146 research outputs found
Broken symmetries and directed collective energy transport
We study the appearance of directed energy current in homogeneous spatially
extended systems coupled to a heat bath in the presence of an external ac field
E(t). The systems are described by nonlinear field equations. By making use of
a symmetry analysis we predict the right choice of E(t) and obtain directed
energy transport for systems with a nonzero topological charge Q. We
demonstrate that the symmetry properties of motion of topological solitons
(kinks and antikinks) are equivalent to the ones for the energy current.
Numerical simulations confirm the predictions of the symmetry analysis and,
moreover, show that the directed energy current drastically increases as the
dissipation parameter reduces. Our results generalize recent rigorous
theories of currents generated by broken time-space symmetries to the case of
interacting many-particle systems.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Real-space mapping of tailored sheet and edge plasmons in graphene nanoresonators
Plasmons in graphene nanoresonators have many potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics, including room-temperature infrared and terahertz photodetectors, sensors, reflect arrays or modulators1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The development of efficient devices will critically depend on precise knowledge and control of the plasmonic modes. Here, we use near-field microscopy8, 9, 10, 11 between λ0â=â10â12â
ÎŒm to excite and image plasmons in tailored disk and rectangular graphene nanoresonators, and observe a rich variety of coexisting FabryâPerot modes. Disentangling them by a theoretical analysis allows the identification of sheet and edge plasmons, the latter exhibiting mode volumes as small as 10â8λ03. By measuring the dispersion of the edge plasmons we corroborate their superior confinement compared with sheet plasmons, which among others could be applied for efficient 1D coupling of quantum emitters12. Our understanding of graphene plasmon images is a key to unprecedented in-depth analysis and verification of plasmonic functionalities in future flatland technologies.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Enhanced sensing and conversion of ultrasonic Rayleigh waves by elastic metasurfaces
Recent years have heralded the introduction of metasurfaces that advantageously combine the vision of sub-wavelength wave manipulation, with the design, fabrication and size advantages associated with surface excitation. An important topic within metasurfaces is the tailored rainbow trapping and selective spatial frequency separation of electromagnetic and acoustic waves using graded metasurfaces. This frequency dependent trapping and spatial frequency segregation has implications for energy concentrators and associated energy harvesting, sensing and wave filtering techniques. Different demonstrations of acoustic and electromagnetic rainbow devices have been performed, however not for deep elastic substrates that support both shear and compressional waves, together with surface Rayleigh waves; these allow not only for Rayleigh wave rainbow effects to exist but also for mode conversion from surface into shear waves. Here we demonstrate experimentally not only elastic Rayleigh wave rainbow trapping, by taking advantage of a stop-band for surface waves, but also selective mode conversion of surface Rayleigh waves to shear waves. These experiments performed at ultrasonic frequencies, in the range of 400â600âkHz, are complemented by time domain numerical simulations. The metasurfaces we design are not limited to guided ultrasonic waves and are a general phenomenon in elastic waves that can be translated across scales
Theoretical Criteria for Scattering Dark States in Nanostructured Particles
Nanostructures with multiple resonances can exhibit a suppressed or even completely eliminated scattering of light, called a scattering dark state. We describe this phenomenon with a general treatment of light scattering from a multiresonant nanostructure that is spherical or nonspherical but subwavelength in size. With multiple resonances in the same channel (i.e., same angular momentum and polarization), coherent interference always leads to scattering dark states in the low-absorption limit, regardless of the system details. The coupling between resonances is inevitable and can be interpreted as arising from far-field or near-field. This is a realization of coupled-resonator-induced transparency in the context of light scattering, which is related to but different from Fano resonances. Explicit examples are given to illustrate these concepts.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (Contract W911NF-13-D-0001)National Science Foundation (U.S.). Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (Program) (Grant DMR-0819762
Anapole nanolasers for mode-locking and ultrafast pulse generation
Nanophotonics is a rapidly developing field of research with many suggestions for a design of nanoantennas, sensors and miniature metadevices. Despite many proposals for passive nanophotonic devices, the efficient coupling of light to nanoscale optical structures remains a major challenge. In this article, we propose a nanoscale laser based on a tightly confined anapole mode. By harnessing the non-radiating nature of the anapole state, we show how to engineer nanolasers based on InGaAs nanodisks as on-chip sources with unique optical properties. Leveraging on the near-field character of anapole modes, we demonstrate a spontaneously polarized nanolaser able to couple light into waveguide channels with four orders of magnitude intensity than classical nanolasers, as well as the generation of ultrafast (of 100âfs) pulses via spontaneous mode locking of several anapoles. Anapole nanolasers offer an attractive platform for monolithically integrated, silicon photonics sources for advanced and efficient nanoscale circuitry
Interactions of nanorod particles in the strong coupling regime
The plasmon coupling in a nanorod dimer obeys the exponential size dependence
according to the Universal Plasmon Ruler Equation. However, it was shown
recently that such a model does not hold at short nanorod distance (Nano Lett.
2009, 9, 1651). Here we study the nanorod coupling in various cases, including
nanorod dimer with the asymmetrical lengths and symmetrical dimer with the
varying gap width. The asymmetrical nanorod dimer causes two plasmon modes: one
is the attractive lower- energy mode and the other the repulsive high-energy
mode. Using a simple coupled LC-resonator model, the position of dimer
resonance has been determined analytically. Moreover, we found that the plasmon
coupling of symmetrical cylindrical (or rectangular) nanorod dimer is governed
uniquely by gap width scaled for the (effective) rod radius rather than for the
rod length. A new Plasmon Ruler Equation without using the fitting parameters
has been proposed, which agrees well with the FDTD calculations. The method has
also been extended to study the plasmonic wave-guiding in a linear chain of
gold nanorod particles. A field decay length up to 2700nm with the lateral mode
size about 50nm (~wavelength/28) has been suggested.Comment: 31 pages, 6 figures, 58 reference
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