Unidirectional side scattering of light by a single-element nanoantenna

Tuneable Anisotropic Plasmonics with Shape-Symmetric Conducting Polymer Nanoantennas

A wide range of nanophotonic applications rely on polarization-dependent plasmonic resonances, which usually requires metallic nanostructures that have anisotropic shape. This work demonstrates polarization-dependent plasmonic resonances instead by breaking symmetry via material permittivity. The study shows that molecular alignment of a conducting polymer can lead to a material with polarization-dependent plasma frequency and corresponding in-plane hyperbolic permittivity region. This result is not expected based only on anisotropic charge mobility but implies that also the effective mass of the charge carriers becomes anisotropic upon polymer alignment. This unique feature is used to demonstrate circularly symmetric nanoantennas that provide different plasmonic resonances parallel and perpendicular to the alignment direction. The nanoantennas are further tuneable via the redox state of the polymer. Importantly, polymer alignment could blueshift the plasma wavelength and resonances by several hundreds of nanometers, forming a novel approach toward reaching the ultimate goal of redox-tunable conducting polymer nanoantennas for visible light.

Broadband directional scattering through a phase difference acquired in composite nanoparticles

We study the broadband scattering of light by composite nanoparticles through the Born approximation, FEM simulations, and measurements. The particles consist of two materials and show broadband directional scattering. From the analytical approach and the subsequent FEM simulations, it was found that the directional scattering is due to the phase difference between the fields scattered by of each of the two materials of the nanoparticle. To confirm this experimentally, composite nanoparticles were produced using ion-beam etching. Measurements of SiO2 / Au composite nanoparticles confirmed the directional scattering which was predicted by theory and simulations.

Creating tunable lateral optical forces through multipolar interplay in single nanowires

The concept of lateral optical force (LOF) is of general interest in optical manipulation as it releases the constraint of intensity gradient in tightly focused light, yet such a force is normally limited to exotic materials and/or complex light fields. Here, we report a general and controllable LOF in a nonchiral elongated nanoparticle illuminated by an obliquely incident plane wave. Through computational analysis, we reveal that the sign and magnitude of LOF can be tuned by multiple parameters of the particle (aspect ratio, material) and light (incident angle, direction of linear polarization, wavelength). The underlying physics is attributed to the multipolar interplay in the particle, leading to a reduction in symmetry. Direct experimental evidence of switchable LOF is captured by polarization-angle-controlled manipulation of single Ag nanowires using holographic optical tweezers. This work provides a minimalist paradigm to achieve interface-free LOF for optomechanical applications, such as optical sorting and light-driven micro/nanomotors.

Tuning the infrared resonance of thermal emission from metasurfaces working in near-infrared

We simulated numerically and demonstrated experimentally that the thermal emittance of a metasurface consisting of an array of rectangular metallic meta-atoms patterned on a layered periodic dielectric structure grown on top of a metallic layer can be tuned by changing several parameters. The resonance frequency, designed to be in the near-infrared spectral region, can be tuned by modifying the number of dielectric periods, and the polarization and incidence angle of the incoming radiation. In addition, the absorbance/emittance value at the resonant wavelength can be tuned by modifying the orientation of meta-atoms with respect to the illumination direction.

Annular and unidirectional transverse scattering with high directivity based on magnetoelectric coupling

Transverse scattering is a special directional scattering perpendicular to the propagation direction, which has attracted great interest due to its potential applications from directional antennas, optical metrology to optical sensing. Here we reveal annular transverse scattering and unidirectional transverse scattering by magnetoelectric coupling of Omega particle. The annular transverse scattering can be achieved by the longitudinal dipole mode of the Omega particle. Furthermore, we demonstrate the highly asymmetric unidirectional transverse scattering by adjusting the transverse electric dipole (ED) and longitudinal magnetic dipole (MD) modes. Meanwhile, the forward scattering and backward scattering are suppressed by the interference of transverse ED and longitudinal MD modes. In particular, the lateral force exerted on the particle is accompanied by the transverse scattering. Our results provide a useful toolset for manipulating light scattered by the particle and broaden the application range of the particle with magnetoelectric coupling.

Engineering and detection of light scattering directionalities in dewetted nanoresonators through dark-field scanning microscopy

Dewetted, SiGe nanoparticles have been successfully exploited for light management in the visible and near-infrared, although their scattering properties have been so far only qualitatively studied. Here, we demonstrate that the Mie resonances sustained by a SiGe-based nanoantenna under tilted illumination, can generate radiation patterns in different directions. We introduce a novel dark-field microscopy setup that exploits the movement of the nanoantenna under the objective lens to spectrally isolate Mie resonances contribution to the total scattering cross-section during the same measurement. The knowledge of islands' aspect ratio is then benchmarked by 3D, anisotropic phase-field simulations and contributes to a correct interpretation of the experimental data.

Tuning magneto-electric coherent resonance with a deep-subwavelength localized spoof surface plasmonic structure

It has been recently shown that an ultrathin corrugated spiral metal strip can simultaneously support electric and magnetic localized spoof plasmonic modes at lower frequencies. In this Letter, we report a mirror quasi-symmetrical corrugated spiral metal disk which can support coherent resonance of an orthogonal electric dipole and a magnetic dipole to achieve azimuthally symmetric unidirectional scattering. By tuning the geometric dimensions, reconfigurable magneto-electric (ME) coherent resonance enhancement is realized. Excellent agreement between numerical simulations and experimental results verifies the tunable ME coherent resonance phenomenon. Our finding could anticipate future sensitive and versatile functional devices based on high-Q coherent resonance from the microwave to the terahertz bands.

