Group research interests
Field enhancement and mode density in nanostructures
Nano-glimpse inside photonic crystal cavity
Single molecules are exploited as point detectors for the local radiative decay rate to map both local field and mode density around 2D resonant nanostructures, such as nanocavities and gap antennas.
The radiation modes of a light emitter, such as fluorescent molecules or luminescent Q-dots, are limited to a finite number by a confining volume. The mode density determines spontaneous emission rate and radiation pattern. Thus by designing a suitably nanostructured environment one can control both efficiency and direction of the light emitted by a nanolight source. We investigate the mode density around 2D resonant nanostructures, such as nanocavities and gap antennas. We use single molecules as vectorial point detectors for radiative lifetime to map both local field and mode density.