Nonlinear Photonics with Metallic Nanostructures on Top of Dielectrics and Waveguides

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In this project we are going to investigate the optical properties of nanoscale mesoscopic metallic nanostructures and of strongly correlated materials. We want to study both isolated and strongly coupled nanoparticles. The optical properties are being investigated by continuous wave and by ultrafast (femtosecond and picosecond) spectroscopy. Metallic nanoparticles are becoming an important building block in nano-optics. However, in order to be able to localize light on a mesoscopic scale, it will be necessary to understand the exact mechanism how light couples to such nanostructures and how its energy is being transferred into electronic excitations (particle plasmons). Furthermore, it is necessary to unterstand how these excitations can transfer to neighboring particles and reradiate back into space. When arranging the particles into a regular metallic nano-structure, it will be necessary to understand the linear and nonlinear optical properties of such metamaterials. Our project aims to clarify the temporal dynamics and the control of light-matter coupling in metallic nanostructures. Strongly correlated materials are believed to have the potential for the fastest optical switches available. However, only a few experiments have so far proven the existence of theoretically calculated quasiparticles in these systems, such as magnons and spinons. Nearly nothing is known about the ultrafast temporal dynamics (lifetime and dephasing) of these quasiparticles. Our project aims to investigate these elementary processes, using state-of-the art and novel ultrafast methods.