Direct determination of the refractive index and thickness of a biolayer based on coupled waveguide-surface plasmon resonance mode

A coupled waveguide-surface plasmon resonance (CWSPR) biosensor based on the Kretschmann configuration is developed. The CWSPR couples the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) mode and the waveguide mode and generates two sharp resonance dips in the reflectivity spectrum. The proposed biosensor not only retains the same sensing sensitivity as that of a conventional SPR device but also yields sharper dips in the reflectivity spectrum and therefore provides an improved measurement precision. The two reflectivity spectrum dips enable the refractive indices and thicknesses of both the self-assembled monolayer and a layer of human serum albumin absorbed dynamically on the sensing surface to be determined directly on a real-time basis. The CWSPR biosensor provides the capability to detect the biomolecular conformational changes that occur in biomolecular kinetic interactions.     

Application of multi-phase particle swarm optimization technique to inverse radiation problem

The multi-phase particle swarm optimization (MPPSO) technique is applied to the inverse radiation problem in the present paper. The directional radiative intensities are served as the measurement data to estimate the radiative source term, optical thickness, scattering albedo, and phase function in one-dimensional semitransparent plane-parallel media by the inverse simulation. To check the performance and accuracy in retrieval, a comparison is presented between three PSO methods, i.e. the MPPSO, the standard PSO, and the Stochastic PSO. The results confirm the potential of the proposed approach MPPSO and show its effectiveness and superiority over the other two PSO algorithms. Furthermore, the effects of swarm size, searching space, phase change frequency, and velocity-reinitializing frequency on the convergence velocity and computational accuracy of MPPSO are also investigated.     

Analysis of surface and guided wave plasmon polariton modes in insulator–metal–insulator planar plasmonic waveguides

Theoretical and experimental study of the surface plasmon–polariton and guided wave plasmon polariton modes is presented for the Sapphire/Ag/Polycarbonate/Air structure. Theoretical results are obtained by solving complex multilayer eigenvalue equations as well as the reflectivity equation for this structure. It is proposed that the mode attenuation can be significantly reduced by inserting a low index dielectric buffer between the metal and the guiding dielectric layer. The dispersion and attenuation curves are generated. Both the surface plasmon and guided wave plasmon polariton modes are studied experimentally. The experimental values of the effective refractive indices agree well with the theoretical values. The electric field profiles are generated and used to examine the nature of modes. After optimization of various parameters the condition for low loss single mode guiding is obtained for the proposed structure. Effect of metal thickness on surface plasmon mode is also discussed. It is inferred that in a properly optimized plasmonic waveguide, the losses can be reduced by a factor of 4.     

反射率的数值反演

通过分析热流边界条件下的一维热传导过程,提出并实现了由后表面温度变化历史曲线反演前表面反射率变化历史曲线的数值方法。通过一维热传导的正向和反演计算过程,验证了反演程序的可靠性。对数值反演计算和实验测量两种方式得到的反射率曲线进行了对比,结果显示,两条反射率曲线在变化趋势上符合较好,初步验证了一维温度场中数值反演方法的可行性。     

Surface plasmon spectroscopy of organic monolayer assemblies

Because the surface plasmon resonance is a sensitive probe of metallic surfaces we have measured quantitatively the changes that occur in surface plasmon resonances from coatings of thin layers of cadmium arachidate of different but known thicknesses on silver films. An ATR (attenuated total reflection) experimental arrangement was used. The dispersion of the refractive index of the organic layer was derived by a least square fit of the measured reflectivity curves and it agrees well with other data obtained by different methods. The influence of a possible intermediate layer between the silver surface and the first organic monolayer due to the preparation process is also discussed.     