Tunable directional emission from electrically driven nano-strip metal-insulator-metal tunnel junctions

Electrically driven nanoantennas for on-chip generation and manipulation of light have attracted significant attention in recent times. Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunnel junctions have been extensively used to electrically excite surface plasmons and photons via inelastic electron tunneling. However, the dynamic switching of light from MIM junctions into spatially separate channels has not been shown. Here, we numerically demonstrate switchable, highly directional light emission from electrically driven nano-strip Ag-SiO₂-Ag tunnel junctions. The top electrode of our Ag-SiO₂-Ag stack is divided into 16 nano-strips, with two of the tunnel junctions at the centre (S _L and S _R) acting as sources. Using full-wave electromagnetic simulations, we show that when S _L is excited, the emission is highly directional with an angle of emission of -30° and an angular spread of ∼11°. When the excitation is switched to S _R, the emission is redirected to an angle of 30° with an identical angular spread. A directivity of 29.4 is achieved in the forward direction, with a forward-to-backward ratio of 12. We also demonstrate wavelength-selective directional switching by changing the width, and thereby the resonance wavelength, of the sources. The emission can be tuned by varying the periodicity of the structure, paving the way for electrically driven, reconfigurable light sources.

Optical Ultracompact Directional Antennas Based on a Dimer Nanorod Structure

Controlling directionality of optical emitters is of utmost importance for their application in communication and biosensing devices. Metallic nanoantennas have been proven to affect both excitation and emission properties of nearby emitters, including the directionality of their emission. In this regard, optical directional nanoantennas based on a Yagi-Uda design have been demonstrated in the visible range. Despite this impressive proof of concept, their overall size (~λ²/4) and considerable number of elements represent obstacles for the exploitation of these antennas in nanophotonic applications and for their incorporation onto photonic chips. In order to address these challenges, we investigate an alternative design. In particular, we numerically study the performance of a recently demonstrated "ultracompact" optical antenna based on two parallel gold nanorods arranged as a side-to-side dimer. Our results confirm that the excitation of the antiphase mode of the antenna by a nanoemitter placed in its near-field can lead to directional emission. Furthermore, in order to verify the feasibility of this design and maximize the functionality, we study the effect on the directionality of several parameters, such as the shape of the nanorods, possible defects in the dimer assembly, and different positions and orientations of the nanoemitter. We conclude that this design is robust to structural variations, making it suitable for experimental upscaling.

Light-driven microdrones

When photons interact with matter, forces and torques occur due to the transfer of linear and angular momentum, respectively. The resulting accelerations are small for macroscopic objects but become substantial for microscopic objects with small masses and moments of inertia, rendering photon recoil very attractive to propel micro- and nano-objects. However, until now, using light to control object motion in two or three dimensions in all three or six degrees of freedom has remained an unsolved challenge. Here we demonstrate light-driven microdrones (size roughly 2 μm and mass roughly 2 pg) in an aqueous environment that can be manoeuvred in two dimensions in all three independent degrees of freedom (two translational and one rotational) using two overlapping unfocused light fields of 830 and 980 nm wavelength. To actuate the microdrones independent of their orientation, we use up to four individually addressable chiral plasmonic nanoantennas acting as nanomotors that resonantly scatter the circular polarization components of the driving light into well-defined directions. The microdrones are manoeuvred by only adjusting the optical power for each motor (the power of each circular polarization component of each wavelength). The actuation concept is therefore similar to that of macroscopic multirotor drones. As a result, we demonstrate manual steering of the microdrones along complex paths. Since all degrees of freedom can be addressed independently and directly, feedback control loops may be used to counteract Brownian motion. We posit that the microdrones can find applications in transport and release of cargos, nanomanipulation, and local probing and sensing of nano and mesoscale objects.

Broadband unidirectional transverse light scattering in a V-shaped silicon nanoantenna

The efficient manipulation of light-matter interactions in subwavelength all-dielectric nanostructures offers a unique opportunity for the design of novel low-loss visible- and telecom-range nanoantennas for light routing applications. Several studies have achieved longitudinal and transverse light scattering with a proper amplitude and phase balance among the multipole moments excited in dielectric nanoantennas. However, they only involve the interaction between electric dipole, magnetic dipole, and up to the electric quadrupole. Here, we extend and demonstrate a unidirectional transverse light scattering in a V-shaped silicon nanoantenna that involves the balance up to the magnetic quadrupole moment. Based on the long-wavelength approximation and exact multipole decomposition analysis, we find the interference conditions needed for near-unity unidirectional transverse light scattering along with near-zero scattering in the opposite direction. These interference conditions involve relative amplitude and phases of the electromagnetic dipoles and quadrupoles supported by the silicon nanoantenna. The conditions can be applied for the development of either polarization- or wavelength- dependent light routing on a V-shaped silicon and plasmonic nanoantennas.

Robust and accurate measurement of optical freeform surfaces with wavefront deformation correction

The non-null test to detect the modulated wavefront is a widely used method in optical freeform surface measurement. In this study, the wavefront deformation in the non-null test of an optical freeform surface measurement was corrected based on the wavefront propagation model to improve measurement accuracy. A freeform surface wavefront correction (FSWC) measurement system was established to validate the proposed method. Simulation and experimental studies indicated that the proposed method can reduce the influence of freeform surface wavefront deformation in space propagation. Moreover, the freeform surface form accuracy measured by FSWC can reach a root-mean-squared value of 10 nm.

Nanophotonic Color Routing

Recent advances in low-dimensional materials and nanofabrication technologies have stimulated many breakthroughs in the field of nanophotonics such as metamaterials and plasmonics that provide efficient ways of light manipulation at a subwavelength scale. The representative structure-induced spectral engineering techniques have demonstrated superior design of freedom compared with natural materials such as pigment/dye. In particular, the emerging spectral routing scheme enables extraordinary light manipulation in both frequency-domain and spatial-domain with high-efficiency utilization of the full spectrum, which is critically important for various applications and may open up entirely new operating paradigms. In this review, a comparative introduction on the operating mechanisms of spectral routing and spectral filtering schemes is given and recent progress on various color nanorouters based on metasurfaces, plasmonics, dielectric antennas is reviewed with a focus on the potential application in high-resolution imaging. With a thorough analysis and discussion on the advanced properties and drawbacks of various techniques, this report is expected to provide an overview and vision for the future development and application of nanophotonic color (spectral) routing techniques.

