Mission
- Understand the basic properties of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP)
in conventional metals, their alloys, and exotic metals, from THz to
the UV spectral range.
- Apply this knowledge to develop new devices and spectroscopic capabilities.
Why Plasmonic Metamaterials?
- THz Plasmonic Metamaterials
- Conventional dielectric materials are lossy in the far-infrared
- In contrast, conventional and exotic metals exhibit low loss
- Almost no device technologies currently exist in the THz range
- Magneto-Plasmonics for Organic Spintronics
- Spin polarization in organic spintronic devices diminishes with temperature due to smaller surface spin polarization
- Use of magneto-plasmons may increase the spin polarization at the FM surface and reduce its temperature dependence
- UV Plasmonics
- UV excitation allows access to resonant electronic states of photochemical precursors and biological molecules
- Use Al and new alloys for high field enhancement in the UV
- Localized immobilization and direct detection of biomolecules
Questions
The goal of IRG-1 is to provide insight to the following questions:
- What are the dielectric/magnetic/electronic property limitations for supporting SPPs?
- Can we synthesize appropriate materials to obtain the desired plasmonic response?
- What are the SPP properties of superconductors above and below the phase transition temperatures?
- To what extent do magneto-plasmons influence the spin polarization at the ferromagnetic/organic interface?
- To what extent can photochemical reactions be locally enhanced and spatially controlled?
- Can hot spots be used to interrogate chemical structure and reactions on the molecular scale?
