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Narrow-bandgap semiconductors such as alloys of InAsAlSb and their heterostructures are considered promising candidates for next generation infrared photodetectors and devices. The prospect of actively tuning the spectral responsivity of these detectors at the pixel level is very appealing. In principle, this could be achieved with a tunable metasurface fabricated monolithically on the detector pixel. Here, we present first steps towards that goal using a complementary metasurface strongly coupled to an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) mode operating in the long-wave region of the infrared spectrum. We fabricate such a coupled system using the same epitaxial layers used for infrared pixels in a focal plane array and demonstrate the existence of ENZ modes in high mobility layers of InAsSb. We confirm that the coupling strength between the ENZ mode and the metasurface depends on the ENZ layer thickness and demonstrate a transmission modulation on the order of 25%. We further show numerically the expected tunable spectral behavior of such coupled system under reverse and forward bias, which could be used in future electrically tunable detectors.

We investigate the effect on wave propagation of array packing and electromagnetic coupling between spheres in a three-dimensional (3D) lattice of microspheres with large permittivity that exhibit strong magnetic polarizability. We report on the complex wavenumber of Bloch waves in the lattice when each sphere is assumed to possess both electric and magnetic dipoles and full electromagnetic coupling is accounted for. While for small material-filling fractions we always determine one dominant mode with low attenuation constant, the same does not happen for large filling fractions, when electromagnetic coupling is included. In the latter case we peculiarly observe two dominant modes with low attenuation constant, dominant in different frequency ranges. The filling fraction threshold for which two dominant modes appear varies for different metamaterial constituents, as proven by considering spheres made by either titanium dioxide or lead telluride. As further confirmation of our findings, we retrieve the complex propagation constant of the dominant mode(s) via a field fitting procedure employing two sets of waves (direct and reflected) pertaining to two distinct modes, strengthening the presence of the two distinct dominant modes for increasing filling fractions. However, given that one mode only, with transverse polarization, at any given frequency, is dominant and able to propagate inside the lattice, we are able to accurately treat the metamaterial that is known to exhibit artificial magnetism as a homogeneous material with effective parameters, such as the refractive index. Results clearly show that the account of both electric and magnetic scattering processes in evaluating all electromagnetic intersphere couplings is essential for a proper description of the electromagnetic propagation in lattices.

The power emitted by a dipole at the interface between an indefinite (hyperbolic) medium and an isotropic medium is analyzed. The theoretical estimation is performed by using a transmission line method for time-harmonic fields in layered isotropic materials. The indefinite medium can be constructed in different ways; here we analyze, as an example, the case of alternating two subwavelength layers of isotropic materials. We compute the power spectrum of transverse electric and magnetic (TE and TM) waves and show that the power emitted by the dipole is mainly coupled into the indefinite medium underneath, opening up several application scenarios, such as innovative carpet cloaking implementations and super absorbers. © 2012 IEEE.

We theoretically investigate harmonic generation at ε=0 crossing points where losses are compensated through the inclusion of active photonic materials in metallic nanoshells. This singularity-driven process lowers the thresholds for a plethora of nonlinear optical phenomena. © OSA 2012.

We show that hyperbolic metamaterials (HMs) that exhibit hyperbolic wave-vector dispersion diagrams possess two important features related to super absorption: The total power scattered by a nanosphere is (i) greatly enhanced when placed at the HM surface, compared to other material surfaces, and (ii) almost totally directed into the HM. We show that these two features are peculiar of HM interfaces, and we support them using a spectral theory study of transverse-electric and magnetic waves scattered by a subwavelength nanosphere. We analyze the nanosphere's scattered power absorbed by various substrate configurations. We also consider various nanosphere materials. © 2012 American Physical Society.

