Acoutso-Plasmonic Coupling in Metallic Nanoparticles and Quantum Emitters Coupled to Plasmonic Devices Modelling Using Near-to-Far-Field Transformations Approaches

ABSTRACT

I will first talk about the modelling of acousto-plasmonic coupling in small metallic nanoparticles dispersed in various hosting mediums, including but not limited to polymer-type materials. Such polymer nanocomposites are shown to have superior properties compared to its constituents; they are currently employed in packaging, energy, and optoelectronics, to name a few applications. Experimentally speaking, acousto-plasmonics is investigated using Brillouin light scattering (BLS), or pump-probe spectroscopy. In the former experiment, plasmonic hot spots in the nanoparticles excited by a probing laser act as local sensors of localized acoustic phonons. Using FEM-based models, we evaluate the plasmon-phonon coupling which helps interpret/analyze the BLS spectra, and thus determine the particles eigen-vibrations. Such knowledge provides insight into the nanoscale physical properties in polymer nanocomposites such as nano-elasticity, glass transition, and various interactions taking place. In the second part, I will speak about the so-called Near-to-Far-Field Transformations (NFFT) methods combined with the FEM method to investigate plasmon-enhanced spontaneous emission. Typically, the emitters in plasmonic/photonic devices are embedded along with nanoparticles scatterers in layered/stratified materials often referred to as nanoparticles-on-mirror. Theoretical models are employed to simulate observables of interest like the total decay, radiative/non-radiative, and plasmon emissions rates, which enables to analyze experimental measures or optimize the structure prior to fabrication. We will have a look at some of these models that have been shown to be successful in the literature.

BIOGRAPHY

Adnane Noual holds a PhD in nanophotonics from the University of Lille (France), and a master’s degree in condensed matter physics at the same university. He did a postdoc in bio-nanophotonics at the University of Southampton (UK) after his PhD. Currently, he is an assistant professor of physics at the University Mohamed First, Oujda, Morocco. His current research involves the modeling of quantum effects such as spontaneous enhanced emission in nano-plasmonic or nano-photonic systems, and the investigation of acousto-plasmonic devices based on (but not limited to) surface acoustic waves. He is visiting the Department of Physics at Stevens Institute of Technology within the Prof. Stefan Strauf Lab.