G-shaped gold nanostructures and test the robustness of the experimental results versus the direction of scanning, the numerical aperture of the objective, the magnification, and the size of the laser spot on the sample. We find that none of these parameters has a significant influence on the experimental results

The origin of second harmonic generation hotspots in chiral optical metamaterials [Invited]

Novel ways to detect the handedness in chiral optical metamaterials by means of the second harmonic generation (SHG) process have recently been proposed. However, the precise origin of the SHG emission has yet to be unambiguously established. In this paper, we present computational simulations of both the electric currents and the electromagnetic fields in chiral planar metamaterials, at the fundamental frequency (FF), and discuss the implications of our results on the characteristics of experimentally measured SHG. In particular, we show that the results of our numerical simulations are in good agreement with the experimental mapping of SHG sources. Thus, the SHG in these metamaterials can be attributed to a strong local enhancement of the electromagnetic fields at the FF, which depends on the particular structure of the patterned metamaterial. (C) 2011 Optical Society of Americastatus: publishe

The origin of second harmonic generation hotspots in chiral optical metamaterials

Novel ways to detect the handedness in chiral optical metamaterials by means of the second harmonic generation (SHG) process have recently been proposed. However, the precise origin of the SHG emission has yet to be unambiguously established. In this paper, we present computational simulations of both the electric currents and the electromagnetic fields in chiral planar metamaterials, at the fundamental frequency (FF), and discuss the implications of our results on the characteristics of experimentally measured SHG. In particular, we show that the results of our numerical simulations are in good agreement with the experimental mapping of SHG sources. Thus, the SHG in these metamaterials can be attributed to a strong local enhancement of the electromagnetic fields at the FF, which depends on the particular structure of the patterned metamaterial

Characterization of domain distributions by second harmonic generation in ferroelectrics

Domain orientations and their volume ratios in ferroelectrics are recognized as a compelling topic recently for domain switching dynamics and domain stability in devices application. Here, an optimized second harmonic generation method has been explored for ferroelectric domain characterization. Combing a unique theoretical model with azimuth-polarization-dependent second harmonic generation response, the complex domain components and their distributions can be rigidly determined in ferroelectric thin films. Using the proposed model, the domain structures of rhombohedral BiFeO3 films with 71° and 109° domain wall, and, tetragonal BiFeO3, Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3, and BaTiO3 ferroelectric thin films are analyzed and the corresponding polarization variants are determined. This work could provide a powerful and all-optical method to track and evaluate the evolution of ferroelectric domains in the ferroelectric-based devices