Characteristics and mechanism analysis of Fano resonances in Π-shaped gold nano-trimer

Fano interference of metallic nanostructure is an effective way to reduce the irradiation loss and improve the spectral resolution. A Π-shaped gold nano-trimer, which is composed of a gold nanorod and two gold nanorices, is presented to investigate the properties of Fano resonances in the visible spectrum by using the finite element method(FEM). The theoretical analysis demonstrates that the Fano resonance of the Π-shaped gold nano-trimer is attributed to the near-field interaction between the bright mode of the nanorice pair and the dark quadrupole mode of the nanorod. Furthermore, by breaking the geometric symmetry of the nanostructure the line-shape spectrum with double Fano resonances of Π-shaped gold nano-trimer is obtained and exhibits structure-dependent and medium-dependent characteristics. It is a helpful strategy to design a plasmonic nanostructure for implementing multiple Fano resonances in practical applications.     

Modulation of Fano resonances in symmetry-broken gold-SiO2-gold nanotube dimers

Fano resonances in the symmetry-broken gold-SiO2-gold(BGSG)nanotubes and the associated dimers have been investigated based on the finite element method.In the BGSG nanotube,the symmetry breaking induced the interactions of the inner gold core and outer gold nanoshell plasmons of all multipolar orders and hence the red-shifts of the plasmon resonance modes and the enhanced quadrupole mode peaks were observed.The interference of the quadrupole mode peak with the subradiant dipole mode caused a Fano-dip in the scattering spectrum.By increasing the core offset-value in the BGSG nanotube,the Fano dip with low energy showed a red-shift and became deeper.Unexpectedly the plasmon coupling between a GSG nanotube and a BGSG nanotube can lead to two strong Fano dips in the scattering spectra of the dimer.It was further noted that the thin side of the BGSG nanotube located at two sides of the dimer gap can lead to the strong near-field coupling between two BGSG nanotubes and hence a deeper and broader Fano dip.     

Fano-like resonance characteristics of asymmetric Fe_2O_3@Au core/shell nanorice dimer

A geometrical configuration of Fe2O3/Au core-shell nanorice dimer is proposed and its multipolar plasmon Fano- like resonance characteristics are theoretically investigated by generalizing the plasmon hybridization model of individual nanorice to the bright and dark modes of the nanorice dimer. Under the irradiation of polarization light, the extinction spectra of the nanorice dimer are numerically simulated by using the finite element method （FEM）. Our studies show that the Fano-like resonance of the nanorice dimer results in an asymmetric line shape of the Fano dip in the extinction spectrum which can be controlled by varying the structure parameters of the nanorice dimer. Meanwhile, there is a giant field enhancement at the gap between the two nanorices on account of the plasmonic coupling in the nanorice dimer. The aforementioned two characteristics of the nanorice dimer are useful for plasmon-induced transparency and localized surface plasmon resonance sensors.     

Fano Resonance by Symmetry Breaking Stub in a Metal-Dielectric-Metal Waveguide

The coupling of a stub obliquely intersected with a metal-dielectric-metal plasmonic waveguide is investigated by using the finite difference in time domain method. Results show that an odd mode, except for the usual even mode, is excited in the stub due to the symmetry breaking of the oblique intersection. Moreover, the results show that tile quality factor of the odd mode is very high in comparison with that of the usual even mode, which is then explained by the symmetry breaking of the oblique stub intersection. The superposition of the even and the odd mode generates a Fano shaped spectrum with a very narrow linewidth. The effect of metallic loss and compensation are also discussed. Both the stub and the waveguide are compact in size, and simple in structure, which are beneficial for the achievements of narrow band filtering, sensing, lasing, and nonlinearity enhancement.     

The giant enhancement of Fano-type resonance in a gain-assisted silicon slab array

Giant resonance enhancement is demonstrated to be due to the Fano interference in a grating waveguide composed of gain-assisted silicon slabs. The Fano mode is characterized by its ultra-narrow asymmetric spectrum, different from that of a pure electric or magnetic dipole. The simulation indicates that a sharp Fano-interfered lineshape is responsible for the giant resonance enhancement featuring the small-gain requirements.     