Spectral modulation of ultra-broadband femtosecond laser pulses based on surface plasmon resonance

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for spectral modulation of the femtosecond laser pulses with 110 nm ultra-broad bandwidth is demonstrated on the basis of the development of ultrashort pulse laser sources which supports good spatial resolution and high peak intensity. Employing the femtosecond surface plasmon polariton pulses launched by a Kretschmann configuration, whose reflectivity curve has the characteristic of the ultra-broad bandwidth, we observe a frequency-dependent loss with greater attenuation at the peak of the spectrum profile than in the wings, which is very useful for adequate spectral modulation. The SPR for the spectral modulation is investigated in theoretical and experimental aspects. The arbitrary spectral modulation of the femtosecond laser pulses can be fulfilled by controlling and optimizing the SPR of the gold film. The experimental result agrees well with the calculation.     

Inverse transient radiation analysis in one-dimensional non-homogeneous participating slabs using particle swarm optimization algorithms

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithms, including standard PSO, Stochastic PSO, and Multi-Phase PSO, are applied to solve the time-domain inverse transient radiation problems in the present research. Time-resolved transmittance and reflectance signals of four different measuring models serve as the measurement data, which estimate absorption, scattering coefficients, and geometric position within one-dimensional non-homogeneous media by inverse simulation. To check retrieval performances and accuracies of PSO-based approaches, four different inverse transient radiation cases are investigated to deal with one homogeneous layer, two-layer, three-layer, and continuous non-homogenous media. The influences of different searching ranges, swarm sizes, and maximum fly velocities on the fitness function of PSO are discussed. Meanwhile, the effects of measurement errors on the reconstruction accuracy are also investigated. All the results confirm that radiative parameters could be estimated accurately with measurement noise using PSO-based approaches.     

Plasmon‐driven catalysis in aqueous solutions probed by SERS spectroscopy

Since 2010, the plasmon‐driven catalysis using surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in atmospheric environment has been experimentally reported. Recent experimental results since 2014 revealed that catalysis under aqueous condition is much better than that in atmospheric environment. In this paper, we review plasmon‐driven catalysis using SERS under aqueous condition. First, the experimental apparatus developed by ourselves is introduced in detail. Second, we demonstrate the advantages of plasmon‐driven catalysis using SERS under aqueous condition compared to that in atmospheric environment. Third, we review recent experimental results using this measurement method in different experimental settings under aqueous condition. The manipulation of reaction environment effectively provided the possibility to reveal the mechanism of surface plasmon catalysis for different reactions. This method has great potential to apply on ultrasensitive spectral analysis for SERS, catalysis, sensor and biology system under aqueous condition. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhanced backward scattering by surface plasmons on silver film

Surface plasmon and its potential application in nanotechnology have attracted a remarkable amount of attention recently due to their novel properties. In this work we present an angularly resolved surface plasmon scattering study on a primitive metal surface. Using a reversed attenuated total reflection (RATR) setup in the experiment, we obtained a double-crescent shaped and enhanced scattering pattern at far field. The scattering pattern as a function on the variation of angle and polarization of incident beam are studied. Both theoretical and experimental results reveal an enhanced backward scattering by surface plasmon excitation. Consequently, it is shown that this angularly resolved surface plasmon scattering measurement can be employed for resolving a richness of nanoscale surface textures. PACS 42.79.-e; 42.30.Wb; 78.20.Ci     

Validity of the semi-classical approach for calculation of the surface excitation parameter

The problem of surface plasmon excitation by moving charges has been elaborated by several different approaches, mainly based on dielectric response theory within either semi-classical or quantum mechanical frameworks. In this work, a comparison of the surface excitation effect between two different frameworks is made by calculation of the differential inverse inelastic mean free path (DIIMFP) and a Monte Carlo simulation of reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS) spectra. A semi-classical modeling of the interaction between electrons and a solid surface is based on analyzing the work done by moving electrons; the stopping power and inelastic cross section are derived with the induced potential. On the other hand, a quantum mechanical approach is based on derivation of the complex inhomogeneous self-energy of the electrons. The numerical calculation shows that the semi-classical model presents almost the same values of DIIMFP as by the quantum model except at the glancing condition. The simulation of REELS spectra for Ag and SiO(2) as well as a comparison with experimental spectra also confirms that a good agreement with the spectral shape is found among the two simulation results and the experimental data.     

