Tailoring and enhancing spontaneous two-photon emission processes using resonant plasmonic nanostructures

The rate of spontaneous emission is known to depend on the environment of a light source, and the enhancement of one-photon emission in a resonant cavity is known as the Purcell effect. Here we develop a theory of spontaneous two-photon emission for a general electromagnetic environment including inhomogeneous dispersive and absorptive media. This theory is used to evaluate the two-photon Purcell enhancement in the vicinity of metallic nanoparticles and it is demonstrated that the surface plasmon resonances supported by these particles can enhance the emission rate by more than two orders of magnitude. The control over two-photon Purcell enhancement given by tailored nanostructured environments could provide an emitter with any desired spectral response and may serve as an ultimate route for designing light sources with novel properties

The room temperature phosphine-free synthesis of near-infrared emitting HgSe quantum dots

Luminescent mercury selenide (HgSe) quantum dots have been synthesised by a phosphine-free method using oleic acid as a capping agent. The modification of experimental conditions such as temperature resulted in particles of various sizes (15–100 nm) and morphologies not previously seen in HgSe, with emission tuneable between 1000 nm and 1350 nm

Microscopic model of Purcell enhancement in hyperbolic metamaterials

We study theoretically a dramatic enhancement of spontaneous emission in metamaterials with the hyperbolic dispersion modeled as a cubic lattice of anisotropic resonant dipoles. We analyze the dependence of the Purcell factor on the source position in the lattice unit cell and demonstrate that the optimal emitter position to achieve large Purcell factors and Lamb shifts are in the local field maxima. We show that the calculated Green function has a characteristic cross-like shape, spatially modulated due to structure discreteness. Our basic microscopic theory provides fundamental insights into the rapidly developing field of hyperbolic metamaterials.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figure

Ultrafast Optical Modulation of Second- and Third-Harmonic Generation from Cut-Disk-Based Metasurfaces

We design and fabricate a metasurface composed of gold cut-disk resonators that exhibits a strong coherent nonlinear response. We experimentally demonstrate all-optical modulation of both second- and third-harmonic signals on a subpicosecond time scale. Pump−probe experiments and numerical models show that the observed effects are due to the ultrafast response of the electronic excitations in the metal under external illumination. These effects pave the way for the development of novel active nonlinear metasurfaces with controllable and switchable coherent nonlinear response

Magnetic light

In this paper we report on the observation of novel and highly unusual magnetic state of light. It appears that in small holes light quanta behave as small magnets so that light propagation through such holes may be affected by magnetic field. When arrays of such holes are made, magnetic light of the individual holes forms novel and highly unusual two-dimensional magnetic light material. Magnetic light may soon become a great new tool for quantum communication and computing.Comment: Submitted to Phys.Rev.Lett., 3 figure

Self-induced Torque in Hyperbolic Metamaterials

Optical forces constitute a fundamental phenomenon important in various fields of science, from astronomy to biology. Generally, intense external radiation sources are required to achieve measurable effects suitable for applications. Here we demonstrate

Nonlinear plasmonic amplification via dissipative soliton-plasmon resonances

In this contribution we introduce a strategy for the compensation of plasmonic losses based on a recently proposed nonlinear mechanism: the resonant interaction between surface plasmon polaritons and spatial solitons propagating in parallel along a metal/dielectric/Kerr structure. This mechanism naturally leads to the generation of a quasiparticle excitation, the so-called soliplasmon resonance. We analyze the role played by the effective nonlinear coupling inherent to this system and how this can be used to provide a mechanism of quasiresonant nonlinear excitation of surface plasmon polaritons. We will pay particular attention to the introduction of asymmetric linear gain in the Kerr medium. The unique combination of nonlinear propagation, nonlinear coupling, and gain give rise to a scenario for the excitation of long-range surface plasmon polaritons with distinguishing characteristics. The connection between plasmonic losses and soliplasmon resonances in the presence of gain will be discussed