We analyze the theoretical and physical properties of a CMOS compatible optical leaky wave antenna (OLWA) integrated into a Fabry-Pérot resonator (FPR) at 193.4 THz (wavelength ?0 = 1550 nm). The presented OLWA design is composed of a silicon (Si) dielectric waveguide sandwiched between two silica glass (SiO2) domains, and it comprises periodic perturbations (cavities of vacuum). We first describe the radiation of the isolated OLWA whose radiation pattern is due to the excitation of a leaky wave, slowly decaying while traveling. The perturbations are indeed designed to obtain a leaky wave harmonic with very low attenuation and phase constants. Then, we integrate the same OLWA into a FPR where two leaky waves with the same wavenumber are travelling in opposite directions inside the resonator. We show that the radiation level at the broadside direction can be effectively controlled by modifying the optical properties of the Si waveguide through electron-hole excess carrier generation (found to be highly enhanced when it is integrated into a FPR). The design of the integrated OLWA is properly set to guarantee the constructive interference of the two radiated beams provided by the two leaky waves in the FPR. The modal propagation constant in the integrated OLWA can be then altered through excess carrier generation in Si, thus the antenna can be tuned in and out of the resonance thanks to the high FPR quality factor, and the LW modal dispersion relation. This allows for enhanced radiation level control at broadside, and preliminary results show up to 13 dB beam modulation. © 2012 SPIE.

We investigate the directive radiation at 1550 nm from an optical leaky wave antenna (OLWA) with semiconductor perturbations made of silicon (Si). We study the radiation pattern dependence on the physical dimensions, number of perturbations and carrier densities in these semiconductor perturbations through optical excitations at a visible wavelength, 625 nm. In this detailed theoretical study we show the correlation between the pump power absorbed in the perturbations, the signal guided in the waveguide and the radiation through leakage. To overcome the limited control of the radiation intensity through excess carrier generation in Si, we present a new design with the OLWA integrated with a Fabry-Pérot resonator (FPR). We provide analytical and numerical studies of the enhanced radiation performance of the OLWA antenna inside the FPR, and derive closed-form formulas accounting for LW reflection at the edges of the FPR. A discussion on the constructive and destructive radiation by the direct and reflected leaky waves in the FPR resonator is provided. Results shown in this paper exhibit 3 dB variation of the radiation and pave the way for further optimization and theoretical developments.

[1] We derive the Ewald representation for the dyadic periodic Green's functions to represent the electromagnetic field in a three dimensional (3D) periodic array of electric and magnetic dipoles. Then we use the developed theory to analyze the modes with real and complex wave number in a 3D periodic lattice of lead telluride (PbTe) microspheres at infrared frequencies and in a 3D periodic lattice of titanium dioxide (TiO2) microspheres at millimeter waves. Each microsphere is equivalently modeled with both an electric and a magnetic dipole, via a method here called the dual dipole approximation (DDA). The 3D lattices exhibit first a magnetic-induced then an electric-induced feature determined by microsphere magnetic and electric resonances. The DDA wave number results are compared to the ones computed with single electric or single magnetic dipole approximation and to the ones retrieved by using the Nicolson-Ross-Weir (NRW) retrieval method from reflection and transmission of finite thickness slabs computed by a full-wave simulation. It is shown that the DDA method is in very good agreement with NRW, in contrast to the previously reported single dipole approximation methods that fail to predict one of the two features (either electric or magnetic). A mode with transverse polarization is found to be dominant and able to propagate inside the lattice, and therefore the composite material can be treated as a homogeneous one with effective refractive index. This is obtained by adopting five different retrieval procedures for each lattice, and their agreement or disagreement is discussed.

