Search Results (135)

Laser-driven proton acceleration in hydrogen-rich media can be strongly modified by embedded plasmonic nanoantennas that localize electromagnetic energy on nanometer scales. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) project at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has achieved 8.6 MJ of fusion energy output from an estimated 2 MJ of energy delivered to the target. This has led to several laser fusion startup projects. Most of these operate on the same principle as the NIF project: relatively slow, mechanical compression and the resulting large thermal temperature increase. Most often, cryogenically frozen deuterium–tritium fuel is used in this reaction. This initial conventional method has disadvantages. The strongly compressed target expands faster than the fusion burn from the ignited center, so only a small part of the target fuses, and slow mechanical instabilities may also develop. The NAPLIFE Collaboration uses another method with radiation-dominated limited compression, aiming for simultaneous ignition. This is achieved by nanotechnology; laser light absorption is regulated by resonant nanoantennas. Full article

Surface plasmons are collective oscillations of electrons that can confine light within extremely tiny nanoscale spaces, acting to enhance the spectral signals (such as Raman and circular dichroism) of molecules. Borrowed from circular dichroism in chemistry, plasmonic local circular dichroism (CD) refers to the difference in electric field enhancement excited by left-handed (LCP) and right-handed (RCP) circularly polarized light in a nanogap. Nanosphere trimers have been employed to realize local CD. However, spherical nanoparticles exhibit a small gap area and poor structural stability. In this article, we propose asymmetric nanocylinder trimers on SiO₂/Si substrate to realize a strong local CD signal. In contrast to nanospheres, nanocylinder sidewalls increase effective gap areas and can be obtained by nanofabrication. We find that the asymmetric nanocylinder trimer achieves a local CD parameter 0.94 under the excitation of 782 nm. This strong local CD within the gaps mainly originates from the near-field interference between different modes generated by circularly polarized light. Furthermore, the gap distance and symmetry have a significant influence on the local CD. A giant local CD can be obtained for small gaps (1 nm) and right-angle trimers. These results provide a physical basis for the development of plasmonic CD and chirality, and they are of interest for the field of nanosensors, nanoantennas, solar energy conversion, and polarization-dependent photochemistry. Full article

Since its introduction in 2006, DNA origami has enabled the fabrication of a wide variety of two- and three-dimensional DNA nanostructures. From the very beginning, researchers have explored these nanostructures as programmable nanobreadboards with hundreds of uniquely addressable positions, allowing precise spatial arrangement of biomolecules, fluorophores, and nanoparticles. This capability has been leveraged to create functional DNA nanomachines capable of single-molecule detection. Here, DNA origami is utilized to precisely engineer various nanoarchitectures, such as conformational switches and plasmonic hotspots. Through coupling of these concepts with tailored readout strategies, true single-molecule detection can be achieved. This literature review systematically examines the development of DNA origami-based single-molecule detection concepts. We first explore general design principles to produce functional DNA nanostructures, followed by an overview of non-fluorescence-based approaches employing atomic force microscopy, nanopores, and optical nanoantennas with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy readout, as well as fluorescence-based approaches relying on dynamic DNA nanostructures and optical nanoantennas with fluorescent readout. We highlight key trends as well as the remaining technology gaps that should be bridged to further advance DNA origami towards next-generation single-molecule detection. Full article

We present the development of an infrared sensor based on a meta surface utilizing Dolmen plasmonic nanostructures. This meta surface is engineered to enhance the absorption of infrared light at a specific wavelength. The sensor is optimized for high sensitivity and selectivity in the infrared spectrum. This straightforward meta surface sensor shows promise for various applications, including gas sensing, biosensing, and security. The design is compact and easy to fabricate with studied fabrication tolerance ensuring reliable performance. The sensor was tested for water-based sensing applications, and we tested its performance by using different materials such as ZrN, TiN, Cr, and Au on silicon dioxide. In a separate configuration, a gold nanostructure was fabricated on a silicon layer over a silicon dioxide base to examine the resulting plasmonic response. The results surpass those of other water quality sensors, underscoring the potential of this design for high-performance sensing. The sensor’s high sensitivity and low fabrication costs make it a promising technology for future sensing and monitoring applications. Full article

