Empirical formulation of broadband complex refractive index spectra of single-chirality carbon nanotube assembly

Assemblies of single-walled carbon nanotubes with a specific chiral structure are promising future optofunctional materials because of their strong light–matter coupling arising from sharp optical resonances of quasi-one-dimensional excitons. Their strong optical resonances, which lie in the infrared-to-visible wavelength region, can be selected by their chiralities, and this selectivity promises a wide range of applications including photonic and thermo-optic devices. However, the broadband complex optical spectra of single-chirality carbon nanotube assemblies are scarce in the literature, which has prevented researchers and engineers from designing devices using them. Here, we experimentally determine broadband complex refractive index spectra of single-chirality carbon nanotube assemblies. Free-standing carbon nanotube membranes and those placed on sapphire substrates were fabricated via filtration of the nanotube solution prepared by the separation method using gel chromatography. Transmission and reflection spectra were measured in the mid-infrared to visible wavelength region, and the complex refractive indices of nanotube assemblies were determined as a function of photon energy. The real and imaginary parts of the refractive indices of the nanotube membrane with a bulk density of 1 g cm−3 at the first subband exciton resonance were determined to be approximately 2.7–3.6 and 1.3i–2.4i, respectively. We propose an empirical formula that phenomenologically describes the complex refractive index spectra of various single-chirality nanotube membranes, which can facilitate the design of photonic devices using carbon nanotubes as the material.

Внутридоплеровские резонансы, обусловленные фотоионизацией атомов в тонких газовых ячейках

By analogy with the well-tested method of high-resolution spectroscopy in thin gas cells for the processes of optical pumping of atoms, this work shows the possibility of detecting narrow sub-Doppler optical resonances caused directly by straight photoionization of atoms (or molecules) in such cells. The structure of the established nontrivial resonances substantially depends on the probability of photoionization of atoms and dimensions of such a cell, the internal thickness of which is many times smaller than its diameter. Of particular interest is the broadening of the considered sub-Doppler resonances, which is determined directly by the photoionization cross section of atoms and the intensity of radiation causing ionization. Under certain conditions, such photoionization broadening can be measured experimentally with high accuracy, as a result of which it is possible to obtain new important information about ionization processes in atoms and molecules.

Quasi-Simultaneous Sensitive Detection of Two Gas Species by Cavity-Ringdown Spectroscopy with Two Lasers

We developed a cavity ringdown spectrometer by utilizing a step-scanning and dithering method for matching laser wavelengths to optical resonances of an optical cavity. Our approach is capable of working with two and more lasers for quasi-simultaneous measurements of multiple gas species. The developed system was tested with two lasers operating around 1654 nm and 1658 nm for spectral detections of 12CH4 and its isotope 13CH4 in air, respectively. The ringdown time of the empty cavity was about 340 µs. The achieved high detection sensitivity of a noise-equivalent absorption coefficient was 2.8 × 10−11 cm−1 Hz−1/2 or 1 × 10−11 cm−1 by averaging for 30 s. The uncertainty of the high precision determination of δ13CH4 in air is about 1.3‰. Such a system will be useful for future applications such as environmental monitoring.

Observation of intensity flattened phase shifting enabled by unidirectional guided resonance

Phase-only light modulation is an important functionality for many optoelectronic applications. Although modulation efficiency can be significantly improved by using optical resonances, resonance detuning is always accompanied with dramatic intensity variation that is less ideal. Here, we propose a method to achieve intensity-flattened phase shifting by utilizing the unidirectional guided resonance (UGR) – a novel class of topologically enabled guided resonance that only radiates toward a single side. Consequently, the incident excites resonances and generates phase shifting, but it transmits to only one out-going port without other choice, which flattens the transmittance. Theory and simulation agree well and confirm our findings, in particular when nonradiative loss has been taken into account. By directly measuring the intensity and phase responses of UGR samples, a dip depth of 0.43 is observed with nonradiative Q around 2500. We further predict a dip depth of 0.13 can be achieved with a reasonable nonradiative Q around 8000 in state-of-art fabrication precision, which is sufficient and useful for the applications ranging from light projection, flat metalens optics, optical phased array, to light detection and ranging.

Up-conversion photoluminescence specificity of a hybrid sponge nanostructures

Over the past decades, silicon is proved to be as a promising material for the development of devices in the fields of nanophotonics and optoelectronics. However, the material so popular at the current time did not find its application in nanoscale radiation sources due to the indirect bandgap of the semiconductor, which leads to low quantum efficiency. This work represents experimental results on the features of the silicon up-conversion photoluminescence enhanced by the optical resonances of the plasmonic nanosponge. The internal configuration of the nanostructure was confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy. The optical characterisation was provided by the dark-field spectroscopy, up-conversion photoluminescence generation and life-time measurements. The such new nanostructure type is promising for the development of nanoscale sources of broadband radiation and other applications of silicon photonics.