Waveguide efficient directional coupling and decoupling via an integrated plasmonic nanoantenna

The development of integrated photonic devices has led to important advancements in the field of light-matter interaction at the nanoscale. One of the main focal points is the coupling between single photon emitters and optical waveguides aiming to achieve efficient optical confinement and propagation. In this work, we focus on the characterization of a hybrid dielectric/plasmonic waveguide consisting of a gold triangular nanoantenna placed on top of a TiO₂ waveguide. The strong directionality of the device is experimentally demonstrated by comparing the intensity scattered by the nanotriangle to the one scattered by a SNOM tip for different illumination geometries. The ability of the plasmonic antenna to generate powerful coupling between a single emitter and the waveguide will also be highlighted through numerical simulations.

Nanometric displacement sensor with a switchable measuring range using a cylindrical vector beam excited silicon nanoantenna

We demonstrate a nanometric displacement sensor with a switchable measuring range by using a single silicon nanoantenna. It is revealed that the interference between the longitudinal and transverse dipolar scattering can be well tuned by moving the nanoantenna in the focal field of the cylindrical vector beam. As a result, a position related scattering directivity is found and is used as a displacement sensor with a 4.5 nm lateral resolution. Interestingly, the measuring range of this displacement sensor can be extended by twice through simply changing the excitation from the azimuthally polarized beam to the radially polarized beam. Our results provide a facile way to tune the measuring range of the nanometric displacement sensor and may open up an avenue to super-resolution microscopy and optical nanometrology.

Beaming Elastic and SERS Emission from Bent-Plasmonic Nanowire on a Mirror Cavity

We report on the experimental observation of beaming elastic and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) emission from a bent-nanowire on a mirror (B-NWoM) cavity. The system was probed with polarization resolved Fourier plane and energy-momentum imaging to study the spectral and angular signature of the emission wavevectors. The out-coupled elastically scattered light from the kink occupies a narrow angular spread. We used a self-assembled monolayer of molecules with a well-defined molecular orientation to utilize the out-of-plane electric field in the cavity for enhancing Raman emission from the molecules and in achieving beaming SERS emission. Calculated directionality for elastic scattering and SERS emission was found to be 16.2 and 12.5 dB, respectively. The experimental data were corroborated with three-dimensional numerical finite element and finite difference time domain based numerical simulations. The results presented here may find relevance in understanding coupling of emitters with elongated plasmonic cavities and in designing on-chip optical antennas.

Shaping the Color and Angular Appearance of Plasmonic Metasurfaces with Tailored Disorder

The optical properties of plasmonic nanoparticle ensembles are determined not only by the particle shape and size but also by the nanoantenna arrangement. To investigate the influence of the spatial ordering on the far-field optical properties of nanoparticle ensembles, we introduce a disorder model that encompasses both "frozen-phonon" and correlated disorder. We present experimental as well as computational approaches to gain a better understanding of the impact of disorder. A designated Fourier microscopy setup allows us to record the real- and Fourier-space images of plasmonic metasurfaces as either RGB images or fully wavelength-resolved data sets. Furthermore, by treating the nanoparticles as dipoles, we calculate the electric field based on dipole-dipole interaction, extract the far-field response, and convert it to RGB images. Our results reveal how the different disorder parameters shape the optical far field and thus define the optical appearance of a disordered metasurface and show that the relatively simple dipole approximation is able to reproduce the far-field behavior accurately. These insights can be used for engineering metasurfaces with tailored disorder to produce a desired bidirectional reflectance distribution function.

Evidence of the retardation effect on the plasmonic resonances of aluminum nanodisks in the symmetric/asymmetric environment

A single metallic nanodisk is the simplest plasmonic nanostructure, but it is robust enough to generate a Fano resonance in the forward and backward scattering spectra by the increment of nanodisk height in the symmetric and asymmetric dielectric environment. Thanks to the phase retardation effect, the non-uniform distribution of electric field along the height of aluminum (Al) nanodisk generates the out-of-plane higher-order modes, which interfere with the dipolar mode and subsequently result in the Fano-lineshape scattering spectra. Meanwhile, the symmetry-breaking effect by the dielectric substrate and the increment of refractive index of the symmetric dielectric environment further accelerate the phase retardation effect and contribute to the appearance of out-of-plane modes. The experimental results on the periodic Al nanodisk arrays with different heights confirm the retardation-induced higher modes in the asymmetric and symmetric environment. The appearance of higher modes and blueshifted main dips in the transmission spectra prove the dominant role of out-of-plane higher modes on the plasmonic resonances of the taller Al nanodisk.

Asymmetric angular dependence for multicolor display based on plasmonic inclined-nanopillar array

Asymmetric multicolor displays have unique and fascinating applications in the field of artificial color engineering. However, the realization of such multicolor displays still faces challenges, due to limitations associated with nanofabrication techniques. In this work, asymmetric photonic structures were realized through inclined 2D aluminum nanopillar arrays, which demonstrate asymmetric angle-dependence as multicolor displays. It was numerically and experimentally demonstrated that the distinctive symmetry breaking leads to the plasmonic coupling effect with angle-dependence and reflection differences with the opposite observing angle. Based on this concept, several color printings were designed as prototypes, which prove the utility of the controlled asymmetric color display with varied observing angles. Our results demonstrate a simple and efficient platform for asymmetric plasmonic nanostructures, which paves the way for further study and designation in artificial color engineering.

Mechanism and performance analyses of optical beam splitters using all-dielectric oligomer-based metasurfaces

Compact and planar optical beam splitters are highly desirable in various optical and photonic applications. Here, we investigate two kinds of optical beam splitters by using oligomer-based metasurfaces, one is trimer-based metasurface for 3-dB beam splitting, and the other is pentamer-based metasurface for 1:4 beam splitting. Through electromagnetic multipole decomposition and in-depth mechanism analyses, we reveal that the electromagnetic multipolar interactions and the strong near-field coupling between neighboring nanoparticles play critical roles in beam-splitting performance. Our work offers a deeper understanding of electromagnetic coupling effect in oligomer-based metasurfaces, and provides an alternative approach to planar beam splitters.