Metallic nanoantennas are promising structures for enhancing energy transfer in high-intensity laser–matter interactions, especially in nanoplasmonic-assisted fusion. Under ultrashort laser pulses, they generate strong localized fields, modify ionization dynamics, and significantly affect charge acceleration in dense media. In this work, we present a comprehensive particle-in-cell (PIC) study of gold nanoantennas of various geometries—dipoles, planar crosses, three-dimensional crosses, and Yagi-inspired planar structures—irradiated by near-infrared femtosecond pulses at intensities at a range of ~4 × 10¹⁷–4 × 10¹⁸ W/cm². The antenna structures are embedded in a dense hydrogen-rich medium, allowing us to follow electron emission, gold ionization, and proton acceleration self-consistently. Crossed and Yagi-type geometries exhibit more robust resonant behavior than dipoles, with higher field localization and greatly reduced sensitivity to incident polarization. The proton energies increase to ~200 keV at 4 × 10¹⁷ W/cm², and saturate around ~300 keV at a higher intensity >~4 × 10¹⁸ W/cm², dependent on the geometry. This happens largely due to a rapid loss of conduction electrons from the gold structures. Our results highlight Yagi-based and cross-based nanoantennas as promising resonant dopes for laser-driven energy coupling and point toward optimized multi-arm architectures for future nanofusion-target engineering applications. Full article

Quantum dots combine advantages such as strong processability via solution methods, wide color gamut coverage, and precise emission color coordinates, making them highly promising for applications in optoelectronic devices. However, they face limitations such as insufficient fluorescence intensity and low far-field extraction efficiency. Plasmonic nanocavities based on metallic nanostructures offer an efficient platform for regulating light–matter interactions. In this study, we constructed a tilted plasmonic nanocavity structure composed of a silver nanocube, CdSe/CdS nanorods, and a single-crystal silver microplate. An Al₂O₃ isolation layer prepared via atomic layer deposition was used to control the nanocavity gap, precisely matching the plasmonic resonance mode with the 620 nm fluorescence emission of the quantum dots. This coupling system significantly enhances the radiative rate in the emission band and the electric field strength in the excitation band, achieving a 187-fold luminescence enhancement of the quantum dot. Additionally, leveraging the nano-antenna effect, the fluorescence exhibits upward directional emission. Experimental and simulation results confirm the high-efficiency enhancement and directional control of quantum dot fluorescence by the tilted nanocavity, providing new insights for the integrated application of quantum dots in displays, quantum communication, and other fields. Full article

Laser-driven ion acceleration in dense, hydrogen-rich media can be significantly enhanced by embedding metallic nanoantennas that support localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonances. Using large-scale particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations with the EPOCH code, we investigate how nanoantenna geometry and laser pulse parameters influence proton acceleration in gold-doped polymer targets. The study covers dipole, crossed, and advanced 3D-cross antenna configurations under laser intensities of 10¹⁷–10¹⁹ W/cm² and pulse durations from 2.5 to 500 fs, corresponding to experimental conditions at the ELI laser facility. Results show that the dipole antennas exhibit resonance-limited proton energies of ~0.12 MeV, with optimal acceleration at the intensities 4 × 10¹⁷–1 × 10¹⁸ W/cm² and pulse durations around 100–150 fs. This energy is higher by roughly three orders of magnitude than the proton energy for the same field and same polymer without dopes: ~1–2 × 10⁻⁴ MeV. Crossed antennas achieve higher energies (~0.2 MeV) due to dual-mode plasmonic coupling that sustains local fields longer. Advanced 3D and Yagi-like geometries further enhance field localization, yielding proton energies up to 0.4 MeV and larger high-energy proton populations. For dipole antennas, experimental data from ELI exists and our results agree with it. We find that moderate pulses preserve plasmonic resonance for longer and improve energy transfer efficiency, while overly intense pulses disrupt the resonance early. These findings reveal that plasmonic field enhancement and its lifetime govern energy transfer efficiency in laser–matter interaction. Crossed and 3D geometries with optimized spacing enable multimode resonance and sequential proton acceleration, overcoming the saturation limitations of simple dipoles. The results establish clear design principles for tailoring nanoantenna geometry and pulse characteristics to optimize compact, high-energy proton sources for inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density applications. Full article

