CAREER: Near-Field Imaging for Nanoscale Visualization of Exciton-Plasmon Energy Transfer

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With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Habteyes at the University of New Mexico (UNM) is developing a new type of light microscope that is suited for measuring how light interacts among small particles on a surface within a few nanometers (one-billionth of a meter). This type of measurements provides new information to understand how small particles interact with each other and how to control light flow. It also helps to develop new materials for solar energy harvesting and environmental monitoring. Professor Habteyes is working with young scientists together on his interdisciplinary scientific research projects, including students from Highland High School over summer months. Professor Habteyes actively recruits students from the historically underrepresented groups to his lab and is developing new hands-on experiments for the undergraduate chemistry courses he teaches at UNM.Professor Habteyes develops a new type of super-resolution optical microscope that is referred to as near-field excitation and near-field detection (NFED). The new microscope allows him to investigate the interaction between excitonic semiconductor and plasmonic metal nanoscale materials by mapping the surface plasmon modes induced by exciton-plasmon energy transfer. Using the unique capability of the NFED technique and semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and metal nanostructures (MNSs) as model excitonic and plasmonic systems, he is working on understanding and controlling the behavior of self-assembled QDs that are coupled with plasmonic MNSs, investigating QD-MNS interaction by determining the exciton-plasmon energy transfer efficiency, separating the energy transfer process from other competing excitation decay channels, and understanding and optimizing interface properties so that the exciton-plasmon interaction is maximized and long range energy transfer can be achieved in conjugated excitonic and plasmonic materials. The coupling between excitonic and plasmonic materials promises enhanced light-matter interaction, control of photon emission, and creation of new metamaterials properties that do not exist in nature. Students working on this project are expected to learn broad set of skills, ranging from design and integration of nanomaterials to the development of state-of-the-art novel super-resolution near-field scanning optical microscopes. Professor Habteyes is also actively engaged in outreach to recruit STEM students from the underrepresented local groups.