A theoretical investigation of loss-compensation capabilities in composite materials made of plasmonic nanoshells is carried out by considering quantum dots (QDs) as the nanoshells cores. The QD and metal permittivities are modeled according to published experimental data. We determine the modes with real or complex wavenumber able to propagate in a 3D periodic lattice of nanoshells. Mode analysis is also used to assess that only one propagating mode is dominant in the composite material whose optical properties can hence be described via homogenization theory. Therefore, the material effective permittivity is found by comparing different techniques: (i)the mentioned mode analysis, (ii)Maxwell Garnett mixing rule and (iii)the NicolsonRossWeir method based on transmission and reflection when considering a metamaterial of finite thickness. The three methods are in excellent agreement, because the nanoshells considered in this paper are very subwavelength, thus justifying the parameter homogenization. We show that QDs are able to provide loss-compensated ε-near-zero metamaterials and also loss-compensated metamaterials with large negative values of permittivity. Besides compensating for losses, the strong gain via QD can provide optical amplification with particular choices of the nanoshell and lattice dimensions. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Magnetoinductive waves in arrays of split ring resonators (SRRs) have been previously investigated. Here we characterize modes with real and complex wavenumber in two dimensional periodic arrays of SRRs. Each SRR is modeled as a single magnetic dipole, and the retrieval of the complex modal wavenumbers is performed by computing the complex zeroes of the homogeneous scalar equation characterizing the field in the array. The required periodic Green's function is analytically continued into the complex wavenumber space by using the Ewald method. The proposed method allows for the description of each complex mode when varying frequency, complementing previous investigations. In particular, we analyze proper and improper, bound and leaky, magnetoinductive waves. © 2012 IEEE.

We propose a highly directive optical leaky wave antenna (OLWA) radiating at 1550 nm composed of a dielectric waveguide comprising periodic silicon (Si) perturbations. The antenna working principle is based on the excitation of a leaky wave guided mode in the perturbed waveguide. Here we study the radiation properties for two sets of perturbation dimensions, and show beam scanning capabilities of the antenna (radiation level and direction) at broadside by varying the free space wavelength. Moreover, the use of Si offers the electronic/optical tunability of its complex refractive index by excess electron-hole carrier density generation via current injection (electronic control) or optical absorption (optical control). Therefore, by changing the Si refractive index we vary the leaky wave attenuation constant and the input impedance of the antenna, which in turn allow for beam control capabilities. © 2012 IEEE.

Composite materials based on plasmonic nanoparticles allow building metamaterials with very large effective permittivity (positive or negative) or ε-near-zero; moreover, if clustered or combined with other nanoparticles, it is possible to generate also effective magnetic permeability (positive or negative), and an ad-hoc design would result in the generation of double negative materials, and therefore backward wave propagation. However, losses are usually significant and affect the metamaterial performance. In this work, we report on the possibility of adopting fluorescent dye molecules or quantum dots, optically pumped, embedded into the dielectric cores of the employed nanoshell particles, and provide loss-compensation in ordered 3D periodic arrays at optical frequencies. Each spherical nanoshell is modeled as an electric dipole. We consider nanoparticles with gold and silver shells. We then find the modes with complex wavenumber in the metamaterial, and describe the composite material in terms of homogenized effective material parameters (refractive index and permittivity). Furthermore, in case of loss-compensation, we compare the results obtained from modal analysis with the ones computed by using two different homogenization methods: (i) Maxwell Garnett homogenization theory and (ii) Nicholson-Ross-Weir retrieval method. We show the design of two ε-near-zero metamaterials with low losses by simulating gain material made of dyes or quantum dots with realistic parameters. A brief discussion about the employment of the two kinds of active gain materials adopted here is given in the end. © 2012 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