Surface plasmon resonance effect on laser trapping and swarming of gold nanoparticles at an interface

Laser trapping at an interface is a unique platform for aligning and assembling nanomaterials outside the focal spot. In our previous studies, Au nanoparticles form a dynamically evolved assembly outside the focus, leading to the formation of an antenna-like structure with their fluctuating swarms. Herein, we unravel the role of surface plasmon resonance on the swarming phenomena by tuning the trapping laser wavelength concerning the dipole mode for Au nanoparticles of different sizes. We clearly show that the swarm is formed when the laser wavelength is near to the resonance peak of the dipole mode together with an increase in the swarming area. The interpretation is well supported by the scattering spectra and the spatial light scattering profiles from single nanoparticle simulations. These findings indicate that whether the first trapped particle is resonant with trapping laser or not essentially determines the evolution of the swarming.

Color Routing via Cross-Polarized Detuned Plasmonic Nanoantennas in Large-Area Metasurfaces

Bidirectional nanoantennas are of key relevance for advanced functionalities to be implemented at the nanoscale and, in particular, for color routing in an ultracompact flat-optics configuration. Here we demonstrate a novel approach avoiding complex collective geometries and/or restrictive morphological parameters based on cross-polarized detuned plasmonic nanoantennas in a uniaxial (quasi-1D) bimetallic configuration. The nanofabrication of such a flat-optics system is controlled over a large area (cm²) by a novel self-organized technique exploiting ion-induced nanoscale wrinkling instability on glass templates to engineer tilted bimetallic nanostrip dimers. These nanoantennas feature broadband color routing with superior light scattering directivity figures, which are well described by numerical simulations and turn out to be competitive with the response of lithographic nanoantennas. These results demonstrate that our large-area self-organized metasurfaces can be implemented in real-world applications of flat-optics color routing from telecom photonics to optical nanosensing.

Steering valley-polarized emission of monolayer MoS2 sandwiched in plasmonic antennas

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides have intrinsic spin-valley degrees of freedom, making it appealing to exploit valleytronic and optoelectronic applications at the nanoscale. Here, we demonstrate that a chiral plasmonic antenna consisting of two stacked gold nanorods can modulate strongly valley-polarized photoluminescence (PL) of monolayer MoS2 in a broad spectral range at room temperature. The valley-polarized PL of the MoS2 using the antenna can reach up to ~47%, with approximately three orders of PL magnitude enhancement within the plasmonic nanogap. Besides, the K and K' valleys under opposite circularly polarized light excitation exhibit different emission intensities and directivities in the far field, which can be attributed to the modulation of the valley-dependent excitons by the chiral antenna in both the excitation and emission processes. The distinct features of the ultracompact hybrid suggest potential applications for valleytronic and photonic devices, chiral quantum optics, and high-sensitivity detection.

All-dielectric concentration of electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale: the role of photonic nanojets

The photonic nanojet (PNJ) is a narrow high-energy beam that was originally found on the back side of all-dielectric spherical structures. It is a unique type of energy concentration mode. The field of PNJs has experienced rapid growth in the past decade: nonspherical and even pixelized PNJ generators based on new physics and principles along with extended photonic applications from linear optics to nonlinear optics have driven the re-evaluation of the role of PNJs in optics and photonics. In this article, we give a comprehensive review for the emerging sub-topics in the past decade with a focus on two specific areas: (1) PNJ generators based on natural materials, artificial materials and nanostructures, and even programmable systems instead of conventional dielectric geometries such as microspheres, cubes, and trihedral prisms, and (2) the emerging novel applications in both linear and nonlinear optics that are built upon the specific features of PNJs. The extraordinary features of PNJs including subwavelength concentration of electromagnetic energy, high intensity focusing spot, and lower Joule heating as compared to plasmonic resonance systems, have made PNJs attractive to diverse fields spanning from optical imaging, nanofabrication, and integrated photonics to biosensing, optical tweezers, and disease diagnosis.

Design of plasmonic directional antennas via evolutionary optimization

We demonstrate inverse design of plasmonic nanoantennas for directional light scattering. Our method is based on a combination of full-field electrodynamical simulations via the Green dyadic method and evolutionary optimization (EO). Without any initial bias, we find that the geometries reproducibly found by EO work on the same principles as radio-frequency antennas. We demonstrate the versatility of our approach by designing various directional optical antennas for different scattering problems. EO-based nanoantenna design has tremendous potential for a multitude of applications like nano-scale information routing and processing or single-molecule spectroscopy. Furthermore, EO can help to derive general design rules and to identify inherent physical limitations for photonic nanoparticles and metasurfaces.

Unidirectional Enhanced Dipolar Emission with an Individual Dielectric Nanoantenna

Light manipulation at the nanoscale is the vanguard of plasmonics. Controlling light radiation into a desired direction in parallel with high optical signal enhancement is still a challenge for designing ultracompact nanoantennas far below subwavelength dimensions. Here, we theoretically demonstrate the unidirectional emissions from a local nanoemitter coupled to a hybrid nanoantenna consisting of a plasmonic dipole antenna and an individual silicon nanorod. The emitter near-field was coupled to the dipolar antenna plasmon resonance to achieve a strong radiative decay rate modification, and the emitting plasmon pumped the multipoles within the silicon nanorod for efficient emission redirection. The hybrid antenna sustained a high forward directivity (i.e., a front-to-back ratio of 30 dB) with broadband operating wavelengths in the visible range (i.e., a spectral bandwidth of 240 nm). This facilitated a large library of plasmonic nanostructures to be incorporated, from single element dipole antennas to gap antennas. The proposed hybrid optical nanorouter with ultracompact structural dimensions of 0.08 λ² was capable of spectrally sorting the emission from the local point source into distinct far-field directions, as well as possessing large emission gains introduced by the nanogap. The distinct features of antenna designs hold potential in the areas of novel nanoscale light sources, biosensing, and optical routing.

