Nanostructures for Assisted Spectroscopy and Nonlinear Optics

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One of the next frontiers of integrated photonics is represented by the challenge of extending the use of optical techniques to nanometer length scales, overcoming the limit imposed by diffraction, which does not allow focusing light on dimensions smaller than roughly half a wavelength. Metallic nanoplasmonic structures have proven to be an efficient way to "squeeze" light on such dimensions, significantly enhancing the local field at the same time. These properties have been recently exploited for several applications in the visible spectral region including, for example, enhanced Raman scattering and single-molecule fluorescence. Given this unquestionable interest, I aim at developing at INRS-EMT a vigorous research program regarding the exploitation of nanoplasmonics in the mid-infrared (~2 - 20 µm) and terahertz (~20 - 1000 µm) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the framework of the present Discovery Grant, I intend to shed some light on the use of metallic nanostructures for assisting long-wavelength direct-absorption spectroscopies and nonlinear optics. More specifically, in the next five years, I will study: (i) the possibility of employing arrays of "nanoantennas" for enhancing terahertz spectroscopy of biomolecules, in view of some exciting applications in the early diagnosis of diseases; (ii) localized terahertz nonlinear optics mediated by nanoplasmonics, for its fundamental interest and for its possible use in next-generation terahertz nanoelectronic devices; (iii) a novel kind of mid-infrared nanoscope, capable of acquiring chemical maps of surfaces with nanometric resolution; and (iv) new nanoplasmonic tools for boosting mid-infrared nonlinear optical processes for applications in silicon photonics. The benefits of such an ambitious research program are twofold. First, the proposed investigation will pave the way to the development of new advanced technologies, consistently with the immediate needs of Canadian photonics industry. Second, it will also promote the training of highly qualified personnel to respond to the scientific and technological challenges of our modern society.