We characterize the modes with real and complex wavenumbers for both longitudinal and transverse polarization states (with respect to the mode traveling direction) in three dimensional (3D) periodic arrays of titanium dioxide (TiO2) microspheres in the frequency range between 250 GHz and 350 GHz. Modal results are computed by using a single magnetic dipole approximation (SDA) and an SDA model with correction (SDA-WC) that assumes the array to be embedded in a host with an effective permittivity computed through Maxwell Garnett formulas. Moreover, for the transverse polarization case, modal wavenumbers are computed also by fitting the full-wave simulation magnetic field (one point per unit cell) in a finite thickness structure, and their agreement and disagreement are discussed. The longitudinal polarization is not affected by the artificial correction introduced in the SDA-WC; in the transverse polarization case, instead, the correction is needed to obtain results in better agreement with the full-wave data fit. In the observed frequency range, there are one longitudinal mode and two transverse modes, one forward and one backward, where the forward one is "dominant" (i.e., it contributes mostly to the field in the array). Therefore, in the case of transverse polarization, we describe the composite material in terms of homogenized refractive index and relative permeability, comparing results from (i) modal analysis (with and without correction), (ii) Maxwell Garnett formulas, and (iii) Nicolson-Ross-Weir retrieval method from scattering parameters of finite thickness structures. The agreement among the different methods justifies the performed homogenization procedure in the case of transverse polarization. We show that artificial magnetism is generated from a nonmagnetic composite material. © 2012 Optical Society of America.

We compensate for the losses in 3D arrays of nanoshells through quantum dots embedded in the nanoshells' cores, to achieve ε-near-zero metamaterials at optical frequencies. Results show loss-compensation or gain-capability in a narrow frequency band. © OSA 2012.

We propose the control of the radiation of an optical leaky wave antenna through optical pumping schemes. A bi-directional pumping is eventually adopted, and the tunability of the radiation is observed © 2011 IEEE.

We introduce a dual polarized near-field focusing plate (DP-NFFP) with focusing in two dimensions, designed to operate at the near infrared frequency of 193 THz (λ(0) = 1550 nm). Subwavelength focusing in two dimensions, for both incident polarizations, is achieved at a distance of a quarter wavelength from the DP-NFFP. The design procedure is described in detail and the proposed design could be easily scaled to other working frequencies, from microwave to optics. We show that the use of ideal lossless (i.e., perfect electric conductor) or real lossy (i.e., silver) metals provide with subwavelength focusing at 193 THz, indicating that metal losses do not significantly affect the DP-NFFP performance, and thus confirming the design feasibility at the near-infrared frequency. Results are validated by using two distinct full-wave simulators.

In this work we introduce a novel near-field focusing plate able to provide sub-wavelength focusing in both directions, parallel to the plate, as well as for both polarizations of the illuminating plane wave at microwave frequencies. Two similar designs are proposed: the first one is made of a thick metallic plate, whereas the second one is made of a thin copper plate fabricated on top of a Rogers 5880 dielectric substrate. The focusing behavior of these structures is analyzed with Ansys HFSS and CST Microwave Studio full-wave simulators. © 2011 IEEE.

An optical leaky wave antenna (OLWA) is a device that radiates a light wave into the surrounding space from a leaky wave (LW) guided mode or receives optical power from the surrounding space into a guided optical mode. In this work, we propose and provide a 3D analysis of a novel CMOS compatible OLWA made of a silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguide comprising periodic silicon perturbations which allow electronic tuning capability. The analysis presented here includes the effect of the number of semiconductor perturbations, the antenna radiation pattern and directivity. We show that the number of the silicon perturbations has to be large to provide a long radiating section required to achieve radiation with high directivity. In other words, the proposed structure allows for a very narrow-beam radiation. Preliminary results are confirmed by exploiting leaky wave and antenna array factor theory, as well as verified by means of two full-wave simulators (HFSS and COMSOL). Our purpose is to ultimately use PIN junctions as building blocks for each silicon implantation for the electronic control of the radiation. In particular, the electronic tunability of the optical parameters of silicon (such as refractive index and absorption coefficient) via current injection renders itself the ideal platform for optical antennas that can facilitate electronic beam control, and boost the efficiency of optoelectronic devices such as light-emitting diodes, lasers and solar cells, and bio-chemical sensors. © 2011 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Erbium-based plasmonic-assisted vertical emitters at telecommunication wavelengths have been investigated. We show that net gain and array of lasers are achievable. © 2011 IEEE.

