Related papers: Optical energy optimization at the nanoscale by ne…
Optical tweezers enable non-contact trapping of micro-scale objects using light. Despite their widespread use, it is currently not known how tightly it is possible to three-dimensionally trap micro-particles with a given photon budget.…
Optical antennas are a fundamental element in optical phased arrays (OPA) and free-space optical interconnects. An outstanding challenge in optical antenna design lies in achieving high radiation efficiency, ultra-compact footprint and…
Ultrafast nanophotonics is an emerging research field aimed at the development of nanodevices capable of light modulation with unprecedented speed. A promising approach exploits the optical nonlinearity of nanostructured materials (either…
We present an experimental and theoretical study of the energy transfer between modes during the tapering process of an optical nanofiber through spectrogram analysis. The results allow optimization of the tapering process, and we measure…
We show that up to 90% reflectivity can be achieved by using guided plasmonic resonances in a one-dimensional periodic array of plasmonic nanoribbon. In general, to achieve strong reflection from a guided resonance system requires one to…
We study the approximate cloaking via transformation optics for electromagnetic waves in the time harmonic regime in which the cloaking device {\it only} consists of a layer constructed by the mapping technique. Due to the fact that…
Passive optical elements can play key roles in photonic applications such as plasmonic integrated circuits. Here we experimentally demonstrate passive gap-plasmon focusing and routing in two-dimensions. This is accomplished using a high…
In Nature Photonics 5, 166 (2011), we reported on a planar dielectric antenna that achieved 96% efficiency in collecting the photons emitted by a single molecule. In that work the transition dipole moment of the molecule was set…
The magneto-optical activity, namely the polarization conversion capabilities of high-index, non-absorbing, core-shell dielectric nanospheres is theoretically analyzed. We show that, in analogy with their plasmonic counterparts, the…
Superfocusing confines light within subwavelength structures, breaking the diffraction limit. Structures with spatial singularities, such as metallic cones, are crucial to enable nanoscale focusing, leading to significant advancements in…
Optical dielectric resonances have the ability to modulate optical energy, and by coupling multiple resonators into photonic molecules, new opportunities emerge in spectral engineering. Using electron-beam spectroscopy, in a 300-keV…
We demonstrate the application of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based optical force microscopy to map the optical near-fields with nanometer resolution, limited only by the AFM probe geometry. We map the electric field distributions of…
The relationship between magnetization and light has been the subject of intensive research for the past century, focusing on the impact of magnetic moments on light polarization. Conversely, the manipulation of magnetism through polarized…
There are numerous advantages to exploiting diffraction-limited instrumentation at astronomical observatories, which include smaller footprints, less mechanical and thermal instabilities and high levels of performance. To realize such…
Using adaptive algorithms, the design of nano-scale dielectric structures for photonic applications is explored. Widths of dielectric layers in a linear array are adjusted to match target responses of optical transmission as a function of…
Future generations of photoelectrodes for solar fuel generation must employ inexpensive, earth-abundant absorber materials in order to provide a large-scale source of clean energy. These materials tend to have poor electrical transport…
Reducing device volume is one of the key requirements for advanced nanophotonic technologies, however this demand is often at odds with designing highly absorbing elements which usually require sizeable thicknesses, such as for detector and…
Photo-induced magnetic force between nanostructures, at optical frequencies, is investigated theoretically. Till now optical magnetic effects are not used in scanning probe microscopy because of the vanishing natural magnetism with…
In this thesis we propose new, versatile schemes to control light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. In the first part of the thesis, we envisage a new class of plasmonic cloaks made of magneto-optical (MO) materials. We demonstrate that…
Plasmonics is a research area merging the fields of optics and nanoelectronics by confining light with relatively large free-space wavelength to the nanometer scale - thereby enabling a family of novel devices. Current plasmonic devices at…