Plasmonics forms a major part of the fascinating field of nanophotonics, which explores electromagnetic fields can be confined and interact with matters over dimensions on the order of or smaller than the wavelength. In recent years, technologies in this area have been explored extensively for variety of applications such as imaging systems, sensors, waveguides, light sources, metamaterials and metasurfaces, to name a few examples. Our research aims at studying plasmonics and developing plasmonic devices and metamaterials in mid-infrared (mid-IR) and terahertz (THz) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (~1-150THz, or 2-300µm).
Mid-infrared and terahertz photonics, spectral range beginning at the current frequency limits of electronics and ending at the edge of the telecom range, encompass an astounding array of technologies and applications, including environmental monitoring, detection of chemical and biological agents for defense applications, non-contact materials characterization, non-invasive medical diagnostics, and food-safety and quality control applications. Beyond sensing, both the mid-IR and THz have applications in astronomy and have been suggested as potential frequency bands for wireless free-space communication. Although many practical applications are proposed in this spectral range, the relative paucity of IR and THz components calls for novel technologies, such as novel plasmonic, metamaterial, and metasurface phenomena. Our research goals are understanding of exotic optical responses from light-matter interaction of plasmonic phenomena and developing novel photonic devices based on the understandings.