Metamaterial inspired terahertz devices: from ultra-sensitive sensing to near field manipulation

We present a review of terahertz plasmonic metamaterial devices that have functionalities and applications ranging from sensing, enhanced electromagnetic fields, and near field manipulation. Metamaterials allow the properties of light propagation to be manipulated at will by using a combination of appropriately designed geometry and suitable materials at the unit cell level. In this review, we first discuss the sensing aspect of a planar plasmonic metamaterial and how to overcome its limitations. Conventional symmetric metamaterials are limited by their low Q factor, thus we probed the symmetry broken plasmonic metamaterial structures in which the interference between a broad continuum mode and a narrow localized mode leads to the excitation of the sharp Fano resonances. We also discuss the near field mediated excitation of dark plasmonic modes in metamaterials that is caused by a strong coupling from the bright mode resonator. The near field coupling between the dark and bright mode resonances leads to classical analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency in plasmonic systems. Finally, we discuss active switching in terahertz metamaterials based on high temperature superconductors that holds the promise of reducing the resistive losses in these systems, though it fails to suppress the radiation loss in plasmonic metamaterial at terahertz frequencies.     

Polarization and structure dependent optical characteristics of the three-arm nanoantenna with C_(3v) symmetry and broken symmetry

The optical properties of a three-arm plasmonic nanoantenna with and without broken symmetry were analyzed in detail. For the symmetrical structure, the local electric field can be significantly enhanced and well confined within the feed gap, whilst the extinction spectrum illustrates polarization independence. With broken symmetry, multi-wavelength resonances are observed due to the single dipole resonance and dipole–dipole coupling effect, and wide tunability is also available through minor structural adjustment. Especially when illuminated by a circularly polarized light beam, the extinction and the electric field distribution can be effectively modulated by just varying the incident wavelength.     

Manipulation of plasmonic wavefront and light–matter interaction in metallic nanostructures: A brief review

The control and application of surface plasmons （SPs）, is introduced with particular emphasis on the manipulation of the plasmonic wavefront and light-matter interaction in metallic nanostructures. We introduce a direct design methodology called the surface wave holography method and show that it can be readily employed for wave-front shaping of near-infrared light through a subwavelength hole, it can also be used for designing holographic plasmonic lenses for SPs with complex wavefronts in the visible band. We also discuss several issues of light-matter interaction in plasmonic nanostructures. We show theoretically that amplification of SPs can be achieved in metal nanoparticles incorporated with gain media, leading to a giant reduction of surface plasmon resonance linewidth and enhancement of local electric field intensity. We present an all-analytical semiclassical theory to evaluate spaser performance in a plasmonic nanocavity incorporated with gain media described by the four-level atomic model. We experimentally demonstrate amplified spontaneous emission of SP polaritons and their amplification at the interface between a silver film and a polymer film doped with dye molecules. We discuss various aspects of microscopic and macroscopic manipulation of fluorescent radiation from gold nanorod hybrid structures in a system of either a single nanoparticle or an aligned group of nanoparticles. The findings reported and reviewed here could help others explore various approaches and schemes to manipulate plasmonic wavefront and light-matter interaction in metallic nanostructures for potential applications, such as optical displays, information integration, and energy harvesting technologies.     

Tunability of Fano resonance in cylindrical core-shell nanorods

The optical properties of cylindrical core–shell nanorods(CCSNs)are theoretically investigated in this paper.The results show that Fano resonance can be generated in CCSNs,and the wavelength and the intensity at Fano dip can be tuned respectively by adjusting the field coupling of cavity mode inside and near field on gold surface.The high tuning sensitivity which is about 400 nm per refractive-index unit can be obtained,and an easy-to-realize tunable parameter is also proposed.A two-oscillator model is also introduced to describe the generation of Fano resonance in CCSNs,and the results from this model are in good agreement with theoretical results.The CCSNs investigated in this work may have promising applications in optical devices.     