Symmetry Breaking in Oligomer Surface Plasmon Lattice Resonances

We describe a novel plasmonic-mode engineering, enabled by the structural symmetry of a plasmonic crystal with a metallic oligomer as unit cell. We show how the oligomer symmetry can tailor the scattering directions to spatially overlap with the diffractive orders directions of a plasmonic array. Applied to the color generation field, the presented approach enables the challenging achievement of a broad spectrum of angle-dependent colors since smooth and continuous generation of transmitted vibrant colors, covering both the cyan-magenta-yellow and the red-green-blue color spaces, is demonstrated by scattering angle- and polarization-dependent optical response. The addition of a symmetry driven level of control multiplies the possibility of optical information storage, being of potential interest for secured optical information encoding but also for nanophotonic applications, from demultiplexers or signal processing devices to on-chip optical nanocircuitry.

Colour routing with single silver nanorods

Elongated plasmonic nanoparticles have been extensively explored over the past two decades. However, in comparison with the dipolar plasmon mode that has attracted the most interest, much less attention has been paid to multipolar plasmon modes because they are usually thought to be "dark modes", which are unable to interact with far-field light efficiently. Herein, we report on an intriguing far-field scattering phenomenon, colour routing, based on longitudinal multipolar plasmon modes supported by high-aspect-ratio single Ag nanorods. Taking advantage of the distinct far-field behaviours of the odd and even multipolar plasmon modes, we demonstrate two types of colour routing, where the incident white light can be scattered into several beams with different colours as well as different propagation directions. Because of the narrow linewidths of the longitudinal multipolar plasmon modes, there is little spectral overlap between the adjacent peaks, giving rise to outstanding colour selectivity. Our experimental results and theoretical model provide a simple yet effective picture for understanding the far-field behaviour of the longitudinal multipolar plasmon modes and the resultant colour routing phenomenon. Moreover, the outstanding colour routing capability of the high-aspect-ratio Ag nanorods enables nanoscale optical components with simple geometries for controlling the propagation of light below the diffraction limit of light.

All-silicon-based nano-antennas for wavelength and polarization demultiplexing

We propose an all-silicon-based nano-antenna that functions as not only a wavelength demultiplexer but also a polarization one. The nano-antenna is composed of two silicon cuboids with the same length and height but with different widths. The asymmetric structure of the nano-antenna with respect to the electric field of the incident light induced an electric dipole component in the propagation direction of the incident light. The interference between this electric dipole and the magnetic dipole induced by the magnetic field parallel to the long side of the cuboids is exploited to manipulate the radiation direction of the nano-antenna. The radiation direction of the nano-antenna at a certain wavelength depends strongly on the phase difference between the electric and magnetic dipoles interacting coherently, offering us the opportunity to realize wavelength demultiplexing. By varying the polarization of the incident light, the interference of the magnetic dipole induced by the asymmetry of the nano-antenna and the electric dipole induced by the electric field parallel to the long side of the cuboids can also be used to realize polarization demultiplexing in a certain wavelength range. More interestingly, the interference between the dipole and quadrupole modes of the nano-antenna can be utilized to shape the radiation directivity of the nano-antenna. We demonstrate numerically that radiation with adjustable direction and high directivity can be realized in such a nano-antenna which is compatible with the current fabrication technology of silicon chips.

Broadside Nanoantennas Made of Single Silver Nanorods

Directional optical nanoantennas are often realized by nanostructured systems with ingenious or complex designs. Herein we report on the realization of directional scattering of visible light from a simple configuration made of single Ag nanorods supported on Si substrates, where the incident light can be routed toward the two flanks of each nanorod. Such an intriguing far-field scattering behavior, which has not been investigated so far, is proved to result from the near-field coupling between high-aspect-ratio Ag nanorods and high-refractive-index Si substrates. A simple and intuitive model is proposed, where the complicated plasmon resonance is found to be equivalent to several vertically aligned electric dipoles oscillating in phase, to understand the far-field properties of the system. The interference among the electric dipoles results in wavefront reshaping and sidewise light routing in a similar manner to the broadside antenna described in the traditional antenna theory, allowing for the naming of these Si-supported Ag nanorods as "broadside nanoantennas". We have carried out comprehensive experiments to understand the physical origins behind and the affecting factors on the directional scattering behavior of such broadside nanoantennas.

Doughnut-shaped emission from vertical organic nanowire coupled to thin plasmonic film

Vertical nanowires facilitate an innovative mechanism to channel the optical field in the orthogonal direction and act as a nanoscale light source. Subwavelength, vertically oriented nanowire platforms, both of plasmonic and semiconducting variety, can facilitate interesting far-field emission profiles and potentially carry orbital angular momentum states. Motivated by these prospects, in this Letter, we show how a hybrid plasmonic-organic platform can be harnessed to engineer far-field radiation. The system that we have employed is an organic nanowire made of diaminoanthroquinone grown on a plasmonic gold film. We experimentally and numerically studied angular distribution of surface plasmon polariton mediated emission from a single, vertical organic nanowire by utilizing evanescent excitation and Fourier plane microscopy. Photoluminescence and elastic scattering from a single nanowire was analyzed individually in terms of inplane momentum states of the outcoupled photons. We found that the emission is doughnut-shaped in both photoluminescence and elastic scattering regimes. We anticipate that the discussed results can be relevant in designing efficient, polariton-mediated nanoscale photon sources that can carry orbital angular momentum states.

