Description:

Join NU SPIE for a seminar on “Atomic Nanophotonics: Leveraging Optical Nanostructures to Enhance Chemical Interactions” by Prof. Dayne Swearer on Thursday, May 29, from 12-1 pm in TGS Commons.

Abstract: Radiant electromagnetic radiation (a.k.a light) is all around us. This talk will explore the fascinating interdisciplinary field of nanophotonics, which leverages the miniaturization of matter to control, confine, and manipulate light at the nanoscale. Emergent optical phenomena such as collective electronic (plasmon-polariton) and atomic (phonon-polariton) motion can be observed at these confined length scales. This presentation will discuss the recent work of members of the Swearer Lab to control and apply nanophotonic structures for interactions with molecules. In the first part of the talk, I will introduce the power of plasmonic resonances and the unique chemical secrets that illumination with visible light onto metal nanoparticles can unlock. In the second part of the talk, I will introduce and discuss another class of light-matter hybrids, namely phonon polaritons, or collective atomic oscillations in response to mid-IR frequencies, and how high-quality factor resonances can be leveraged for sensing applications based on optical reflectivity. This talk will highlight the expansive possibilities that nanoscale optical engineering holds and its potential to unlock needed new insights in basic science and advanced light-based technologies.