Mie voids have been recently demonstrated as a promising nanophotonic platform for light manipulation and optical sensing. Moreover, the detection volumes of Mie void cavities exceed those of optical nanoantennas, making them appropriate for low-concentration single-molecule fluorescence biosensing. However, the fluorescence enhancement quantification of diffusing molecules in such optical antenna systems has not been addressed. Here, we explore Mie void ability to enhance the single-molecule fluorescence of diffusing fluorophores AF647 with the help of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The optimized structure confines 635 nm laser light within a well-defined excitation volume in the Mie void and provides the excitation intensity enhancement. We monitor the reduction in the number of molecules, signifying the detection volume reduction in the Mie void and an increase in single-molecule brightness up to 2.8 times. However, we reveal that the observed fluorescence enhancement appears limited owing to the azimuthally symmetric emission direction away from the optical axis when the molecules diffuse in the vicinity of the Mie void entrance. Altogether, this study demonstrates exploration of Mie void-based nanoantenna potential for single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy applications. Full article

A new framework that can be utilized for the electrodynamics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with non-local surface conductivity (spatial dispersion) is presented. The model of non-local conductivity is developed on the basis of the Kubo technique applied to the Dirac equation for pseudospins. As a result, the effective boundary conditions for the electromagnetic (EM) field on a CNT surface are formulated. The dispersion relation for the eigenmodes of an infinitely long CNT is obtained and analyzed. It is shown that due to nonlocality, a new type of eigenmode is created that disappears in the local conductivity limit. These eigenmodes should be properly accounted for in the correct formulation of the CNT end conditions for the surface current, which are manifested in the EM-field scattering problem. Additional boundary conditions that consider nonlocality effects are also formulated based on the exact solution obtained for the surface current by means of using the Wiener–Hopf (WH) technique for a semi-infinite CNT. The scattering pattern of the EM-field is simulated by a finite-length model of a CNT, using a numerically solved integral equation for the surface current density and its approximate analytical solution. Thus, the scattering field of a CNT, prevailing in a wide frequency range from THz to infrared light, is analytically solved and analyzed. Potential applications for the design of nanoantennas and other electronic devices, including pointing out some future directions, are also discussed. Full article

This work presents an end-to-end encryption–decryption framework for securing electromagnetic signals processed through a nanoantenna. The system integrates amplitude normalization, uniform quantization, and Reed–Solomon forward error correction with key establishment via ECDH and bitwise XOR encryption. Two signal types were evaluated: a synthetic Gaussian pulse and a synthetic voice waveform, representing low- and high-entropy data, respectively. For the Gaussian signal, reconstruction achieved an RMSE = 11.42, MAE = 0.86, PSNR = 26.97 dB, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.8887. The voice signal exhibited elevated error metrics, with an RMSE = 15.13, MAE = 2.52, PSNR = 24.54 dB, and Pearson correlation = 0.8062, yet maintained adequate fidelity. Entropy analysis indicated minimal changes between the original signal and the reconstructed signal. Furthermore, avalanche testing confirmed strong key sensitivity, with single-bit changes in the key altering approximately 50% of the ciphertext bits. The findings indicate that the proposed pipeline ensures high reconstruction quality with lightweight encryption, rendering it suitable for environments with limited computational resources. Full article

Noble metal nanostructures have garnered significant attention for their exceptional optical properties, particularly Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR), which enables pronounced near-field electromagnetic enhancements. Among these, bowtie nanoantennas (BNAs) are distinguished by their intense plasmonic coupling within nanogap regions, making them highly effective for applications such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). However, the practical utility of conventional BNAs is often hindered by small hotspot areas and significant scattering losses at their peak near-field enhancement wavelengths. To overcome these limitations, we have designed a novel notch metal-insulator-metal bowtie nanoantenna (NMIM-BNA) structure. This innovative design integrates dielectric materials with Ag-BNA nanostructures and strategically positions arrays of silver (Ag) nanorods within the central nanogap. By coupling the larger NMIM-BNA framework with these smaller Ag nanorod arrays, higher-order plasmon modes (often referred to as dark modes) are effectively excited. Consequently, the NMIM-BNA exhibits substantial electric field enhancement, particularly at the Fano dip wavelength, arising from the efficient coupling of these higher-order plasmon modes with dipole plasmon modes. Compared to conventional Ag-BNA nanoantennas, our NMIM-BNA provides a significantly larger hotspot region and an enhanced near-field amplification factor, underscoring its strong potential for advanced SERS applications. Full article

