62 research outputs found
'Flying Plasmons': Fabry-P\`erot Resonances in Levitated Silver Nanowires
Plasmonic nano structures such as wire waveguides or antennas are key
building blocks for novel highly integrated photonics. A quantitative
understanding of the optical material properties of individual structures on
the nanoscale is thus indispensable for predicting and designing the
functionality of complex composite elements. In this letter we study
propagating surface plasmon polaritons in single silver nanowires isolated from
its environment by levitation in a linear Paul trap. Symmetry-breaking effects,
e.g., from supporting substrates are completely eliminated in this way.
Illuminated with white light from a supercontinuum source, Fabry-P\`erot-like
resonances are observed in the scattering spectra obtained from the ends of the
nanowires. The plasmonic nature of the signal is verified by local excitation
and photon collection corresponding to a clean transmission measurement through
a Fabry-P\`erot resonator. A numerical simulation is used to compute the
complex effective refractive indices of the nanowires as input parameter for a
simple Fabry-P\`erot model, which nicely reproduces the measured spectra
despite the highly dispersive nature of the system. Our studies pave the way
for quantitative characterization of nearly any trappable plasmonic nano
object, even of fragile ones such as droplets of liquids or molten metal and of
nearly any nanoresonator based on a finite waveguide with implications for
modeling of complex hybrid structures featuring strong coupling or lasing.
Moreover, the configuration has the potential to be complemented by gas sensors
to study the impact of hot electrons on catalytic reactions nearby plasmonic
particles
Fingerprinting Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride via Multi-Phonon Excitation
Single photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride have gathered a lot of
attention due to their favourable emission properties and the manifold of
possible applications. Despite extensive scientific effort, the exact atomic
origin of these emitters has remained unkown thus far. Recently, several
studies have tied the emission in the yellow spectral region to carbon-related
defects, but the exact atomic structure of the defects remains elusive. In this
study, photoluminescence emission and excitation spectroscopy is performed on a
large number of emitters within this region. By comparison of the experimental
data with theoretical predictions, the origin of yellow single photon emission
in hexagonal boron nitride is determined. Knowledge of this atomic structure
and its optical properties is crucial for the reliable implementation of these
emitters in quantum technologies
A scanning probe-based pick-and-place procedure for assembly of integrated quantum optical hybrid devices
Integrated quantum optical hybrid devices consist of fundamental constituents
such as single emitters and tailored photonic nanostructures. A reliable
fabrication method requires the controlled deposition of active nanoparticles
on arbitrary nanostructures with highest precision. Here, we describe an easily
adaptable technique that employs picking and placing of nanoparticles with an
atomic force microscope combined with a confocal setup. In this way, both the
topography and the optical response can be monitored simultaneously before and
after the assembly. The technique can be applied to arbitrary particles. Here,
we focus on nanodiamonds containing single nitrogen vacancy centers, which are
particularly interesting for quantum optical experiments on the single photon
and single emitter level.Comment: The following article has been submitted to Review of Scientific
Instruments. After it is published, it will be found at http://rsi.aip.org
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