University of Birmingham > Talks@bham > Condensed Matter Physics Seminars > Non-linear Plasmonics: from Surface Second-harmonic Generation to Sub-wavelength Vortex Solitons

Non-linear Plasmonics: from Surface Second-harmonic Generation to Sub-wavelength Vortex Solitons

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

  • UserDr Nicolae Panoiu, University College London
  • ClockFriday 25 February 2011, 14:00-15:00
  • HousePhysics East 217.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Elizabeth Blackburn.

In the last decade, the advances in integrated optics and photonic nano-devices have been greatly accelerated by the availability of high-performance computing platforms and powerful numerical methods for device simulation and computer-aided design. Thus, high fabrication costs of complex photonic nano-devices make it imperative to have access to high-performance computational tools, which can greatly accelerate the device design process and shorten the design-fabrication-testing cycle. In this connection, in this talk we briefly review and compare several numerical methods that are commonly used to model the optical properties of plasmonic nano-structures and, subsequently, by using specific examples, we illustrate how these methods can be employed to explore the optical properties of plasmonic nano-structures, at sub-wavelength scale. Specifically, we demonstrate that the strong optical nonlinearity induced by the enhanced electromagnetic field associated with the excitation of surface-plasmon polaritons (SPPs) can change dramatically the physical characteristics of the non-linear interaction between electromagnetic waves and plasmonic nano-structures. As an example of such SPP induced non-linear optical effect, we show that one- and two-dimensional arrays of metallic nanowires embedded in an optical medium with cubic (Kerr) optical nonlinearity support sub-wavelength plasmonic solitons and plasmonic vortices. Finally, we demonstrate that the resonant excitation of localized SPPs can strongly enhance the non-linear scattering of plasmon waves upon their interaction with surface nano-defects and assemblies of metallic nanowires, leading to an increased efficiency of non-linear optical processes such as the surface second harmonic generation. A series of applications pertaining to sub-wavelength plasmonic nano-devices are also discussed.

This talk is part of the Condensed Matter Physics Seminars series.

Tell a friend about this talk:

This talk is included in these lists:

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.

 

Talks@bham, University of Birmingham. Contact Us | Help and Documentation | Privacy and Publicity.
talks@bham is based on talks.cam from the University of Cambridge.