Electro-optic spatial light modulator from an engineered organic layer

Tailored nanostructures provide at-will control over the properties of light, with applications in imaging and spectroscopy. Active photonics can further open new avenues in remote monitoring, virtual or augmented reality and time-resolved sensing. Nanomaterials with χ(2) nonlinearities achieve highest switching speeds. Current demonstrations typically require a trade-off: they either rely on traditional χ(2) materials, which have low non-linearities, or on application-specific quantum well heterostructures that exhibit a high χ(2) in a narrow band. Here, we show that a thin film of organic electro-optic molecules JRD1 in polymethylmethacrylate combines desired merits for active free-space optics: broadband record-high nonlinearity (10-100 times higher than traditional materials at wavelengths 1100-1600 nm), a custom-tailored nonlinear tensor at the nanoscale, and engineered optical and electronic responses. We demonstrate a tuning of optical resonances by Δλ = 11 nm at DC voltages and a modulation of the transmitted intensity up to 40%, at speeds up to 50 MHz. We realize 2 × 2 single- and 1 × 5 multi-color spatial light modulators. We demonstrate their potential for imaging and remote sensing. The compatibility with compact laser diodes, the achieved millimeter size and the low power consumption are further key features for laser ranging or reconfigurable optics.

Photophysical property and optical nonlinearity of cyclo[18]carbon (C18) precursors, C18-(CO)n (n = 2, 4, and 6): Focusing on the effect of carbonyl (-CO) groups

Considering their remarkable chemical stability, the precursors of cyclo[18]carbon (C18), C18-(CO)n (n = 2, 4, and 6), have more practical significance than the elusive C18 ring. In the present paper, the electronic spectrum and (hyper)polarizability of the C18-(CO)n (n = 2, 4, and 6) are studied by theoretical calculations and analyses for revealing the utility of introduction of carbonyl (-CO) groups on molecular optical properties. The analysis results show that the successive introduction of -CO groups leads to red-shift of the absorption spectrum, but maximum absorption of all molecules is mainly due to the charge redistribution caused by electron transition within C18 ring. Except for the vanishing first hyperpolarizability of C18-(CO)6 results from its octupolar character, the (hyper)polarizabilities of the precursors present an ascending trend with the increase of -CO groups in the molecule, and the higher-order response properties are more sensitive to the number of -CO groups. By means of (hyper)polarizability density analysis and (hyper)polarizability contribution decomposition, the fundamental reasons for the difference of (hyper)polarizability of different molecules were systematically discussed from the perspectives of physical and structural origins, respectively. As to the frequency dispersions under the incident light, the significant optical resonances were found on the hyperpolarizability of molecules C18-(CO)n (n = 2, 4, and 6), which contrast with the fact that it has inconspicuous influences on molecular polarizability.

Mie-driven directional nanocoupler for Bloch surface wave photonic platform

Modern integrated photonic platforms should combine low-loss guiding, spectral flexibility, high light confinement, and close packing of optical components. One of the prominent platforms represents a one-dimensional photonic crystal combined with dielectric nanostructures that manipulate low-loss Bloch surface waves (BSWs). Proper design of nanostructures gives rise to a variety of optical resonances suitable for efficient capturing and controlling light. In this work, we achieve color-selective directional excitation of BSWs mediated by Mie resonances in a semiconductor nanoparticle. We show that a single silicon nanoparticle can be used as a subwavelength multiplexer switching the BSW excitation direction from forward to backward within the 30 nm spectral range with its central wavelength governed by the nanoparticle size. Our work opens a route for the on-demand fabrication of photonic nanocouplers with tailored optical properties and submicron footprint.

Magnetic plasmons induced in a dielectric-metal heterostructure by optical magnetism

We investigate numerically and experimentally the optical properties of the transverse electric (TE) waves supported by a dielectric-metal heterostructure. They are considered as the counterparts of the surface plasmon polaritons (i.e., the transverse magnetic (TM) waves) which have been extensively studied in the last several decades. We show that TE waves with resonant wavelengths in the visible light spectrum can be excited in a dielectric-metal heterostructure when the optical thickness of the dielectric layer exceeds a critical value. We reveal that the electric and magnetic field distributions for the TE waves are spatially separated, leading to higher quality factors or narrow linewidths as compared with the TM waves. We calculate the thickness, refractive index and incidence angle dispersion relations for the TE waves supported by a dielectric-metal heterostructure. In experiments, we observe optical resonances with linewidths as narrow as ∼10 nm in the reflection or scattering spectra of the TE waves excited in a Si3N4/Ag heterostructure. Finally, we demonstrate the applications of the lowest-order TE wave excited in a Si3N4/Ag heterostructure in optical display with good chromaticity and optical sensing with high sensitivity.