Ultrafast Optical and Terahertz Nonlinear, Strong Field Nanoplasmonics

最近纳米等离子体的出现为光子器件面临的许多挑战提供了全新的和有希望的解决方案，而目前超快光学和太赫兹(THz)科学和技术的进步促进了我们对光-物质相互作用和超高带宽信息处理的理解。虽然这些领域本质上是多学科的，涵盖了从原子物理到医学应用的各种学科，但它们的合并提供了大量的应用，并促进了我们对自然界中发生的各种基本过程的了解。这项研究通过获得新的超快物理和应用，利用了许多在超快现象和纳米等离子体中出现的机会。在这一框架下，我们将智能设备和结构的独特纳米级特性与其固有的超快响应结合在一起，以实现以下目标：利用纳米结构和低功率激光，研究强场激光与物质相互作用的物理过程；开发纳米级电子加速器；获得高太赫兹等离体场电子相互作用的新机制；以及产生飞秒自旋极化电子脉冲。该提案还绘制了超快太赫兹纳米显微镜和非线性太赫兹辐射-物质相互作用的新前沿，首次提供了观察物质和设备的实时原子和分子动力学电影的手段，并利用限制纳米结构访问高场非线性太赫兹制度。这两个领域都是理解半导体和纳米等离子体器件基础物理的关键。此外，为了克服当前电子器件的局限性并实现超快纳米芯片数字计算，我们将研究超快非线性纳米等离子体的使用，并提供两种创新的纳米等离子体器件平台(磁纳米等离子体和自旋等离子体)用于信息处理。因此，这涉及到揭开各种材料的物理面纱，并开发创新设备。与创造的新技术一起，这项研究将为学生提供在加拿大高科技行业中备受追捧的尖端技术和独特技能的强大培训。

The recent emergence of nanoplasmonics presents fundamentally new and promising solutions to many challenges faced by photonic devices, whereas current progress in ultrafast optical and terahertz (THz) science and technology have been advancing our understanding of light-matter interaction and ultrahigh bandwidth information processing. While these fields are multidisciplinary in nature, covering subjects that range from atomic physics to medical applications, their merger provides a multitude of applications and advances our knowledge of various fundamental processes occurring in nature. The research harnesses many emerging opportunities in ultrafast phenomena and nanoplasmonics by accessing new ultrafast physics and applications. Under this umbrella, we combine unique nanoscale properties of smart devices and structures with their inherent ultrafast response to: investigate the physics of strong-field laser-matter interaction into the nanoscale world using nanostructures and low-power lasers; develop nanoscale electron accelerators; access a new regime of high-THz plasmonic field-electron interactions; and generate femtosecond spin-polarized electron pulses. The proposal also charts new frontiers in ultrafast THz nanoscopy and nonlinear THz radiation-matter interaction, by providing means to observe, for the first time, real-time atomic and molecular dynamics movies of matter and devices and access the high-field nonlinear THz regime using confining nanostructures. Both areas are key to understanding fundamental physics in semiconductor and nanoplasmonic devices. Furthermore, to overcome the limitation of current electronic devices and to enable ultrafast nanochip digital computing, we will investigate the use of ultrafast nonlinear nanoplasmonics, and offer two innovative nanoplasmonic device platforms (magneto-nanoplasmonics and a Spinplasmonics) for information processing. As such, this involves the unveiling of the physics of various materials and developing innovative devices. Along with the novel technologies created, the research will provide the students with strong training in cutting-edge technologies and unique skills that are highly sought after in the Canadian high-tech industry.