Electrically Driven Unidirectional Optical Nanoantennas

Directional antennas revolutionized modern day telecommunication by enabling precise beaming of radio and microwave signals with minimal loss of energy. Similarly, directional optical nanoantennas are expected to pave the way toward on-chip wireless communication and information processing. Currently, on-chip integration of such antennas is hampered by their multielement design or the requirement of complicated excitation schemes. Here, we experimentally demonstrate electrical driving of in-plane tunneling nanoantennas to achieve broadband unidirectional emission of light. Far-field interference, as a result of the spectral overlap between the dipolar emission of the tunnel junction and the fundamental quadrupole-like resonance of the nanoantenna, gives rise to a directional radiation pattern. By tuning this overlap using the applied voltage, we record directivities as high as 5 dB. In addition to electrical tunability, we also demonstrate passive tunability of the directivity using the antenna geometry. These fully configurable electrically driven nanoantennas provide a simple way to direct optical energy on-chip using an extremely small device footprint.

Full control of far-field radiation via photonic integrated circuits decorated with plasmonic nanoantennas

We theoretically develop a hybrid architecture consisting of photonic integrated circuit and plasmonic nanoantennas to fully control optical far-field radiation with unprecedented flexibility. By exploiting asymmetric and lateral excitation from silicon waveguides, single gold nanorod and cascaded nanorod pair can function as component radiation pixels, featured by full 2π phase coverage and nanoscale footprint. These radiation pixels allow us to design scalable on-chip devices in a wavefront engineering fashion. We numerically demonstrate beam collimation with 30° out of the incident plane and nearly diffraction limited divergence angle. We also present high-numerical-aperture (NA) beam focusing with NA ≈0.65 and vector beam generation (the radially-polarized mode) with the mode similarity greater than 44%. This concept and approach constitutes a designable optical platform, which might be a future bridge between integrated photonics and metasurface functionalities.

High-bit rate ultra-compact light routing with mode-selective on-chip nanoantennas

Optical nanoantennas provide a promising pathway toward advanced manipulation of light waves, such as directional scattering, polarization conversion, and fluorescence enhancement. Although these functionalities were mainly studied for nanoantennas in free space or on homogeneous substrates, their integration with optical waveguides offers an important "wired" connection to other functional optical components. Taking advantage of the nanoantenna's versatility and unrivaled compactness, their imprinting onto optical waveguides would enable a marked enhancement of design freedom and integration density for optical on-chip devices. Several examples of this concept have been demonstrated recently. However, the important question of whether nanoantennas can fulfill functionalities for high-bit rate signal transmission without degradation, which is the core purpose of many integrated optical applications, has not yet been experimentally investigated. We introduce and investigate directional, polarization-selective, and mode-selective on-chip nanoantennas integrated with a silicon rib waveguide. We demonstrate that these nanoantennas can separate optical signals with different polarizations by coupling the different polarizations of light vertically to different waveguide modes propagating into opposite directions. As the central result of this work, we show the suitability of this concept for the control of optical signals with ASK (amplitude-shift keying) NRZ (nonreturn to zero) modulation [10 Gigabit/s (Gb/s)] without significant bit error rate impairments. Our results demonstrate that waveguide-integrated nanoantennas have the potential to be used as ultra-compact polarization-demultiplexing on-chip devices for high-bit rate telecommunication applications.

Tridirectional Polarization Routing of Light by a Single Triangular Plasmonic Nanoparticle

Achieving high directionality of scattered light in combination with high flexibility of the direction using plasmonic nanoparticles is desirable for future optical nanocircuits and on-chip optical links. The plasmonic characteristics of nanoparticles strongly depend on their geometry. Here, we studied directional light scattering by a single-element triangular plasmonic nanoparticle. Our experimental and simulation results demonstrated that the triangular nanoparticle spatially sorted the incoming photons into three different scattering directions according to their polarization direction, including circular polarization, despite its compact overall volume of ∼λ³/300. The broken mirror symmetry and rotational symmetry of the triangular nanoparticle enabled such passive tridirectional polarization routing through the constructive and destructive interference of different plasmon modes. Our findings should markedly broaden the versatility of triangular plasmonic nanodevices, extending their possible practical applications in photon couplers and sorters and chemo-/biosensors.

Dual-Band Unidirectional Emission in a Multilayered Metal-Dielectric Nanoantenna

Controlling the emission efficiency, direction, and polarization of optical sources with nanoantennas is of crucial importance in many nanophotonic applications. In this article, we design a subwavelength multilayer metal-dielectric nanoantenna consisting of three identical gold strips that are separated by two dielectric spacers. It is shown that a local dipole source can efficiently excite several hybridized plasmonic modes in the nanoantenna, including one electric dipole (ED) and two magnetic dipole (MD) resonances. The coherent interplay between the ED and MDs leads to unidirectional emissions in opposite directions at different wavelengths. The relative phase difference between these resonant modes determines the exact emission direction. Additionally, with a proper spacer thickness and filling medium, it is possible to control the spectral positions of the forward and backward unidirectional emissions and to exchange the wavelengths for two unidirectional emissions. An analytical dipole model is established, which yields comparable results to those from the full-wave simulation. Furthermore, we show that the wavelength of the peak forward-to-backward unidirectionality is essentially determined by the MD and is approximately predictable by the plasmonic wave dispersion in the corresponding two-dimensional multilayer structure. Our results may be useful to design dual-band unidirectional optical nanoantennas.

Polarization conversion in plasmonic nanoantennas for metasurfaces using structural asymmetry and mode hybridization

Polarization control using single plasmonic nanoantennas is of interest for subwavelength optical components in nano-optical circuits and metasurfaces. Here, we investigate the role of two mechanisms for polarization conversion by plasmonic antennas: Structural asymmetry and plasmon hybridization through strong coupling. As a model system we investigate L-shaped antennas consisting of two orthogonal nanorods which lengths and coupling strength can be independently controlled. An analytical model based on field susceptibilities is developed to extract key parameters and to address the influence of antenna morphology and excitation wavelength on polarization conversion efficiency and scattering intensities. Optical spectroscopy experiments performed on individual antennas, further supported by electrodynamical simulations based on the Green Dyadic Method, confirm the trends extracted from the analytical model. Mode hybridization and structural asymmetry allow address-ing different input polarizations and wavelengths, providing additional degrees of freedom for agile polarization conversion in nanophotonic devices.

