Designer photonics in nanostructured materials

当光透过最简单的材料时，无论是天然的还是合成的，任何光被吸收或透射的程度通常取决于制成材料的物质的光学性质。在复杂材料的情况下，特别是那些包含各种化学上不同的化合物的混合物，整体性质通常与单个发色团有关-这是一个包含强烈颜色产生成分的术语。一个熟悉的例子是叶绿素，它是任何叶子的一个相当小的成分，它不仅决定了植物的绿色颜色，而且还为光合作用收集光能。科学家们可以通过分析化学纯的样品来确定每种发色团的特征光学响应。这项新研究的核心原理是最近在多发色团结构中发现了全新的光学效应-例如，巧妙设计的人造材料可以基于聚合物或量子点纳米颗粒。令人惊讶的是，已经表明这些结构的光学性质实际上可以通过引入本身基本上透明的发色团来控制。该原理在设计光学材料和器件的广泛领域中具有潜在的非常广泛的应用。现代合成方法可以提供用于制造非常复杂的结构，其容易地适合于掺入特别定制的发色团组分。通过开发与这些透明添加剂相关的详细理论，将有可能预测和确定一系列可能的材料改性的影响。为了实现这些目标，有必要创建一个强大的理论，以确保预测完全基于可靠的数学，并正确地表示纳米级相互作用中发生的事情;这是整个企业的基础。该理论还必须解释各种量子效应，这些效应在这个尺度上是重要的。通过计算机建模，完整的理论可以应用于一系列合成材料，从而产生一个用户友好的计算机程序，供应用科学家直接使用。在激光实验室（位于世界100强大学之一的意大利顶尖理工大学）进行的平行实验研究将有助于验证该计划产生的结果是可靠的。实现对光在这些材料中的作用进行精确控制的能力将有助于工业科学家选择和优化关键的光学特性。这项研究的结果将支持新材料在广泛的重要技术领域的应用，对社会产生重大影响。全光交换过程将在计算、通信和信息存储中提供应用，并对未来移动的通信和平板设备的设计和操作产生影响。在光学成像领域，超快、高清晰度相机应用与静态图像捕获和视频馈送相关联。进一步的应用将利用我们现在所知道的光合作用机制;在这里，将应用于更高效的太阳能材料，更灵敏的医用光学传感器，以及基于激光的癌症治疗的新化合物。

When light shines through the simplest materials, whether natural or synthetic, the extent to which any light is absorbed or transmitted is generally determined by the optical properties of the substance from which the material is made. In the case of complex materials, especially those comprising a mixed variety of chemically different compounds, the bulk properties will usually be associated with individual chromophores - an all-embracing term for a strongly colour-producing component. A familiar example is chlorophyll, a rather minor component of any leaf, which not only determines the green colour in plants but also serves to collect light energy for photosynthesis. Scientists can determine the characteristic optical response of each such chromophore by analysis of samples isolated in chemically pure form. The principle that lies at the heart of this new research is a recent discovery of entirely new optical effects in multi-chromophore structures - cleverly designed man-made materials that can be based on polymers or quantum dot nanoparticles, for example. Surprisingly, it has been shown that optical properties of these structures can in fact controlled by the introduction of chromophores which are themselves essentially transparent. This principle has potentially very wide-ranging applications in a wide sphere of designer optical materials and devices. Modern synthetic methods can provide for the fabrication of wonderfully intricate structures that are readily suited to incorporate specially tailored chromophore components. By developing the detailed theory associated with these transparent additives, it will be possible to anticipate and determine the impact of a whole range of possible material modifications. To achieve these ends, it is necessary to create a robust theory, to ensure that the predictions are soundly based on reliable mathematics, and correctly represent what happens in the nanoscale interactions; this underpins the whole enterprise. The theory also has to account for a variety of quantum effects that are known to be important on this scale. By computer modelling, the full theory can then be developed for application to a range of synthetic materials, leading to a user-friendly computer program designed for direct use by applied scientists. Parallel experimental studies, to be conducted in laser laboratoriies (at the top science university in Italy, one of the world's top 100 universities) will help verify that the results produced by this program are reliable.A capability to achieve precise control over the action of light in these materials will help scientists in industry select for and optimise key optical characteristics. The results of this research will support new material applications in a wide range of important areas of technology, with significant impact on society. All-optical switching processes will provide applications in computing, communications, and information storage, with future impact on the design and operation of mobile communications and tablet devices. In the sphere of optical imaging, ultrafast, high definition camera applications are associated with both static image capture and video feed. Further applications will exploit what we now know of the mechanisms for photosynthesis; here, there will be applications in more efficient solar energy materials, more responsive optical sensors for medical use, and new compounds for laser-based cancer therapy.