We propose a design of a dielectric (silicon nitride) optical leaky wave antenna (OLWA) with periodic semiconductor (silicon) corrugations, capable of producing narrow beam radiation. The optical antenna radiates a narrow beam because a leaky wave (LW) with low attenuation constant is excited at one end of the corrugated dielectric waveguide. We show that pointing angle, beam-width, and operational frequency are all related to the LW complex wavenumber, whose value depends on the amount of silicon perturbations in the waveguide. In this paper, the propagation constant and the attenuation coefficient of the LW in the periodic structure are extracted from full-wave simulations. The far-field radiation patterns in both glass and air environments predicted by LW theory agree well with the ones obtained by full-wave simulations. We achieve a directive radiation pattern in glass environment with about 17.5 dB directivity and 1.05 degree beam-width at the operative free space wavelength of 1.55 mu m, pointing at a direction orthogonal to the waveguide (broadside direction). We also show that the use of semiconductor corrugations facilitate electronic tuning of the radiation pattern via carrier injection. (C)2011 Optical Society of America

In this paper, complex modes in a linear chain of gold nanospheres are analyzed, accounting for metal losses. Dispersion diagrams are computed for travelling modes with both longitudinal and transverse (with respect to the array axis) polarization states. The procedure outlined in this work allows for the description of single mode evolution varying frequency, thus the modal dispersion diagrams are composed by the superposition of all the different modes in the one dimensional array. Each nanoparticle is modeled as an electric dipole, by adopting the single dipole approximation, and the complex zeroes of the homogeneous equation characterizing the field in the periodic structure are computed. The Ewald method is employed to analytically continue the periodic Green's function into the complex spectral domain and to achieve rapid convergence. Full characterization of the modes is provided in terms of their direction of propagation (forward/backward), their guidance and radiation properties (bound/leaky), the position of their wavenumber on the Riemann sheet (proper/improper), and also in terms of their possible physical excitation in the structure by a source in proximity of the array or a defect (physical/nonphysical modes). Understanding the modes excitable in this kind of structures is essential for possible applications in which the linear chain can be employed, from near-field enhancement to SERS, and innovative sensors. © 2011 SPIE.

Complex optical modes in 3D-periodic arrays of metallic nanospheres are analyzed at optical frequencies for both longitudinal and transversal (with respect to the mode traveling direction) polarization states. Each nanosphere of the array is modeled to act as a single dipole by using the single dipole approximation approach, and the metal permittivity is described by the Drude model. Complex mode dispersion diagrams, the figure of merit and effective refractive index versus frequency are shown and compared with those obtained with Maxwell Garnett homogenization theory. Comparison with effective permittivity retrieved by scattering parameters of finite-thickness structures will be shown during the presentation. © 2011 IEEE.

Resonances of symmetric and antisymmetric polarization states in tightly coupled nanoshell particles made of either a metallic core and a dielectric shell or, vice versa, a dielectric core and a metallic shell were analyzed at optical frequencies. The investigation was performed by using the single dipole approximation (SDA) with all the dynamical retarded field terms included. Furthermore, analytic formulas for the four possible resonances were derived for the first time by retaining only the static (non-retarded) term in the dipolar field expression. The image principle was used to distinguish a priori between symmetric and antisymmetric modes and for full-wave simulations performed to confirm the identification of resonances achieved by the SDA. It was observed that the resonance frequencies of a pair of nanoshells can be tuned over a wide range of wavelength/frequencies by varying the relative dimensions of the core and shell. This makes this kind of particle pairs suited very well to be adopted either as constituents of metamaterials or to enhance local fields when operating frequencies range from the visible to the infrared spectral regions. © 2010 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

The method proposed in this work has been tested on a square plate of dimension λ/10. The performance of the Helmholtz stable solver proposed in this work are compared with the one of a standard ACA solver [5] (Fig 2). The impedance matrix precision is set equal to 10−3 for both solvers. From the figure it is clear that while the standard fast solver has a deterioration in the spectrum, the method proposed in this work is still maintaining the regular spectral properties of the uncompressed hierarchical impedance matrix.