A New Microfluidic Device for Classification of Microalgae Cells Based on Simultaneous Analysis of Chlorophyll Fluorescence, Side Light Scattering, Resistance Pulse Sensing

Fast on-site monitoring of foreign microalgae species carried by ship ballast water has drawn more and more attention. In this paper, we presented a new method and a compact device of classification of microalgae cells by simultaneous detection of three kinds of signals of single microalgae cells in a disposable microfluidic chip. The microfluidic classification device has advantages of fast detection, low cost, and portability. The species of a single microalgae cell can be identified by simultaneous detection of three signals of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF), side light scattering (SLS), and resistance pulse sensing (RPS) of the microalgae cell. These three signals represent the different characteristics of a microalgae cell. A compact device was designed to detect these three signals of a microalgae cell simultaneously. In order to demonstrate the performance of the developed system, the comparison experiments of the mixed samples of three different species of microalgae cells between the developed system and a commercial flow cytometer were conducted. The results show that three kinds of microalgae cells can be distinguished clearly by our developed system and the commercial flow cytometer and both results have good agreement.

Unidirectional superscattering by multilayered cavities of effective radial anisotropy

We achieve unidirectional forward superscattering by multilayered spherical cavities which are effectively radially anisotropic. It is demonstrated that, relying on the large effective anisotropy, the electric and magnetic dipoles can be tuned to spectrally overlap in such cavities, which satisfies the Kerker's condition of simultaneous backward scattering suppression and forward scattering enhancement. We show that such scattering pattern shaping can be obtained in both all-dielectric and plasmonic multilayered cavities at different spectral positions, and believe that the mechanism we have revealed provides extra freedom for scattering shaping, which may play a significant role in many scattering related applications and also in optoelectronic devices made up of intrinsically anisotropic two dimensional materials.

Accurate Feeding of Nanoantenna by Singular Optics for Nanoscale Translational and Rotational Displacement Sensing

Identifying subwavelength objects and displacements is of crucial importance in optical nanometrology. We show in this Letter that nanoantennas with subwavelength structures can be excited precisely by incident beams with singularity. This accurate feeding beyond the diffraction limit can lead to dynamic control of the unidirectional scattering in the far field. The combination of the field discontinuity of the incoming singular beam with the rapid phase variation near the antenna leads to remarkable sensitivity of the far-field scattering to the displacement at a scale much smaller than the wavelength. This Letter introduces a far-field deep subwavelength position detection method based on the interaction of singular optics with nanoantennas.

Midrefractive Dielectric Modulator for Broadband Unidirectional Scattering and Effective Radiative Tailoring in the Visible Region

Nanoantennas have found many applications in ultrasmall sensors, single-molecule detection, and all-optical communication. Conventional nanoantennas are based on noble-metal plasmonic structures, but suffer from large ohmic loss and only possess dipolar plasmon modes. This has driven an intense search for all-dielectric materials beyond noble metals. Here, we propose midrefractive nanospheres as a novel all-dielectric material to realize broadband unidirectional radiation and effective radiative tailoring in the visible region. Midrefractive all-dielectric materials such as boron nanospheres possess broad and overlapping electric and magnetic dipole modes. The internal interaction between these two modes can route the radiation almost on the one side covering the whole visible range. Unlike the elaborate design in plasmonic nanostructures to obtain strong coupled broad and narrow modes, the bright mode in boron nanospheres is intrinsic, independent, and easily coupled with adjacent narrow modes. So the strong interaction in boron-based heterodimer is able to realize an independent and precise tailoring of the radiant and subradiant states by simply changing the particle sizes, respectively. Our findings imply midrefractivity materials like boron are excellent building blocks to support electromagnetic coupling operation in nanoscale devices, which will lead to a variety of emerging applications such as nanoantennas with directing exciton emission, ultrasensitive nanosensors, or even potential new construction of photonic metamaterials.

Insights into directional scattering: from coupled dipoles to asymmetric dimer nanoantennas

Strong and directionally specific forward scattering from optical nanoantennas is of utmost importance for various applications in the broader context of photovoltaics and integrated light sources. Here, we outline a simple yet powerful design principle to perceive a nanoantenna that provides directional scattering into a higher index substrate based on the interference of multiple electric dipoles. A structural implementation of the electric dipole distribution is possible using plasmonic nanoparticles with a fairly simple geometry, i.e. two coupled rectangular nanoparticles, forming a dimer, on top of a substrate. The key to achieve directionality is to choose a sufficiently large size for the nanoparticles. This promotes the excitation of vertical electric dipole moments due to the bi-anisotropy of the nanoantenna. In turn, asymmetric scattering is obtained by ensuring the appropriate phase relation between the vertical electric dipole moments. The scattering strength and angular spread for an optimized nanoantenna can be shown to be broadband and robust against changes in the incidence angle. The scattering directionality is maintained even for an array configuration of the dimer. It only requires the preferred scattering direction of the isolated nanoantenna not to be prohibited by interference.

All-Dielectric Antenna Wavelength Router with Bidirectional Scattering of Visible Light

An optical antenna forms the subwavelength bridge between free space optical radiation and localized electromagnetic energy. Its localized electromagnetic modes strongly depend on its geometry and material composition. Here, we present the design and experimental realization of a novel V-shaped all-dielectric antenna based on high-index amorphous silicon with a strong magnetic dipole resonance in the visible range. As a result, it exhibits extraordinary bidirectional scattering into diametrically opposite directions. The scattering direction is effectively controlled by the incident wavelength, rendering the antenna a passive bidirectional wavelength router. A detailed multipole decomposition analysis reveals that the excitation and abrupt phase change of an out-of-plane polarized magnetic dipole and an in-plane electric quadrupole are essential for the directivity switching. Previously, noble metals have been extensively exploited for plasmonic directional nanoantenna design. However, these inevitably suffer from high intrinsic ohmic losses and a relatively weak magnetic response to the incident light. Compared to a similar gold plasmonic nanoantenna design, we show that the silicon-based antennas demonstrate stronger magnetic scattering with minimal absorption losses. Our results indicate that all-dielectric antennas will open exciting possibilities for efficient manipulation of light-matter interactions.