Metasurfaces, composed of engineered nanoantennas, enable unprecedented control over electromagnetic waves by leveraging multipolar resonances to tailor light–matter interactions. This review explores key physical mechanisms that govern their optical properties, including the role of multipolar resonances in shaping metasurface responses, the emergence of bound states in the continuum (BICs) that support high-quality factor modes, and the Purcell effect, which enhances spontaneous emission rates at the nanoscale. These effects collectively underpin the design of advanced photonic devices with tailored spectral, angular, and polarization-dependent properties. This review discusses recent advances in metasurfaces and applications based on them, highlighting research that employs full-wave numerical simulations, analytical and semi-analytic techniques, multipolar decomposition, nanofabrication, and experimental characterization to explore the interplay of multipolar resonances, bound and quasi-bound states, and enhanced light–matter interactions. A particular focus is given to metasurface-enhanced photodetectors, where structured nanoantennas improve light absorption, spectral selectivity, and quantum efficiency. By integrating metasurfaces with conventional photodetector architectures, it is possible to enhance responsivity, engineer photocarrier generation rates, and even enable functionalities such as polarization-sensitive detection. The interplay between multipolar resonances, BICs, and emission control mechanisms provides a unified framework for designing next-generation optoelectronic devices. This review consolidates recent progress in these areas, emphasizing the potential of metasurface-based approaches for high-performance sensing, imaging, and energy-harvesting applications. Full article

Directional coupling of light at the nanoscale plays a significant role in both fundamental research and practical applications, which are crucial for the development of on-chip photonic devices. In this work, we propose a broadband directional coupler for surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) utilizing a pair of obliquely perforated nanoslits. We demonstrate that tilting the slits significantly enhances the sensitivity of plasmonic coupling phase variation to the wavelength of the incident light, enabling precise wavelength-dependent control over SPP propagation. By optimizing the width and tilting angle of each nanoslit, we achieve an extinction ratio exceeding 10 dB with a bandwidth exceeding 400 nm and a maximum unidirectional transmission of up to 30 dB. This broadband directional SPP coupler presents a promising platform for the design and fabrication of integrated plasmonic circuits and high-performance optical devices and sensors. Full article

We perform the numerical study of the response of the media with golden nanoantennas upon irradiation by intense ~10¹⁷–10¹⁸ W/cm² short 0.1 ps laser pulses. We study the influence of resonant nanoantennas on the ionization process and on the ions’ energy evolution at various intensities of laser pulses. Numerical modeling is performed with the help of EPOCH software using the “particle-in-cell” numeral method. The response of resonating nanoantennas of dipole and crossed shapes, embedded in dense media, is studied. The dynamics of ionization and the energies of ions acquired during the passage of the laser pulse are studied. The differences in the ionization energies for nanoantennas of dipole and crossed shapes are explored. The ionization dynamics in the matter doped with nanoantennas is examined; crossed-shaped antennas are identified for the best energy absorption in high-intensity fields. Full article

The mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectral range can provide a larger bandwidth for optical sensing and communication when the near-infrared band becomes congested. This range of thermal signatures can provide more information for digital imaging and object recognition, which can be unraveled from polarization-sensitive detection by integrating the metasurface of the subwavelength-scale structured interface to control light–matter interactions. To enforce the metasurface-enabled simultaneous detection and parallel analysis of polarization states in a compact footprint for 4-micron wavelength, we designed a high-contrast germanium metasurface with an axially asymmetric triangular nanoantenna with a height 0.525 times the working wavelength. First, we optimized linear polarization separation of a 52-degree angle with about 50% transmission efficiency, holding the meta-element aspect ratio within the 3.5–1.67 range. The transmission modulation in terms of periodicity and lattice resonance for the phase-gradient high-contrast dielectric metasurface in correlation with the scattering cross-section for both 1D and 2D cases has been discussed for reducing the aspect ratio to overcome the nanofabrication challenge. Furthermore, by employing the geometric phase, we achieved 40% and 60% transmission contrasts for the linear and circular polarization states, respectively, and reconstructed the Stokes vectors and output polarization states. Without any spatial multiplexing, this single metasurface unit cell can perform well in the division of focal plane Stokes thermal imaging, with an almost 10-degree field of view, and it has an excellent refractive index and height tolerance for nanofabrication. Full article