Calculated Optical Properties of Dielectric Shell Coated Gold Nanorods

Optical absorption spectra of dielectric shell coated gold nanorods are simulated using the discrete dipole ap- proximation method. The influence of the aspect ratio, shell thickness, dielectric constant of the shell, and surrounding medium on the longitudinal resonance mode is investigated. It is found that the coated dielectric shell does not affect the trend in the dependence of resonance position on the aspect ratio, while it broadens the resonant line width and reduces the sensitivity of plasmon resonance in response to changes of the surrounding medium. F~arthermore, the difference of dielectric constants between the shell and surrounding medium plays an important role in determining the resonance position. The screening effect of the dielectric shell tends to be less apparent for a thicker shell thickness.Optical absorption spectra of dielectric shell coated gold nanorods are simulated using the discrete dipole ap- proximation method. The influence of the aspect ratio, shell thickness, dielectric constant of the shell, and surrounding medium on the longitudinal resonance mode is investigated. It is found that the coated dielectric shell does not affect the trend in the dependence of resonance position on the aspect ratio, while it broadens the resonant line width and reduces the sensitivity of plasmon resonance in response to changes of the surrounding medium. F~urthermore, the difference of dielectric constants between the shell and surrounding medium plays an important role in determining the resonance position. The screening effect of the dielectric shell tends to be less apparent for a thicker shell thickness.     

Fano resonances in dipole-quadrupole plasmon coupling nanorod dimers

We theoretically investigate the plasmon coupling in metallic nanorod dimers. A pronounced dip is found in the extinction spectrum due to plasmonic Fano resonance, which is induced by destructive interference between the bright dipole plasmon of a short nanorod and the dark quadrupole plasmon of a long nanorod. This Fano interference can also be explained as the coupling between the bright and dark modes both supported by the whole dimer. The Fano resonance can be tuned by adjusting the spatial or spectral separation between two nanorods in the dimer.     

Tunable Fano resonances in heterogenous Al–Ag nanorod dimers

We theoretically investigate the plasmonic coupling in heterogenous Al–Ag nanorod dimers. A pronounced Fano dip is found in the extinction spectrum produced by the destructive interference between the bright dipole mode from a short Al nanorod and the dark quadrupole mode from a long Ag nanorod nearby. This Fano resonance can be widely tuned in both wavelength and amplitude by varying the rod dimensions and end geometry, the separation distance and the local dielectric environment. The Al–Ag heterogeneous nanorod dimer shows a high sensitivity to the surrounding environment with a local surface plasmon resonance figure of merit of 7.0, which enables its promising applications in plasmonic sensing and detection.     

Ag-Al纳米球二聚体的光学性质研究

金属纳米材料因其表面等离子体共振特性而备受关注。异质结构的金属纳米材料的光学特性相比于同质结构因其材料的不同破坏了原有结构的对称性,对称性的破坏将引起光学性质的改变,相邻两个颗粒之间的相互作用会产生Fano共振。Fano共振是由异质纳米结构的表面等离子体共振耦合引起的,通过合理地调控表面等离子体共振的耦合,将进一步调控Fano共振的强度同时促使异质结构的电场增强特性和辐射特性得到进一步优化。受金银等贵金属的带间跃迁影响,金属铝纳米材料成为研究紫外-近紫外光区的表面等离子体共振研究最佳选择。采用有限时域差分方法研究了Ag-Al纳米球二聚体的光学特性。研究了Ag和Al纳米球组成的二聚体的吸收光谱与入射光偏振方向、纳米球半径、颗粒间距和介质折射率等几何结构及物理参数的关系,并深入讨论了二聚体的局域场分布规律;讨论了获取更高效的Fano共振光谱的方法。由于材料的对称性被破坏,异质二聚体的光学性质与同质二聚体明显不同,Ag-Al异质纳米球二聚体呈现出在紫外和可见光区的双Fano共振现象。Ag-Al二聚体表面等离子体互相耦合引起Fano共振从而导致表面等离子体的共振抑制和增强。研究结果对在紫外-可见光区的表面等离子体应用、纳米光学器件的设计与开发及基于表面等离子体共振的表面增强光谱、生物传感和检测研究等有一定参考价值。     