Experimental measurement of plasmonic nanostructures embedded in silicon waveguide gaps

In this work, we report numerical simulations and experiments of the optical response of a gold nanostrip embedded in a silicon strip waveguide gap at telecom wavelengths. We show that the spectral features observed in transmission and reflection when the metallic nanostructure is inserted in the gap are extremely different than those observed in free-space excitation. First, we find that interference between the guided field and the electric dipolar resonance of the metallic nanostructure results in high-contrast (> 10) spectral features showing an asymmetric Fano spectral profile. Secondly, we reveal a crossing in the transmission and reflection responses close to the nanostructure resonance wavelength as a key feature of our system. This approach, which can be realized using standard semiconductor nanofabrication tools, could lead to a full exploitation of the extreme properties of subwavelength metallic nanostructures in an on-chip configuration, with special relevance in fields such as biosensing or optical switching.

Compact Nonlinear Yagi-Uda Nanoantennas

Nanoantennas have demonstrated unprecedented capabilities for manipulating the intensity and direction of light emission over a broad frequency range. The directional beam steering offered by nanoantennas has important applications in areas including microscopy, spectroscopy, quantum computing, and on-chip optical communication. Although both the physical principles and experimental realizations of directional linear nanoantennas has become increasingly mature, angular control of nonlinear radiation using nanoantennas has not been explored yet. Here we propose a novel concept of nonlinear Yagi-Uda nanoantenna to direct second harmonic radiation from a metallic nanosphere. By carefully tuning the spacing and dimensions of two lossless dielectric elements, which function respectively as a compact director and reflector, the second harmonic radiation is deflected 90 degrees with reference to the incident light (pump) direction. This abnormal light-bending phenomenon is due to the constructive and destructive interference between the second harmonic radiation governed by a special selection rule and the induced electric dipolar and magnetic quadrupolar radiation from the two dielectric antenna elements. Simultaneous spectral and spatial isolation of scattered second harmonic waves from incident fundamental waves pave a new way towards nonlinear signal detection and sensing.

Enlightening surface plasmon resonance effect of metal nanoparticles for practical spectroscopic application

Pictorial depiction of applications of metal nanoparticles in different fields enlightening surface plasmon resonance effect.

Switchable directional scattering of electromagnetic radiation with subwavelength asymmetric silicon dimers

High refractive index dielectric nanoparticles show high promise as a complementary nanophotonics platform due to compared with plasmonic nanostructures low absorption losses and the co-existence of magnetic and electric resonances. Here we explore their use as resonantly enhanced directional scatterers. We theoretically demonstrate that an asymmetric dimer of silicon nanoparticles shows tuneable directional scattering depending on the frequency of excitation. This is due to the interference between electric and magnetic dipoles excited in each nanoparticle, enabling directional control of the scattered light. Interestingly, this control can be achieved regardless of the polarization direction with respect to the dimer axis; however, difference in the polarization can shift the wavelengths at which the directional scattering is achieved. We also explore the application of such an asymmetric nanoantenna as a tuneable routing element in a nanometer scale, suggesting applications in optical nanocircuitry.

Stroboscopic phenomena in superconductors with dynamic pinning landscape

Introducing artificial pinning centers is a well established strategy to trap quantum vortices and increase the maximal magnetic field and applied electric current that a superconductor can sustain without dissipation. In case of spatially periodic pinning, a clear enhancement of the superconducting critical current arises when commensurability between the vortex configurations and the pinning landscape occurs. With recent achievements in (ultrafast) optics and nanoengineered plasmonics it has become possible to exploit the interaction of light with superconductivity, and create not only spatially periodic imprints on the superconducting condensate, but also temporally periodic ones. Here we show that in the latter case, temporal matching phenomena develop, caused by stroboscopic commensurability between the characteristic frequency of the vortex motion under applied current and the frequency of the dynamic pinning. The matching resonances persist in a broad parameter space, including magnetic field, driving current, or material purity, giving rise to unusual features such as externally variable resistance/impedance and Shapiro steps in current-voltage characteristics. All features are tunable by the frequency of the dynamic pinning landscape. These findings open further exploration avenues for using flashing, spatially engineered, and/or mobile excitations on superconductors, permitting us to achieve advanced functionalities.

Gap and channeled plasmons in tapered grooves: a review

Tapered metallic grooves have been shown to support plasmons - electromagnetically coupled oscillations of free electrons at metal-dielectric interfaces - across a variety of configurations and V-like profiles. Such plasmons may be divided into two categories: gap-surface plasmons (GSPs) that are confined laterally between the tapered groove sidewalls and propagate either along the groove axis or normal to the planar surface, and channeled plasmon polaritons (CPPs) that occupy the tapered groove profile and propagate exclusively along the groove axis. Both GSPs and CPPs exhibit an assortment of unique properties that are highly suited to a broad range of cutting-edge nanoplasmonic technologies, including ultracompact photonic circuits, quantum-optics components, enhanced lab-on-a-chip devices, efficient light-absorbing surfaces and advanced optical filters, while additionally affording a niche platform to explore the fundamental science of plasmon excitations and their interactions. In this Review, we provide a research status update of plasmons in tapered grooves, starting with a presentation of the theory and important features of GSPs and CPPs, and follow with an overview of the broad range of applications they enable or improve. We cover the techniques that can fabricate tapered groove structures, in particular highlighting wafer-scale production methods, and outline the various photon- and electron-based approaches that can be used to launch and study GSPs and CPPs. We conclude with a discussion of the challenges that remain for further developing plasmonic tapered-groove devices, and consider the future directions offered by this select yet potentially far-reaching topic area.