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Zheludev Group

Photonics is rapidly moving into the nano-world promising captivating new fundamental physics, and new applications in highly interacted, low energy consumption devices performing at the quantum leap. We are determined to play an active role in Nanoscale Photonics in the future and either already have commitments, or plan research, or closely watch in the following fields:

• Nano³ Photonics © (NanoWatt, NanoSecond, NanoPhotonics; single nanoparticle, nano-hole, molecule at the SNOM tip, artificial sub-wavelength objects)
• Photonics of Sub-Wavelength (nanoscale field localization and channelling of light)
• Photonics of Electron Beams (generation and control of light with e-beams)
• Photonics of Critical and Discrete (phase change functionality, nanoscale structural transformations between discrete states of matter, nonlinear optics with single photon)
• Photonics of Artificial (meta-materials with electromagnetic properties not available in nature)
• Photonics of the Invisible © (non-radiating, invisible and weakly coupled structures)
• Photonics of Complexity (optics of fractals & quasi-periodic structures, optical vortexes)
• Photonics in the Flatland © (planar chirality & anisotropy, nonlinear optics of structured planar systems)
• Photonics at the Interface & Active Plasmonics © (plasmon optics & switching of plasmons, engineering of boundary conditions, optical "superconductors")
• Photonics of "Forbidden" (fundamental symmetries of light-matter interaction including enantiomeric symmetries, toroidal electrodynamics)
• Photonics of Self-organized and Induced (self-assembly of nanostructures, light-assisted self assembly and growth)

Nano³ Photonics, Photonics of the Invisible, Photonics in the Flatland, Active Plasmonics, © Nikolay Zheludev, University of Southampton, 2002-2009.

Project Agenda

Research in our group takes place spanning a wide range of topics, loosely held together by the keywords nanophotonics, metamaterials and practical genome sequencing.

Browsing through the illustrated list below, as well as our talks and publications section, should provide you with some idea of the kinds of topics being investigated.

Furthermore, complimentary information on local research facilities and employed equipment is available.
 

• The development of light-assisted and electron-beam-assisted self-assembly of nanostructures from atomic beam.
  
  Fig.: Gallium nanoparticles are formed on a fibre tip in light-assisted fashion. For the central and illuminated region (fibre core) their size decreases and becomes very homogeneous, seen here on an SEM micrograph.
• The development of near-field optical polarisation sensitive spectroscopy and study of energy localization in meta-materials.
  
  Fig.: A quasiperiodic grating creates images of itself at several wavelengths distance from the substrate through diffraction. This illustrates the Montgomery effect, quasiperiodic equivalent of the Talbot effect.
• The study of nano-structured photonics frequency selective surfaces, "invisible metals" and meta-materials including quasi-crystal planar structures.
  
  Fig.: The diffraction pattern of a quasi-periodic optical grating displays the usually forbidden 10-fold rotational symmetry.
• The development of planar meta-materials fabrication techniques (soft lithography).
  
  Fig.: SEM micrographs of templates dedicated for room-temperature nano-imprint lithography (RTNIL) after 50 uses. The both sharp and fine structures of the gammadion type structures are undamaged.
• The development of optical magnetic mirror and energy harvesting surfaces and the study of energy concentration in nanostructures.
  
  Fig.: Polarization-sensitive resonances in a fish-scale alike structures comprised of metallic strips can easily be observed when depicting local electric field intensity. The periodicity of the effect underpins its scalability and geometrical nature.
• The study of the underling physics of "active plasmonics": controlling surface plasmon-polariton waves in switchable plasmon waveguides.
  
  Fig.: Aluminium/silica interface gratings for coupling and decoupling light to and from surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waves, seen through a polarizing microscope (grating lines at 45° to the incident polarization indicated by the arrow). Polarization conversion occurs on the smaller grating, which is designed to couple normally incident 780 nm light to an SPP wave.
• The study of planar chiral meta-materials in microwave and optical parts of the spectrum.
  
  Fig.: Flow maps provide evidence that rosette shaped planar chiral openings in a waveguide transmit differently depending on the mutual handednesses of incident light's polarization and the rosette's twist.
• The study of generation of light & plasmons with e-beams and development of plasmon visualization techniques under electron microscope.
  
  Fig.: Installation of a CamScan CS 3200 scanning electron microscope with cathode-luminescence imaging system. Of particular interest is the attached optical multichannel spectrum analyzer (spectral range 300-1200 nm). Additionally, Ga deposition and cryogenic cooling are available.
• Computational nano-photonics: coupling light to chiral nanostructures and vortex near plasmonic resonances.
  
  Fig.: Mie Theory, power flow distribution around a spherical silver nanoparticle with 20 nm radius, in the plane containing the directions of propagation (from left to right) and polarization of the incident light. Colours indicate the absolute value of the Poynting vector, white lines the direction of power flow, and red dashed lines the inward vortex structure.
• The study of toroidal electrodynamics & non-radiating configurations.
  
  Fig.: Non-radiating configuration near vacuum-liquid interface. While the oscillator (left center) does not radiate into the upper semi-space (vacuum), it radiates strongly into the lower one (liquid).
• The study of nano-scale structural transformations in a single nanoparticle and developing low-energy (sub-pico-Joule) photonic switching and memory elements.
  
  Fig.: The SEM image shows a gallium nanoparticle isolated on the end of a SNOM tip. This system is ideal for the study of the physics that govern nanoscale structural transformations. From a more applied perspective, the nanoparticle can act as an all-optical photonic switch or memory element operating at very low power.
• The study of self-assembly and functionality of nano-composite structures for nonlinear plasmonics.
  
  Gallium/aluminium nano-composite formation. Electron backscatter diffraction image, showing an 8 x 6 micron area, taken as gallium (red) spreads across the surface of and penetrates an aluminium (white) film.
• The development of high-capacity nanophotonics tags for genome sequencing.
  
  Nano-barcodes of just 20 μm size facilitate the re-identification of transported molecules (in the future e.g. strings and parts of DNA) via their particular diffraction properties.
• The development of artificial layered chiral meta-materials.
  
  Pairs of mutually twisted metal nano-patterns are the building blocks for novel metamaterials showing strong artificial optical activity.

A beautiful manufacturing accident.