同心椭圆柱-纳米管结构的双重Fano共振研究

提出了一种同心椭圆柱-纳米管复合结构,该结构由金纳米管中内嵌椭圆形金柱构成,利用时域有限差分法分析了尺寸参数、周围环境及纳米管内核材料对该结构光学性质的影响.结果表明,调节椭圆柱芯的旋转角度可产生双重偶极-偶极Fano共振,其主要是由椭圆柱芯的纵向或横向偶极共振模式与纳米管的偶极成键和反成键模式杂化形成的超辐射成键模式和亚辐射成键模式之间的相互作用产生的,且共振特性可通过调节复合结构的尺寸参数控制,随椭圆柱长轴或短轴的增大而红移,随纳米管外径的增大或整体尺寸的减小而蓝移,当纳米管内径增大时高频Fano共振随着红移,而低频Fano共振先蓝移再红移,同时其对外界环境的变化不敏感,但对纳米管内核材料变化有着较好的响应.利用等离激元杂化理论对该现象进行了解释.这些结果可为构造其他类型的多波段Fano共振二维或三维纳米结构提供一种新的方式.     

Coupling-induced excitation of a forbidden surface plasmon mode of a gold nanorod

Using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, we simulate the coupling between a gold nanorod and gold nanoparticles with different plasmonic resonant frequencies/volumes as well as that between the nanorod and a dielectric nanosphere. The influences of coupling with different nanoparticles on the excitation of a forbidden longitudinal surface plasmon mode of the nanorod under normal incidence are investigated. It is found that the cause of this excitation is the broken symmetry of the local electric field experienced by the nanorod resulting from the charge pileup on the other nanoparticle. This result is valuable for understanding the near-field optical characterization of plasmonic metal nanoparticles. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10821062 and 10804004), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB307001), and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (Grant No. 200800011023) Contributed by GONG QiHuang     

D3h和D4h等离激元超分子的Fano共振光谱的 子集合分解解释

针对D_3h和D_4h对称构型金属纳米多颗粒集合即等离激元超分子表面等离激元共振光谱的子集合分解及其相对应的Fano共振光谱低谷的产生机理, 本文运用群论的方法做出了详细的分析研究. 运用与群论中求解分子简正振动模式类似的方法, 推导证实了在线偏振光入射时, D_nh环形多颗粒只有2个电偶极表面等离激元共振模式, 增加中心颗粒会使模式增加1个. 对D_3h和D_4h等离激元超分子的表面等离激元共振模式进行不可约表示基向量正交分解分析表明, Fano共振光谱低谷是由于两个起主要作用的相邻模式包含有共同的正交基向量, 并形成相消干涉而产生. 这进一步验证了Fano共振光谱低谷的起源除传统观点(即源自于宽频超辐射亮模式和窄频低辐射暗模式之间的耦合)之外的另一种解释视角.     

金纳米棒复合体的消光特性

金属纳米颗粒局域表面等离激元共振时能够产生消光和近场增强效应已经成为国内外研究的热点. 应用时域有限差分法对L形纳米棒与普通纳米棒构成的金纳米棒复合体的消光光谱及其近场增强和电流矢量密度分布进行了研究. 计算结果表明, 普通纳米棒和L形纳米棒二聚体的光谱响应与纳米棒间的间距有关, 而金纳米棒复合体的消光光谱可通过调整L形纳米棒与普通纳米棒间的间距、L形纳米棒的臂长度以及普通纳米棒的长度进行调谐. 此外金纳米棒复合体可以分解成L形纳米棒二聚体和普通纳米棒二聚体两个部分, 通过分别改变L形纳米棒的臂长和普通纳米棒的长度, 对比L形纳米棒二聚体和普通纳米棒二聚体间的共振峰位置变化, 可以更直观地了解金纳米棒复合体消光光谱线型的变化. 这些结果可用于指导金纳米棒复合体纳米光子器件的设计, 以满足其在表面增强拉曼散射和生物传感等方面应用.