Study of Plasmonics in Hybrid Nanostructures

等离子体和纳米光子学的研究有可能重塑金属纳米杂交体中光-物质相互作用的物理学及其在纳米技术和纳米医学中的应用。纳米杂化是由量子发射体、金属纳米结构、极性材料和光子晶体制成的。我们正在进入一个制造和数值模拟技术空前发展的时代，以了解纳米杂交体的物理特性。尽管人们普遍认为纳米杂交体将在科学技术中发挥重要作用，但研究人员仍在试图回答一个关键问题：纳米杂交体的散射光是如何增强或熄灭的，为什么散射光的强度取决于纳米杂交体的大小和形状？我的研究项目将通过理论表述、计算建模以及理论与实验的对比来回答这些关键问题。我们将具体评估由三种金属纳米结构制成的纳米杂化材料中的光散射：(1)无间隙材料（即石墨烯，锗烯，硅烯）；(2)贵金属（纳米球、纳米壳、纳米棱镜）和(3)超材料。此外，大脑中神经元的动力学特性将使用由神经元和石墨烯制成的纳米杂交体进行研究。

The study of plasmonics and nanophotonics has the potential to reshape the physics of light-matter interactions in metallic nanohybrids and their applications to nanotechnology and nanomedicine. Nanohybrids are made from quantum emitters, metallic nanostructures, polar materials and photonic crystals. We are entering an era of unprecedented development of fabrication and numerical simulation techniques to understand the physics of nanohybrids. Despite widespread recognitions that nanohybrids will play a significant role in science and technology, researchers are trying to answer the key question: how is the scattered light from nanohybrids enhanced or quenched and why does the intensity of the scattered light depend on the size and shapes of nanohybrids? My research program will answer these key questions through theoretical formulations, computational modeling and comparison between our theory and experiments. We will specifically assess the light scattering in nanohybrids fabricated from three types of metallic nanostructures: (1) gapless materials (i.e. graphene, germanene, silicene); (2) noble metals (nanospheres, nanoshells, nanoprism) and (3) metamaterials. In addition, the dynamical properties of neurons in the brain will be investigated using nanohybrids made from neurons and graphene. We will calculate surface plasmon polaritons by varying the shape and size of nanohybrids due to the coupling of light (photon) with surface plasmons. We will study the physics of the plasmon heating due to cold and hot carriers that are produced in metallic nanostructures due to the absorption of light from surface plasmons. The reduction of plasmon heating will improve the life of nanodevices. On the other hand, the enhancement of the plasmon heating can be used for photothermal cancer therapy. We will also work to understand the mechanism of the enhancement and quenching of the fluorescence in quantum emitters due to the exciton and surface plasmon polariton interactions. The enhancement of the fluorescence will improve the detection of smaller tumors in the human body. My research program will address questions at the forefront of plasmonic research and provide fundamental knowledge on light-matter interactions in nanohybrids. It will also help to fabricate plasmonic and photonic sensing and switching nanodevices. We have many international collaborations in place and expect to participate actively in plasmonics research. This research program will surely contribute to Canada's competitiveness in nanotechnology and nanomedicine and will provide a training environment that will allow my students to find employment in diverse sectors including academics, government and industry.