Subwavelength Surface Plasmons Based on Novel Structures and Metamaterials

With the rapid development of nanofabrication technology and powerful computational tools over the last decade, nanophotonics has enjoyed tremendous innovation and found wide applications in ultrahigh-speed data transmission, sensitive optical detection, manipulation of ultra-small objects, and visualization of nanoscale patterns. Surface plasmon-based photonics (or plasmonics) merges electronics and photonics at the nanoscale, creating the ability to combine the superior technical advantages of photonics and electronics on the same chip. Plasmonics focuses on the innovation of photonic devices by exploiting the optical property of metals. In particular, the oscillation of free electrons, when properly driven by electromagnetic waves, would form plasmon-polaritons in the vicinity of a metal surface and potentially result in extreme light confinement, which may beat the diffraction limit faced by conventional photonic devices and enable greatly enhanced light-matter interactions at the deep subwavelength scale. The objective of this dissertation is to develop subwavelength or deep subwavelength plasmonic waveguides and explore their integration on conventional dielectric platforms for multiple applications. Three novel structures (or mechanisms) are employed to develop and integrate nanoplasmonic waveguides; each consists of one part of the dissertation. The first part of this dissertation covers the design, fabrication, and demonstration of two-dimensional and three-dimensional metal-insulator-metal plasmonic couplers for mode transformation between photonic and nanoplasmonic domains on the silicon-on-insulator platform. In particular, deep subwavelength plasmonic modes under 100-nm are achieved via end-fire coupling and adiabatic mode transformation at telecom wavelengths. The second part studies metallic gratings as spoof plasmonic waveguides hosting deep subwavelength surface propagation modes. Metallic gratings under different dielectric coatings are numerically investigated for terahertz and gigahertz regions. The third part proposes, explores, and experimentally demonstrates the metametal for super surface wave excitation based on multilayered metal-insulator stacks, where the dispersion of the supported surface modes can be engineered by insulator dopant films in a given metal. The final part discusses the potential applications of active plasmonics for optical sensing, modulation and photovoltaics

My name is Ruoxi

In this reflection paper, I have shared my personal growth story and my name, and described the process of transforming my inspiration into a work and presenting it on stage. Through creating the piece "My name is Ruoxi," I embarked on a journey to explore and express my understanding of culture. This paper aims to delve into the development and potential impact of this work in the Norwegian dance field, focusing on fostering creativity, attracting a wider audience, and cultivating cultural experiences

Transgender Awareness Within State Hospitals: Addressing Gaps in Training

Individuals in the transgender ( trans ) community continue to face stigmatization, discrimination, and violence in the United States (Benson 2013; Bradford, Reisner, Honnold, & Xavier, 2013; Lombardi, Wilchins, Priesing & Malouf, 2001; Shipherd, Green, & Abramovitz; 2010). They remain underserved in many domains, including housing, healthcare, and employment (Bradford et al. 2013). This paper focus on the needs for trans-specific training within the U.S. state hospital system. Although many institutions, including state hospitals, are implementing diversity initiatives to increase the sensitivity of their employees to a broad range of identity statuses, transgender affirmative trainings are often non existent or inadequate; trans-specific issues may fall under the broad umbrella of LGBT (lesbian, gay bisexual, and transgender) awareness, and conflation of sexual identity and gender identity is prominent (Corliss, Shankle, & Moyer, 2007). This paper supports the development and implementation of transgender-specific training to foster discussion, create more supportive environments, and lay the foundation for a culture of inclusion within U.S. state hospitals. Part I examines the unique needs of and challenges facing members of the transgender community. Part II addresses specific needs and gaps in current state hospital training. An index outlining common terminology follows the manuscript. Finally, the accompanying Appendix includes a proposed training manual that could be adapted by state hospitals as a supplement to current training protocols. It is intended for general use within the hospital, and would be appropriate for staff from all specialties. The manual provides basic information related to serving members of the trans community, and is intended as an introductory guide or refresher for mental health practitioners across a wide variety of domains

