The effects of retardation on the topological plasmonic chain: plasmonic edge states beyond the quasistatic limit

We study a one-dimensional plasmonic system with non-trivial topology: a chain of metallic nanoparticles with alternating spacing, which is the plasmonic analogue to the Su-Schreiffer-Heeger model. We extend previous efforts by including long range hopping with retardation and radiative damping, which leads to a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian with frequency dependence. We calculate band structures numerically and show that topological features such as quantised Zak phase persist due to chiral symmetry. This predicts parameters leading to topologically protected edge modes, which allows for positioning of disorder-robust hotspots at topological interfaces, opening up novel nanophotonics applications

Transformation optics for plasmonics: from metasurfaces to excitonic strong coupling Optique transformationnelle pour la plasmonique : des métasurfaces à l’excitonique en fort couplage

We review the latest theoretical advances in the application of the framework of Transformation Optics for the analytical description of deeply sub-wavelength electromagnetic phenomena. First, we present a general description of the technique, together with its usual exploitation for metamaterial conception and optimization in different areas of wave physics. Next, we discuss in detail the design of plasmonic metasurfaces, including the description of singular geometries which allow for broadband absorption in ultrathin platforms. Finally, we discuss the quasi-analytical treatment of plasmon–exciton strong coupling in nanocavities at the single emitter levelA.I.F.-D. acknowledges funding from the Spanish MICINN under Contract RTI2018-099737-B-I00 and the “María de Maeztu” programme for Units of Excellence in R&D (MDM-2014-0377). He was also supported by a 2019 Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators, BBVA Foundation

Bound states in the continuum in subwavelength emitter arrays

Ordered lattices of emitters with subwavelength periodicities support unconventional forms of light-matter interactions arising from collective effects. Here, we propose the realization and control of subradiant optical states within the radiation continuum in two-dimensional lattices. We show how bound states in the continuum (BICs) which are completely decoupled from radiative states emerge in non-Bravais lattices of emitters. Symmetry breaking results in quasi-BICs with greatly extended lifetimes, which can be exploited for quantum information storage. The analytical derivation of a generalized effective polarizability tensor allows us to study the optical response of these arrays. We discuss how thanks to the quasi-BICs, a rich phenomenology takes place in the reflectivity spectrum, with asymmetric Fano resonances and an electromagnetically induced transparency window. Finally, we exploit these lattices as quantum metasurfaces acting as efficient light polarizers

An Archimedes' Screw for Light

An Archimedes' Screw captures water, feeding energy into it by lifting it to a higher level. We introduce the first instance of an optical Archimedes' Screw, and demonstrate how this system is capable of capturing light, dragging it and amplifying it. We unveil new exact analytic solutions to Maxwell's Equations for a wide family of chiral space-time media, and show their potential to achieve chirally selective amplification within widely tunable parity-time-broken phases. Our work, which may be readily implemented via pump-probe experiments with circularly polarized beams, opens a new direction in the physics of time-varying media by merging the rising field of space-time metamaterials and that of chiral systems, and may form a new playground for topology and non-Hermitian physics, with potential applications to chiral spectroscopy and sensing

Plasmonic Brownian ratchet

Here we present a Brownian ratchet based on plasmonic interactions. By periodically turning on and off a laser beam that illuminates a periodic array of plasmonic nanostructures with broken spatial symmetry, the random thermal motion of a subwavelength dielectric bead is rectified into one direction. By means of the Molecular Dynamics technique we show a statistical directed drift in particle flow

Transformation optics for plasmonics: from metasurfaces to excitonic strong coupling

We review the latest theoretical advances in the application of the framework of Transformation Optics for the analytical description of deeply sub-wavelength electromagnetic phenomena. First, we present a general description of the technique, together with its usual exploitation for metamaterial conception and optimization in different areas of wave physics. Next, we discuss in detail the design of plasmonic metasurfaces, including the description of singular geometries which allow for broadband absorption in ultrathin platforms. Finally, we discuss the quasi-analytical treatment of plasmon-exciton strong coupling in nanocavities at the single emitter level

Resonant Far- to Near-Field Channeling in Synergetic Multiscale Antennas

Enhancing light-molecule interactions requires the efficient transfer of energy between the laboratory macroscale and the molecule nanoscale. Multiscale designs have been proposed as a means to efficiently connect these two worlds. Metallic sphere-segment void (SSV) cavities constitute plasmonic substrates in which light wavelength scale cavity-like modes and nanoscale roughness operate in conjunction as a multiscale antenna to provide larger surface-enhanced Raman scattering efficiency than the two mechanisms considered separately. We study the selective resonant coupling to cavity modes with different spatial distributions in SSV arrays with tailored nanoscale roughness. Cavity modes that are spatially more confined to the surface are demonstrated to lead to more efficient channeling of energy from the far to the near field, a synergy that scales with the degree of roughness. Finite-element modeling of the spatially varying local fields in rough SSV arrays allows for a microscopic description of the results, opening promising paths for the design of spatially and spectrally optimized multiscale antennas for efficient sensing with far- to near-field channeling of light.Fil: Guerra Hernandez, Luis Alfonso. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Huidobro, Paloma A.. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Cortés, Emiliano. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; AlemaniaFil: Maier, Stefan A.. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; AlemaniaFil: Fainstein, Alejandro. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Bariloche | Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Bariloche; Argentin

Theory of strong coupling between quantum emitters and propagating surface plasmons

Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 (CC-BY).Here we present the theoretical foundation of the strong coupling phenomenon between quantum emitters and propagating surface plasmons observed in two-dimensional metal surfaces. For that purpose, we develop a quantum framework that accounts for the coherent coupling between emitters and surface plasmons and incorporates the presence of dissipation and dephasing. Our formalism is able to reveal the key physical mechanisms that explain the reported phenomenology and also determine the physical parameters that optimize the strong coupling. A discussion regarding the classical or quantum nature of this phenomenon is also presented. © 2013 American Physical Society.This work was supported by the Spanish MINECO (Contracts No.MAT2011-22997, No.MAT2011-28581-C02, and No. CSD2007-046-NanoLight.es) and CAM (Contract No. S-2009/ESP-1503). A. G.-T. and P. A.-H acknowledge FPU Grants No. AP2008-00101 and No. AP2008-00021, respectively, from the Spanish Ministry of Education. This work has been partially funded by the European Research Council (ERC-2011-AdG Proposal No. 290981).S-2009/ESP-1503/Q&C LIGHTPeer Reviewe

An Archimedes\u27 screw for light

An Archimedes’ Screw captures water, feeding energy into it by lifting it to a higher level. We introduce the first instance of an optical Archimedes’ Screw, and demonstrate how this system is capable of capturing light, dragging it and amplifying it. We unveil new exact analytic solutions to Maxwell’s Equations for a wide family of chiral space-time media, and show their potential to achieve chirally selective amplification within widely tunable parity-time-broken phases. Our work, which may be readily implemented via pump-probe experiments with circularly polarized beams, opens a new direction in the physics of time-varying media by merging the rising field of space-time metamaterials and that of chiral systems, and offers a new playground for topological and non-Hermitian photonics, with potential applications to chiral spectroscopy and sensing