Achiral Plasmonic Metasurfaces

 


The University of Ottawa is changing what we know about light and materials. They used what's called engineered achiral (symmetric) materials. These are known as achiral plasmonic metasurfaces. These materials can absorb light differently, depending on the handedness of the light's wavelength. 

. In the past, the materials did not show such a selected absorption.

The new research was conducted over the last year at the University of Ottawa's Advanced Research Complex (ARC). It was led by Ravi Bhardwaj, who is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa and Ph.D. student Ashish Jain. This is also a long list of collaborators on this project. The information was published in ACS Nano.

Professor Bhardwaj states, "For decades, we believed that these materials couldn't show any difference in how they absorb polarized light. But our research shows that by using a special kind of twisted light, we can control and tune this absorption up to 50%."

Many key factory were discussed in the paper. These include breaking old beliefs, but showing that achiral structures can and do absorb light differently. Precise control was discussed, useful in optical switches. An improved efficiency was also discussed, as well as means for easier fabrication. 

Professor Bhardwaj reports, "Our research not only debunks the myth that dichroism doesn't exist in achiral structures, but also opens doors to next generation plasmonic based spectroscopy and sensing via enhanced optical metrology. 

Jain summarizes, "This discovery is important because it shows that even symmetrical materials can have special light-absorbing properties, opening up new possibilities for advanced sensing and measurement technologies."

This important work will create advancements in optical devices like switches and sensors.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mike Giradi from Stereotimes commentary on Holostage Room Treatments

I have been  friends with Mike Giradi for a few years and he has helped me test numerous designs .    I was so honored a few weeks ago when he agreed to give these Holostages a few words.  From. Mike G. The sound was a little closed in at first, but then it really opened up to prove it is another great audio product. The noise floor is greatly reduced. I am hearing details I've never heard before. When it's in the recording, the soundstage widens in all directions. The timbre of each instrument is spot on. The six Holostages installed in my room aided in the C13 alignment of air molecules to a far greater extent than the Bybee IQSE devices I had previously been using. Every instrument had greater depth, pop and presence. Listening to classical music on movie soundtracks is incredible now. The Holostages installed on my BACCH4MAC and monoblocks was the answer to what was needed. The noise floor dropped significantly in both cases resulting in greater clarity and music...
Read more

Queen Bee 🐝

Image
  Bees hide an interesting secret. When the hive loses its queen, who alone is able to give life to the colony and maintain order in a perfectly organized society, all seems lost. The life of the hive slows down. Without new eggs, the future is lost. In a few weeks, the colony may be doomed. But the bees do not panic. Nor do they expect salvation from outside. Demonstrating extraordinary collective intelligence and profound instincts, they trigger spectacular emergency procedures, almost unimaginable in a world dominated by insects. --- ◆ The transformation begins with a simple but essential choice The worker bees choose common larvae - those who would normally be mere workers. They are nothing special. They are not born different. But their fate changes completely. They are chosen to receive a special food: royal jelly. A rare substance, produced by healthy bees, rich in proteins, vitamins and bioactive compounds. This is royal food in the purest sense of the word. The larvae fed ...
Read more

Novel Acoustic Wave Discovered

Image
  A new diffraction phenomenon was researched and published on January 14, 2025. The team was led by Tohoku University with collaboration from the Japan atomic energy agency and the RIKEN Center for emergent matter science. Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) are elastic vibrations. They travel along the surface of materials, not unlike ripples on a pond. SAWs are an important part of frequency filters used in every day devices like our cell phones. These devices change electrical signals in vibrations, or ripples. This occurs because of the piezoelectric  effect and it enables efficient signal processing. During this experiment, the team created a periodic array of magnetic nanoscale materials. The magnetic array is a sort of specialized grating that the waves passed through. The scientists were surprised. Instead of the usual symmetric defraction, the team saw something different. They observed a completely new, asymmetrical diffraction of SAWs called ‘non-reciprocal defraction’....
Read more