Arbitrary super surface modes bounded by multilayered metametal

The dispersion of the fundamental super mode confined along the boundary between a multilayer metal-insulator (MMI) stack and a dielectric coating is theoretically analyzed and compared to the dispersion of surface waves on a single metal-insulator (MI) boundary. Based on the classical Kretschmann setup, the MMI system is experimentally tested as an anisotropic material to exhibit plasmonic behavior and a candidate of “metametal” to engineer the preset surface plasmon frequency of conventional metals for optical sensing applications. The conditions to obtain artificial surface plasmon frequency are thoroughly studied, and the tuning of surface plasmon frequency is verified by electromagnetic modeling and experiments. The design rules drawn in this paper would bring important insights into applications such as optical lithography, nano-sensing and imaging

Does P-type Ohmic Contact Exist in WSe2-metal Interfaces?

Formation of low-resistance metal contacts is the biggest challenge that masks the intrinsic exceptional electronic properties of 2D WSe2 devices. We present the first comparative study of the interfacial properties between ML/BL WSe2 and Sc, Al, Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt contacts by using ab initio energy band calculations with inclusion of the spin-orbital coupling (SOC) effects and quantum transport simulations. The interlayer coupling tends to reduce both the electron and hole Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) and alters the polarity for WSe2-Au contact, while the SOC chiefly reduces the hole SBH. In the absence of the SOC, Pd contact has the smallest hole SBH with a value no less than 0.22 eV. Dramatically, Pt contact surpasses Pd contact and becomes p-type Ohmic or quasi-Ohmic contact with inclusion of the SOC. Our study provides a theoretical foundation for the selection of favorable metal electrodes in ML/BL WSe2 devices

Explanation Strategies for Image Classification in Humans vs. Current Explainable AI

Explainable AI (XAI) methods provide explanations of AI models, but our understanding of how they compare with human explanations remains limited. In image classification, we found that humans adopted more explorative attention strategies for explanation than the classification task itself. Two representative explanation strategies were identified through clustering: One involved focused visual scanning on foreground objects with more conceptual explanations diagnostic for inferring class labels, whereas the other involved explorative scanning with more visual explanations rated higher for effectiveness. Interestingly, XAI saliency-map explanations had the highest similarity to the explorative attention strategy in humans, and explanations highlighting discriminative features from invoking observable causality through perturbation had higher similarity to human strategies than those highlighting internal features associated with higher class score. Thus, humans differ in information and strategy use for explanations, and XAI methods that highlight features informing observable causality match better with human explanations, potentially more accessible to users

Higher visceral adiposity index is associated with increased likelihood of abdominal aortic calcification

Background: The negative effects of visceral adiposity accumulation on cardiovascular health have drawn much attention. However, the association between the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) and Abdominal Aortic Calcification (AAC) has never been reported before. The authors aimed to investigate the association between the VAI and AAC in US adults. Methods: Cross-sectional data were derived from the 2013 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of participants with complete data of VAI and AAC scores. Weighted multivariable regression and logistic regression analysis were conducted to explore the independent relationship between VAI and AAC. Subgroup analysis and interaction tests were also performed. Results: A total of 2958 participants were enrolled and participants in the higher VAI tertile tended to have a higher mean AAC score and prevalence of severe AAC. In the fully adjusted model, a positive association between VAI and AAC score and severe AAC was observed (β = 0.04, 95% CI 0.01‒0.08; OR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.01‒1.07). Participants in the highest VAI tertile had a 0.41-unit higher AAC score (β = 0.41, 95% CI 0.08‒0.73) and a significantly 68% higher risk of severe AAC than those in the lowest VAI tertile (OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.04‒2.71). Subgroup analysis and interaction tests indicated that there was no dependence for the association of VAI and AAC. Conclusion: Visceral adiposity accumulation evaluated by the VAI was associated with a higher AAC score and an increased likelihood of severe AAC