Fotonische kristallen: houdgreep op maat voor lichtbronnen

Fotonische kristallen zijn materialen die bijzondere verschijnselen vertonen\ud wanneer men er met licht van buitenaf naar kijkt. In feite zijn fotonische\ud kristallen zelfs ontworpen om nog onalledaagsere verschijnselen te veroorzaken\ud wanneer de lichtbron binnen in het kristal wordt geplaatst

Dynamically reconfigurable directionality of plasmon-based single photon sources

We propose a plasmon-based reconfigurable antenna to controllably distribute emission from single quantum emitters in spatially separated channels. Our calculations show that crossed particle arrays can split the stream of photons from a single emitter into multiple narrow beams. We predict that beams can be switched on and off by switching host refractive index. The design method is based on engineering the dispersion relations of plasmon chains and is generally applicable to traveling wave antennas. Controllable photon delivery has potential applications in classical and quantum communication

Plasmonic Antennas Hybridized with Dielectric Waveguides

For the purpose of using plasmonics in an integrated scheme where single emitters can be probed efficiently, we experimentally and theoretically study the scattering properties of single nano-rod gold antennas as well as antenna arrays placed on one-dimensional dielectric silicon nitride waveguides. Using real space and Fourier microscopy correlated with waveguide transmission measurements, we quantify the spectral properties, absolute strength and directivity of scattering. The scattering processes can be well understood in the framework of the physics of dipolar objects placed on a planar layered environment with a waveguiding layer. We use the single plasmonic structures on top of the waveguide as dipolar building blocks for new types of antennas where the waveguide enhances the coupling between antenna elements. We report on waveguide hybridized Yagi-Uda antennas which show directionality in out-coupling of guided modes as well as directionality for in-coupling into the waveguide of localized excitations positioned at the feed element. These measurements together with simulations demonstrate that this system is ideal as a platform for plasmon quantum optics schemes as well as for fluorescence lab-on-chip applications