Ultrafast optical excitation of photocarriers has the potential to transform undoped semiconductor superlattices into semiconductor hyperbolic metamaterials (SHMs). In this paper, we investigate the optical properties associated with such ultrafast topological transitions. We first show reflectance, transmittance, and absorption under TE and TM plane wave incidence. In the unpumped state, the superlattice exhibits a frequency region with high reflectance (>80%) and a region with low reflectance (

We employ both the effective medium approximation (EMA) and Bloch theory to compare the dispersion properties of semiconductor hyperbolic metamaterials (SHMs) at mid-infrared frequencies and metallic hyperbolic metamaterials (MHMs) at visible frequencies. This analysis reveals the conditions under which the EMA can be safely applied for both MHMs and SHMs. We find that the combination of precise nanoscale layering and the longer infrared operating wavelengths puts the SHMs well within the effective medium limit and, in contrast to MHMs, allows for the attainment of very high photon momentum states. In addition, SHMs allow for new phenomena such as ultrafast creation of the hyperbolic manifold through optical pumping. In particular, we examine the possibility of achieving ultrafast topological transitions through optical pumping which can photo-dope appropriately designed quantum wells on the femtosecond time scale.

We experimentally demonstrate efficient third harmonic generation from an indium tin oxide (ITO) nanofilm (lambda/42 thick) on a glass substrate for a pump wavelength of 1.4 um. A conversion efficiency of 3.3x10^-6 is achieved by exploiting the field enhancement properties of the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) mode with an enhancement factor of 200. This nanoscale frequency conversion method is applicable to other plasmonic materials and reststrahlen materials in proximity of the longitudinal optical phonon frequencies., 13 pages, 5 figures

We demonstrate numerically that two-dimensional arrays of ultrathin CdTe nano-cylinders on Ag can serve as an effective broadband anti-reflection structure for solar cell applications. Such devices exhibit strong absorption properties, mainly in the CdTe semiconductor regions, and can produce short-circuit current densities of 23.4 mA/cm(2), a remarkable number in the context of solar cells given the ultrathin dimensions of our nano-cylinders. The strong absorption is enabled via excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) under plane wave incidence. In particular, we identified the key absorption mechanism as enhanced fields of the SPP standing waves residing at the interface of CdTe nano-cylinders and Ag. We compare the performance of Ag, Au, and Al substrates, and observe significant improvement when using Ag, highlighting the importance of using low-loss metals. Although we use CdTe here, the proposed approach is applicable to other solar cell materials with similar absorption properties.

We employ the generalized Lorentz-Lorenz method to investigate how both magnetoelectric coupling and spatial dispersion influence the artificial magnetic capabilities at terahertz frequencies of the representative case of a metamaterial consisting of a three-dimensional (3D) lattice of TiO2 microspheres. The complex wavenumber dispersion relations pertaining to modes supported by the array, traveling along one of the principal axes of the array with electric or magnetic field polarized transversely and longitudinally (with respect to the mode traveling direction), are studied and thoroughly characterized. One mode with transverse polarization is dominant at any given frequency for the analyzed dimensions, proving that the 3D lattice can be treated as a homogeneous medium with defined electromagnetic material parameters. We show, however, that bianisotropy is a direct consequence of magnetoelectric coupling, and the dyadic expressions of both effective and equivalent material parameters are derived. In particular, we analyze the effect of spatial dispersion on the effective parameters relative to a composite material made by a 3D lattice of TiO2 microspheres with filling fraction around 30% and near the first Mie magnetic dipolar resonance. Finally, we homogenize the metamaterial in terms of equivalent index and impedance, and by comparison with full-wave simulations, we explain the presence of the unphysical antiresonance permittivity behavior observed in previous work. © 2014 Optical Society of America.

