Metal-dielectric nanostructured materials, which can support various plasmon modes, open new avenues for
manipulating light with light itself and
sensing molecules with unsurpassed sensitivity [1-7]. Fundamentals of optical properties of meso- and
nano-structured metal-dielectric composites,
both ordered and disordered, are reviewed in this presentation. Specifically, the following unique properties
and applications of plasmonic
nanomaterials are emphasized. i) We argue that metal nanostructures can be employed for fabricating low-loss
plasmonic band-gap structures with large
and scaleable photonic band gaps and as left-handed materials ii) We show that optically thick metal films
with modulated refractive index can support
both propagating and localized plasmon modes, allowing the extraordinary light transmittance, which can be
controlled by the light itself via optical
nonlinearities. iii) We also show a feasibility of photon circuiting in plasmonic materials, similarly to
conventional electron circuits, which might
result in novel applications in the emerging area of nanophotonics. iv) Finally, we demonstrate that the
scale-invariant fractal symmetry of
disordered nanocomposites results in localization of plasmons by random, nanometer-sized plasmonic resonators,
where the local field exceeds the
applied field by many orders of magnitude and optical nonlinearities are dramatically enhanced in a broad
spectral range from the near-UV to the
far-IR. The electromagnetic modes focused within the nm-sized "hot spots" act like nano-antennas and make
possible a number of novel applications in
photonics, laser physics, and spectroscopy.
References:
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(Springer, Berlin Heidelberg 2000); A. K.
Sarychev and V. M. Shalaev, Physics Reports 335, 275-371 (2000)
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