Research project

Portfolio Grant - Nano Photonics

Project overview

The new field of NanoPhotonics emerges when we force light to interact with nano-structures, artificial matter engineered and arranged on the scale of only billionths of a meter. Crossing the quantum bridge between nano and photonics produces a remarkable range of new materials and phenomena. NanoPhotonics promises captivating new fundamental physics, and new mind-blowing applications in low power, ultra-small devices performing at the quantum edge in a wide range of technologies, from information processing and telecommunications, to defense, security, medicine andbiotechnologies. Our leading reputation and proven nano-innovation track record, significant critical mass of steady funding, modern infrastructure and research personnel of the highest international calibre, recently created fabrication and test facilities at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ, together with our involvement in major European projects and considerable and increasing interest from industry justifies the perfect timing for consolidating NanoPhotonics research in ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ into a Portfolio Grant.We will focus our research in the following main directions:Nano-Photonics of the Ultra-Small: emission and absorption of light from nanoparticles and nano-structures.Nano-Photonics of the Artificial: man-made meta-materials with 'ultimate' electromagnetic properties only available in artificial structures.Nano-Photonics of the Sensitive: Nanostructures whose optical spectra change radically when a single molecule attaches, or a nanoparticle at its most critically sensitive state undergoes a structural transformation.Nano-Photonics of the Self-organised: light interacting and shaping 2D & 3D nano-structures, light-assisted self assembly and growth of nano-structures, new Nano-Materials.Nano-Photonics of Trapped Light: confining and enhancing light in the smallest possible nano-cavity dimensions, extremely-large controllable interactions between light and matter.Nano-Photonics of the Flat: Nano-patterns that twist the polarisation of light, and new physics of light trapped in flat nano-structures.Nano-Photonics of Complexity: optics of fractals & quasi-periodic structures (such as Penrose tilings).Nano-Photonics of the Quantum: Switching between discrete states of nano-matter, quantum phase transitions and quantum information processing.

Staff

Lead researchers

Professor Nikolay Zheludev

Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Connect with Nikolay

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Research outputs

Jill Elliott, Igor I. Smolyaninov, Nikolay I. Zheludev & Aanatoly V. Zayats, 2004, Optics Letters, 29(12), 1414-1416
DOI:
Type: article
S. Pochon, K.F. MacDonald, R.J. Knize & N.I. Zheludev, 2004, Physical Review D, 92(14), 145702-[4pp]
DOI:
Type: article
A.V. Krasavin & N.I. Zheludev, 2004, Applied Physics Letters, 84(8), 1416-1418
DOI:
Type: article
Chao-Yi Tai, James S. Wilkinson, Nicholas M.B. Perney, M.C. Netti, F. Cattaneo, Chris Finlayson & Jeremy Baumberg, 2004, Optics Express, 12(21), 5110-5116
DOI:
Type: article
N.I. Zheludev & V.I. Emelyanov, 2004, Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics, 6(1), 26-28
DOI:
Type: article