Measurement of refractive index variation by differential surface plasmon resonance technique

A differential detection technique combined with a surface plasmon resonance technique is proposed for refractive index variation measurement. The experimental results demonstrate that our system can attain a resolution of 1.2 × 10^?5 RIU (refractive index unit). In addition, a method for two-dimensional detection of the refractive index variation is demonstrated. The system is free from the influence of optical source fluctuation, and can improve the measurement sensitivity.     

The inversion of the dielectric function in the presence of an interface

For a system containing a metal-vacuum interface an exact formal solution is presented for the inverse RPA dielectric function. The solution is valid for an arbitrary shape of the electron density profile at the surface. It contains(a) the inverse dielectric Lindhard function representing the bulk screening effects and (b) surface terms which describe the modification of the screening propertles near the interface. From the pole contribution of the surface term an exact equation for the surface plasmon dispersion is derived. In order to check the applicability of the general result for ?^?1, the surface plasmon dispersion and the screening length of a homogenous field applied perpendicular to the surface are briefly discussed by adopting the infinite barrier model.     

Kamers-Kronig关系在反射太赫兹时域光谱测量中的应用

太赫兹时域光谱技术是材料介电参数测量的重要方法,是材料研究、鉴别和分析的重要工具。太赫兹时域光谱技术是一种太赫兹频段的相干探测技术,可以同时获得太赫兹波的幅度和相位信息,通过透射测量、反射测量可获得材料的复透射率或复反射率来反演材料的电磁参数。在实际中,大多数被测材料太赫兹波无法穿透,或者不满足透射材料参数反演需要的弱吸收近似,因此反射测量更具应用价值。在已发表的研究结果中,研究人员仍普遍采用透射测量的方案,很少见使用反射测量方案获取材料参数。究其原因,在反射测量时,由于样品和参考板位置的放置误差很难消除,从而导致无法准确提取反射相位。将光学领域广泛使用的Kamers-Kronig关系应用于太赫兹时域光谱系统反射测量中,以解决反射测量中无法准确获得相位信息从而无法提取介电参数的问题。为了验证Kamers-Kronig关系的准确性,一方面,通过透射、反射方法分别测量硅材料的复透射率、复反射率并反演了其材料参数,两者的反演结果一致性较好。另一方面,利用同一组硅的反射测量数据分别用Kamers-Kronig关系和最大熵法对其材料参数进行反演,两种处理方法也可以实现相互印证,进一步确保了提取数据的可靠性。对Kamers-Kronig关系和最大熵方法所取得的结果进行了对比讨论,通过Kamers-Kriong关系和最大熵法获得的折射率、消光系数以及复介电参数结果一致性较好,且基于Kamers-Kriong反演了一种精神药物的吸收谱,与透射结果做了比对。结果表明,Kamers-Kronig关系非常适合提取材料光学参数和吸收谱,且相比最大熵法其普适性更强,甚至对于无法获取相位信息的非相干测量系统依然适用,但该方法需要整个频段的反射率幅度信息,对于没有测量的频率需要进行外推,对于反射率随频率变化不大的物质更加适用。该研究成果对于利用反射式太赫兹时域光谱系统获取材料太赫兹波段的光学参数提供了一种有效方法,可解决绝大数情况下反射测量参数提取问题,对太赫兹时域光谱技术的实际应用具有重要意义。     

Inverse acoustical characterization of natural jute sound absorbing material by the particle swarm optimization method

