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We have predicted theoretically and verified experimentally the occurrence of a giant asymmetry of the transmission of arbitrarily polarized light propagating through a linear nonmagnetic optical system that consists of a metal film with a two-dimensional array of nanoholes in it and that is deposited on the surface of a planar dielectric photonic crystal. The asymmetry of the light transmission is caused by two factors: (i) the excitation of an optical Tamm state in the system, and (ii) the existence of many secondary lobes in the diffraction pattern. Our results are of interest for the development of efficient planar optical diodelike systems and related nanophotonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated theoretically the spontaneous decay rate of an excited molecule placed near a circular aperture in a perfectly conducting infinitely thin plane screen. A quasistatic analytical solution for a molecule with an arbitrary position near the aperture is found. In a case with a retardation, an exact analytical solution expressed through spheroidal wave functions is obtained. Analytical results are in good agreement with numerical simulations. The results may be useful in the design and development of optical nanodevices based on the control of elementary quantum systems emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the light transmission through a nanoaperture in a metal film deposited on a planar metamaterial. An effect of an anomalously high light transmission (up to 800%) through the nanoaperture is revealed, which we associate with the enhancement of the field at the interface of the planar structure "metamaterial-metal-film" due to the appearance of an optical Tamm state. Our numerical results are in qualitative agreement with experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modification of the resonance fluorescence spectrum of a two-level atom driven by a monochromatic field in the close proximity of a plasmonic nanostructure (metal sphere) is studied in detail. It is shown that one can control this spectrum by varying several key parameters: (i) the radius of the nanosphere, (ii) polarization of the incident radiation, and (iii) the atom's location around the nanosphere (its radial coordinate and polar angle in the spherical coordinate system). These parameters affect the local field enhancement and the modification of the radiative decay rate of the atom interacting with the nanosphere, which leads to modification of the resonance fluorescence spectrum of the atom (e.g., frequency shift of the satellite lines in the Mollow-type triplet, widths of the lines, and the spectrum intensity) by contrast with that in free space. The permittivity of the metal the nanosphere is made of is also an additional parameter, which defines the nonradiative decay. The latter in combination with other parameters allows continuous control of the transition from resonance fluorescence enhancement to its quenching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the radiative decay rate of quantum emitters is a fundamental problem for many practical applications. Here we report on the fundamental constraints pertaining to the enhancement of the radiative emission rate achievable with planar lamellar metamaterials of any kind. We show that neither dielectric lamellar structures nor hyperbolic metamaterials are able to provide radiative rate enhancement by more than a factor of 2 in the half-space containing emitter. However, the increase in radiative rate in the opposite half space can be substantial. We show that the origin of this enhancement is in the leakage of the plasmon waves excited on the metal-dielectric interface into the substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]