Concept
Surface plasmons are coherent delocalized electron oscillations that exist at the interface between a metal and a dielectric, excited by incident light at specific frequencies. They enable the confinement of electromagnetic fields to subwavelength dimensions, making them crucial for applications in nanophotonics and sensing technologies.
Relevant Degrees
Concept
Plasmonics is a field of study that explores the interaction between electromagnetic field and free electrons in a metal, leading to the generation of surface plasmons which can confine light to subwavelength dimensions. This enables the development of technologies like highly sensitive sensors, enhanced photovoltaic devices, and nanoscale optical circuits.
Concept
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an optical technique used to measure molecular interactions in real-time without the need for labels. It is widely utilized in biosensing applications to determine binding affinity, kinetics, and concentration of biomolecules by detecting changes in the refractive index near a sensor surface.
Concept
Localized surface plasmons are collective oscillations of conduction electrons in metallic nanoparticles excited by light, leading to strong absorption and scattering at specific resonant frequencies. These phenomena are crucial in enhancing electromagnetic fields at the nanoparticle surface, making them useful in applications like sensing, photothermal therapy, and enhancing spectroscopic signals.
Concept
Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic waves that travel along the interface between a dielectric and a conductor, tightly confined at the nanoscale due to their coupling with surface charge oscillations. They are pivotal in nanophotonics and sensing applications, enabling subwavelength optics and enhanced light-matter interactions.
Concept
A metal-dielectric interface is a boundary where a metallic material meets a dielectric medium, significantly affecting electromagnetic wave propagation due to the contrasting electrical properties. This interface is crucial in applications like plasmonics and metamaterials, where it can manipulate light at subwavelength scales, enabling advancements in optical technologies.
Electromagnetic field confinement refers to the restriction of electromagnetic fields within a specified region of space, often achieved using structures like waveguides or resonators to enhance field intensity and control propagation. This technique is critical in various applications, including telecommunications, laser technology, and quantum computing, where precise manipulation of electromagnetic waves is necessary.
Concept
Nanophotonics is the study of the behavior of light on nanometer scales and its interaction with nanostructures, enabling the development of advanced technologies like efficient solar cells, optical circuits, and quantum computing components. It leverages the unique optical properties that emerge at the nanoscale, such as enhanced light-matter interactions and sub-wavelength light confinement.
Concept
Subwavelength optics involves manipulating and controlling light at scales smaller than its wavelength, enabling advancements in imaging, sensing, and data storage technologies. It leverages phenomena like surface plasmonics and metamaterials to overcome the diffraction limit, allowing for unprecedented resolution and miniaturization in optical devices.
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique that enhances the Raman scattering signal of molecules adsorbed on rough metal surfaces or nanostructures, often increasing the intensity by many orders of magnitude. This enhancement allows for the detection of low-concentration analytes, making SERS a valuable tool in fields such as chemistry, biology, and materials science.
Concept
Optical sensing is a technology that uses light to detect and measure various properties of an object or environment, often providing high precision and non-invasive measurement capabilities. It is widely used in fields such as environmental monitoring, healthcare, and industrial automation, leveraging principles of optics and photonics to transform light signals into meaningful data.
Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) is a phenomenon where conduction electrons in metallic nanoparticles resonate with incident light at specific wavelengths, leading to enhanced electromagnetic fields at the nanoparticle surface. This effect is highly sensitive to the nanoparticle's size, shape, and surrounding environment, making LSPR a powerful tool for applications in sensing, imaging, and photothermal therapies.
Concept
Surface states are electronic states found at the surface of materials, which can significantly influence the material's properties and behavior. These states arise due to the disruption of the periodic potential at the surface, leading to unique electronic structures that differ from the bulk material.
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