For modeling of jute as acoustic material, knowledge of its non-acoustical parameters like porosity, tortuosity, air flow resistivity, thermal and viscous characteristic lengths is a prime requisite. Measurement of these non-acoustical parameters is not straightforward and involves a dedicated measurement setup. So in order to overcome this issue, the inverse acoustical characterization can be used. In this paper, the particle swarm optimization method (PSO) is used as an optimization method. This method estimates the non-acoustical parameters of jute material in felt form by minimizing the error between experimental and theoretical sound absorption data. In this work, the impedance prediction models for fibrous materials like Johnson–Champoux–Allard model with rigid and limp frame and Garai–Pompoli model is used for sound absorption coefficient calculation by the transfer matrix method along with the PSO. The inverse estimated non-acoustical parameters for jute material are then compared with estimated and experimentally measured parameters for jute felts. Using these inversely predicted parameters, sound absorption of multilayer sound absorbers is also studied.     

吸收散射性三维矩形介质内辐射源项的反问题

提出了一种由边界出射辐射强度反演吸收散射性三维矩形介质内辐射源项分布的方法。该方法是在辐射传递方程离散坐标近似的基础上,用求目标函数极小值的共轭梯度法进行反演计算。通过对介质辐射特性、光学厚度等参数对反演精度影响的分析,结果表明,即使存在测量误差,本文所提出的方法可较精确地反演辐射源项。     

Analytical treatment of surface resonance diffraction of high-energy electrons

The surface resonance RHEED problem is solved exactly using the tight-binding model for the case of the off-Bragg orientation of the incident beam. Explicit expressions are obtained for the wave function and for the resonance part of the surface reflectivity. It is shown that the dominant contribution to the reflectivity results from a process involving at least several states each localized in the potential of adjacent atomic planes parallel to the surface, and in the crystal bulk the wave function of the scattering problem belongs to the continuum of Bloch states. The analytical solution found provides an accurate approximation to the results of numerical integration of the relevant equations of the theory of RHEED, and demonstrates that no concept of a surface state is required for interpretation of the angular dependence of the reflectivity of a clean crystal surface in the vicinity of the resonance condition.     

多晶硅表面陷阱坑形貌的光学性能模拟

采用COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5a有限元分析软件中的RF模块对3种硅片绒面的陷阱坑形貌(轻度腐蚀、正常腐蚀和过度腐蚀)的光学性能进行了数值模拟.通过求解麦克斯韦方程组和材料本构方程,获得了3种陷阱坑的表面电场z分量、表面磁场y分量和反射率的变化规律.结果表明:当波长为600 nm时,轻度腐蚀陷阱坑的表面电场z分量和表面磁场y分量的数值最小,反射率最高(约为35％);正常腐蚀陷阱坑的表面电场z分量和表面磁场y分量其次,反射率约为17％;过度腐蚀陷阱坑的表面电场z分量和表面磁场y分量的数值最大,反射率最低(约为10％).通过实验和模拟结果对比可知,模拟值和试验值的反射率变化趋势基本一致,两者吻合较好,可为实际生产和试验提供理论参考.     

Surface plasmon dispersion for surfaces covered by thin layers supporting longitudinal plasma waves

We analyse the effect of a superficial plasma layer on the substrate surface plasmon dispersion taking into account non local effects related to plasma oscillations in the surface layer. Surface plasmon dispersion and ATR reflectivity curves for an Aluminium surface covered by a potassium film 20 Å thick are computed. We show that new branches exist when longitudinal polarization waves are considered in the surface layer.     

Silver nanowires as surface plasmon resonators

We report on chemically prepared silver nanowires (diameters around 100 nm) sustaining surface plasmon modes with wavelengths shortened to about half the value of the exciting light. As we find by scattered light spectroscopy and near-field optical microscopy, the nonradiating character of these modes together with minimized damping due to the well developed wire crystal structure gives rise to large values of surface plasmon propagation length and nanowire end face reflectivity of about 10 microm and 25%, respectively. We demonstrate that these properties allow us to apply the nanowires as efficient surface plasmon Fabry-Perot resonators.