DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM | Plasmonics: Oscillator Physics on the Nanoscale Speaker: Stefan A. Maier (Physics, Imperial College, London)

Speaker: Stefan A. Maier (Physics, Imperial College, London)

Optics and light-matter interactions are one of the cornerstones of both fundamental and applied science – yet light is difficult to control, particularly on the length scale of the wavelength or below. However, metallic nanostructures enable us to confine light fields to below this diffraction limit, via the excitation of surface plasmon modes, coherent interactions between the electromagnetic field and the conduction electrons of the metal. This enables a marriage between photonics and nanotechnology. In this seminar, I will show how general physical concepts can be used to tailor surface plasmon modes towards desired spectral or spatial properties – for example Fano resonances, transformation optics based on conformal transformations, and effective medium theories leading to the concept of metamaterials. A particular focus will lie on the boundary between classical and quantum physics, and on prominent applications of plasmonics in optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and biosensing