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

A.I. Denisyuk, F. Jonsson, K.F. MacDonald, N.I. Zheludev & F.J. García de Abajo, 2008, Applied Physics Letters, 92(9)
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Type: article
Fu Min Huang, Tsung Sheng Kao, Vassili A. Fedotov, Yifang Chen & Nikolay I. Zheludev, 2008, Nano Letters, 8(8), 2469-2472
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Type: article
V.A. Fedotov, M. Rose, S.L. Prosvirnin, N. Papasimakis & N.I. Zheludev, 2007, Physical Review Letters, 99(14), 147401-[4pp]
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Type: article
Nikolay Zheludev, 2007, Nature Photonics, 1(10), 551-553
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Type: article
K.F. MacDonald, A.V. Krasavin & N.I. Zheludev, 2007, Optics Communications, 278(1), 207-210
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Type: article
K. Marinov, A.D. Boardman, V.A. Fedotov & N. Zheludev, 2007, New Journal of Physics, 9, 324-[12pp]
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Type: article
M.V. Bashevoy, F. Jonsson, K.F. MacDonald, Y. Chen & N.I. Zheludev, 2007, Optics Express, 15(18), 11313-11320
DOI:
Type: article