Near-Field Optics of Fractals

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9500258 Shalaev Theoretical research will be conducted on optical processes in fractal aggregates and in self-affine thin films. These objects exhibit fascinating optical phenomena including huge enhancements of Raman scattering and optical phase conjugation signals. Optical modes in fractal objects appear to be strongly localized within ranges which are significantly less than the wavelength. The research will study these localized modes and the near-field structures associated with them. The localization of the optical excitations in fractals results in regions of high local fields leading to an enhancement of a number of optical processes. Because the nonlinear optical efficiency is so greatly enhanced in fractal aggregates of nano-particles and on self-affine surfaces, there is significant interest in developing them as a new class of optical and optoelectronic materialq. The research brings together two evolving fields, the optics of nano-composites and near-field optical microscopy. These fields are inherently connected in the case of fractals. %%% Theoretical research will be conducted on the nonlinear optical properties of aggregates of metallic particles and on rough thin films which are characterized by fractal dimensions - that is dimensions which are other than the usual two-and three-dimension which we are accustomed to. Besides looking at the fundamental behavior of these novel materials, potential device applications will be explored. ***