We theoretically analyze the second harmonic generation capacity of two-dimensional periodic metamaterials comprising sub-wavelength resonators strongly coupled to intersubband transitions in quantum wells (QWs) at mid-infrared frequencies. The metamaterial is designed to support a fundamental resonance at ∼30 THz and an orthogonally polarized resonance at the second harmonic frequency (∼60 THz), while the asymmetric quantum well structure is designed to provide a large second order susceptibility. Upon continuous wave illumination at the fundamental frequency we observe second harmonic signals in both the forward and backward directions, with the forward efficiency being larger. We calculate the overall second harmonic conversion efficiency of the forward wave to be ∼1.3 × 10−2 W/W2—a remarkably large value, given the deep sub-wavelength dimensions of the QW structure (about 1/15th of the free space wavelength of 10 μm). The results shown in this Letter provide a strategy for designing easily fabricated sources across the entire infrared spectrum through proper choice of QW and resonator designs.

Achieving single-mode laser operation in nanowire lasers remains a challenge due to a lack of mode selection approaches. We have implemented single-mode lasing using distributed feedback by externally coupling gallium nitride nanowires to a dielectric grating to achieve mode-control. The effective periodicity of the grating experienced by the nanowire was altered using nanomanipulation to change the angular alignment between the nanowire and the grating. The effective periodicity controls the spectral location of the distributed feedback stop-band. Single-mode emission was achieved at an alignment, where the designed periodicity of the grating was experienced by the nanowire.

We investigate local electromagnetic field enhancements in oligomers of plasmonic nanospheres. We first evaluate via full-wave simulations the field between spheres in several oligomer systems: linear dimers, linear trimers, trimers 60°, trimers 90° and linear quadrumers. To gain a better understanding of the field enhancement values, we compare the results with local fields in a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) configuration with same structural dimensions. We then inter-relate the field enhancement values found via full-wave simulations to SERS enhancements of actual fabricated self-assembled oligomers. We find that linear oligomers provide the largest field enhancement values. Finally, we provide closed-form formulas for the prediction of the resonance frequency responsible for field enhancement in linear oligomers, namely dimers, trimers and quadrumers, modeling each nanosphere as a single electric dipole. These formulas provide with resonance values less than 7% shifted when compared to full-wave results even when the gap between spheres is only about one fifth of the radius, showing the powerfulness of dipolar approximations. The results shown in this paper demonstrate that ad hoc clusters of nanospheres can be designed and fabricated to obtain larger field enhancements than with the HCP structure and this may pave the way for the development of improved sensors for molecular spectroscopy. © 2013 Optical Society of America.

We characterize the modes with complex wavenumber for both longitudinal and transverse polarization states (with respect to the mode traveling direction) in three dimensional (3D) periodic arrays of plasmonic nanospheres, including metal losses. The Ewald representation of the required dyadic periodic Green's function to represent the field in 3D periodic arrays is derived from the scalar case, which can be analytically continued into the complex wavenumber space. We observe the presence of one longitudinal mode and two transverse modes, one forward and one backward. Despite the presence of two modes for transverse polarization, we notice that the forward one is "dominant" (i.e., it contributes most to the field in the array). Therefore, in case of transverse polarization, we describe the composite material in terms of a homogenized effective refractive index, comparing results from (i) modal analysis, (ii) Maxwell Garnett theory, (iii) Nicolson-Ross-Weir retrieval method from scattering parameters for finite thickness structures (considering different thicknesses, showing consistency of results), and (iv) the fitting of the fields obtained through HFSS simulations. The agreement among the different methods justifies the performed homogenization procedure in case of transverse polarization.

We report on the possibility of adopting active gain materials (specifically, made of fluorescent dyes) to mitigate the losses in a 3D periodic array of dielectric-core metallic-shell nanospheres. We find the modes with complex wavenumber in the structure, and describe the composite material in terms of homogenized effective permittivity, comparing results from modal analysis and Maxwell Garnett theory. We then design two metamaterials in which the epsilon-near-zero frequency region overlaps with the emission band of the adopted gain media, and we show that metamaterials with effective parameters with low losses are feasible, thanks to the gain materials. Even though fluorescent dyes embedded in the nanoshells’ dielectric cores are employed in this study, the formulation provided is general, and could account for the usage of other active materials, such as semiconductors and quantum dots.

