Defining the classical and quantum limits of surface plasmon optics with hard-soft nanoantenna systems

题目：用纳米天线探索光学增强的极限非技术描述：纳米天线是下一代用于通信、传感、能量转换和光学成像应用的小型化光学系统的门户。本研究的目的是了解纳米级金属天线光操纵的物理极限。特别是，我们的目标是量化这些限制，并了解它们与金属天线几何形状的联系。我们将通过表征一个金属天线平台来探索天线几何形状和光学特性之间的关系，该平台可以作为机械应变的函数重新配置。这项研究将帮助我们开发基于纳米级光学器件的新技术，这些器件可以在其绝对物理极限下工作。例如，它可用于设计具有光学读出的超灵敏传感平台，这将成为新的基于光学的即时生物医学技术的基石。它也将帮助我们推进我们对利用纳米天线进行光催化和能量收集过程的绿色能源设备的理解。技术描述：光学天线在小型化光子系统中具有巨大的潜力，因为它们可以以前所未有的控制定制电磁场。这项NSF提案的研究目标是使用能够在极端机械控制下动态重新配置的设备来测量和量化经典和量子状态下的等离子体近场耦合和场增强现象。将追求三个研究目标：i)了解机械驱动天线中的光学模式如何转换；Ii)探索具有纳米级间隙的天线的非线性光学；并且，iii)了解对称性破缺如何控制光学模式。为了解决这些问题，提出了一种新型的机械可调谐纳米天线，由安装在弹性体上的等离子体天线组成。该项目的成果将填补量子等离子体领域的一个重要空白，并解决科学上尚未探索的重要基本问题，包括：耦合天线的基本场增强极限是什么？天线的化学表面修饰如何影响它们在量子等离子体状态下的近场耦合？器件重新配置如何使光学传感器具有极高的灵敏度？通过分析具有动态可调配置的单个天线，而不是具有不同静态配置的多个设备，消除了设备之间不受控制的制造变化所带来的不确定性。

Title: Exploring the limits of optical enhancement with nanoscale antennasNon-technical description: Nanoscale antennas are a gateway to the next generation of miniaturized optical systems for communications, sensing, energy conversion, and optical imaging applications. The purpose of this research is to understand the physical limits of light manipulation with nanoscale metal antennas. In particular, our goal is to quantify these limits and to understand their connection with metal antenna geometry. We will probe the relationship between antenna geometry and optical properties by characterizing a metal antenna platform that can reconfigure as a function of mechanical strain. This research will help us develop new technologies, based on nanoscale optical devices, which can operate at their absolute physical limits. For example, it can be used to design ultra-sensitive sensing platforms with optical readout, which will serve as the cornerstone for new optically-based point-of-care biomedical technologies. It will also help us advance our understanding of green energy devices that utilize nanoscale antennas for photocatalytic and energy harvesting processes.Technical description: Optical antennas have tremendous potential in miniaturized photonic systems because they can tailor electromagnetic fields with unprecedented control. The research goal of this NSF proposal is to measure and quantify plasmonic near-field coupling and field-enhanced phenomena in the classical and quantum regime using devices that can dynamically reconfigure with extreme mechanical control. Three research objectives will be pursued to: i) understand how optical modes transform in mechanically-actuated antennas; ii) explore the non-linear optics of antennas with nanoscale gap spacings; and, iii) understand how symmetry breaking can control optical modes. To address these objectives, a new type of mechanically-tunable nanoantenna, consisting of plasmonic antennas mounted onto an elastomer, is proposed. The project outcome will fill a significant void in the field of quantum plasmonics and address significant fundamental questions that are scientifically unexplored, including: what are the fundamental field-enhancement limits in coupled antennas? How can the chemical surface modification of antennas impact their near-field coupling in the quantum plasmonics regime? How can device reconfiguration enable extreme sensitivity in optical sensors? By analyzing individual antennas with dynamically tunable configurations, as oppose to multiple devices with differing static configurations, uncertainties due to uncontrolled fabrication variations from device to device are eliminated.