CPM Seminar

Bio and Quantum Nanoplasmonics: From Single Proteins to Single Ion Emitters

Reuven Gordon

University of Victoria

This talk will present our new results on quantum nanoplasmonics, while reviewing our work on bio-nanoplasmonics as well [1]. Since 2012, my group has been using apertures in metal films to isolate and study individual proteins and their interactions with small molecules, other proteins, and DNA [2]. Recently, we have turned our attention to single ion defect emitters based on lanthanides in nanocrystals. With apertures in metal films, we are able to isolate nanocrystals with single Erbium emitters, which holds promise for single photon sources in the low-loss fiber optic transmission window. We have also been studying the impact of plasmonics for gaps that are less than a nanometer in size, where electron tunneling becomes the dominant mechanism. I will show how these (sub-) nanoplasmonic gaps can lead to bright upconversion, 5 orders of magnitude greater than conventional harmonic generation and multi-photon photoluminescence. Finally, time-permitting, I will discuss our approaches to inexpensive THz photoconductive antennas.

References:
[1] R. Gordon, “Nanostructured metals for light-based technologies,” Nanotechnology, 30, 212001 (20 pages) (2019). (invited)
https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ab0435
[2] R. Gordon, “Biosensing with Nanoaperture Optical Tweezers,” Optics and Laser Technology 109, 328-335 (2019). (invited)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2018.07.019