Bound and leaky modes with complex wavenumber in chains (linear arrays) of plasmonic nanospheres are characterized for both longitudinal and transverse polarization states (with respect to the array axis). The proposed method allows for the description of each mode evolution when varying frequency. As a consequence, full characterization of the guided modes with complex wavenumber is provided in terms of propagation direction, guidance or radiance, proper or improper, and physical or nonphysical conditions. Each nanosphere is modeled according to the single dipole approximation, and the metal permittivity is described by the Drude model. Modal wavenumbers are obtained by computing the complex zeroes of the homogeneous equation characterizing the field in the one dimensional periodic array. The required periodic Green's function is analytically continued into the complex wavenumber space by using the Ewald method. Furthermore, a parametric analysis of the mode wavenumbers is performed with respect to the geometrical parameters of the array.

Two-dimensional periodic arrays of noble metal nanospheres support a variety of optical phenomena, including bound and leaky modes of several types. The scope of this paper is the characterization of the modal dispersion diagrams of planar arrays of silver nanospheres, with the ability to follow individual modal evolutions. The metal spherical nanoparticles are described using the single dipole approximation technique by including all the retarded dynamic field terms. Polarizability of the nanospheres is provided by the Mie theory. Dispersion diagrams for both physical and nonphysical modes are shown for a square lattice of Ag nanospheres for the case of lossless and lossy metal particles, with dipole moments polarized along the x, y, and z directions. Though an array with one set of parameters has been studied, the analysis method and classification are general. The evolution of modes through different Riemann sheets and analysis of guidance and radiation are studied in detail. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

We present ultra-strong light-matter interaction of a metamaterial mode and an intersubband transition for normal incidence radiation in the mid-infrared spectral region. The anti-crossed lines show a splitting of 15% of the central frequency. © 2013 The Optical Society.

We have demonstrated single-mode lasing in a single gallium nitride nanowire using distributed feedback by external coupling to a dielectric grating. By adjusting the nanowire grating alignment we achieved a mode suppression ratio of 17dB.

We present a complex-mode analysis of an ε-near-zero metamaterial slab made of chains of core-shell nanocylinders. The mesoscopic nature of the slab induces narrowband, strong, effective nonlocal response mediated by leaky modes. © OSA 2013.

We analyze strongly coupled systems that use metasurface resonators and provide an electrodynamic model based on the quasi-static electric near fields that can be used to predict and maximize Rabi splitting varying resonator geometry.

We investigate enhanced harmonic generation processes in gain-assisted, near-zero permittivity metamaterials composed of spherical plasmonic nanoshells. We report the presence of narrow-band features in transmission, reflection and absorption induced by the presence of an active material inside the core of the nanoshells. The damping-compensation mechanism used to achieve the near-zero effective permittivity condition also induces a significant increase in field localization and strength and, consequently, enhancement of linear absorption. When only metal nonlinearities are considered, second and third harmonic generation efficiencies obtained by probing the structure in the vicinity of the near-zero permittivity condition approach values as high as for irradiance value as low as . These results clearly demonstrate that a relatively straightforward path now exists to the development of exotic and extreme nonlinear optical phenomena in the KW/cm2 range

We predict enhanced second-harmonic generation in low-damping epsilon-near-zero slabs made of plasmonic nanoshells. We further discuss the contribution of nonlocal effects induced by free-electron gas pressure in metals to the nonlinear response of the slab. © OSA 2013.

We present the design and realization of strong light-matter coupling in monolithic metamaterial nanocavities. We achieve a Rabi frequency of 2.5 THz (corresponding to a polariton splitting of 20%) in a mode volume of 1.34t10m3(l/n)3