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

James T. Hugall, Jeremy J. Baumberg & Sumeet Mahajan, 2009, Applied Physics Letters, 95(14), 141111-[3 pages]
DOI:
Type: article
X.V. Li, R.M. Cole, C.A. Milhano, P.N . Bartlett, J.J. Baumberg, B.F . Soares & C.H. de Groot, 2009, Nanotechnology, 20(28), 285309-285316
DOI:
Type: article
L. Cui, S. Mahajan, R.M. Cole, B.F. Soares, P.N. Bartlett, J.J. Baumberg, I.P. Hayward, B. Ren, A.E. Russell & Z.Q. Tian, 2009, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 11(7), 1023-1026
DOI:
Type: article
N. Papasimakis, V.A. Fedotov, N.I. Zheludev & S.L. Prosvirnin, 2008, Physical Review Letters, 101(25), 253903-[4pp.]
DOI:
Type: article
B. Mills, C.F. Chau, E.T.F. Rogers, J. Grant-Jacob, S.L. Stebbings, M. Praeger, A.M. de Paula, C.A. Froud, T.J. Butcher, J.J. Baumberg, W.S. Brocklesby & J.G. Frey, 2008, Applied Physics Letters, 93(23)
DOI:
Type: article
Fabrice Birembaut, Nicolas Perney, Katrin Pechstedt, Philip N. Bartlett, Andrea E. Russell & Jeremy J. Baumberg, 2008, Small, 4(12), 2140-2142
DOI:
Type: article
E. Plum, V.A. Fedotov & N.I. Zheludev, 2008, Applied Physics Letters, 93(19)
DOI:
Type: article