Surface plasmons (SPs) are coherent oscillations of conduction electrons on a metal surface excited by electromagnetic radiation at a metal -dielectric interface. The growing field of research on such light -metal interactions is known as ‘plasmonics’. 1-3 This branch of research has attracted much attention due to its potential applications in miniaturized optical devices, sensors, and photonic circuits as well as in medical diagnostics and therapeutics. 4-8

Nanostructured plasmonic sensors.

Recent advances in single-molecule detection and single-molecule spectroscopy at room temperature by laser-induced fluorescence offer new tools for the study of individual macromolecules under physiological conditions. These tools relay conformational states, conformational dynamics, and activity of single biological molecules to physical observables, unmasked by ensemble averaging. Distributions and time trajectories of these observables can therefore be measured during a reaction without the impossible need to synchronize all the molecules in the ensemble. The progress in applying these tools to biological studies with the use of fluorophores that are site-specifically attached to macromolecules is reviewed.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/283/5408/1676.full.pdf

Fluorescence spectroscopy of single biomolecules.

We review the basic physics of surface-plasmon excitations occurring at metal/dielectric interfaces with special emphasis on the possibility of using such excitations for the localization of electromagnetic energy in one, two, and three dimensions, in a context of applications in sensing and waveguiding for functional photonic devices. Localized plasmon resonances occurring in metallic nanoparticles are discussed both for single particles and particle ensembles, focusing on the generation of confined light fields enabling enhancement of Raman-scattering and nonlinear processes. We then survey the basic properties of interface plasmons propagating along flat boundaries of thin metallic films, with applications for waveguiding along patterned films, stripes, and nanowires. Interactions between plasmonic structures and optically active media are also discussed.

/pdf/plasmonics-localization-and-guiding-of-electromagnetic-1lvcudx70w.pdf

Plasmonics: Localization and guiding of electromagnetic energy in metal/dielectric structures

Since its first publication in 1973, the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database has been recognized as the international standard for providing the necessary fundamental spectroscopic parameters for diverse atmospheric and laboratory transmission and radiance calculations. There have been periodic editions of HITRAN over the past decades as the database has been expanded and improved with respect to the molecular species and spectral range covered, the number of parameters included, and the accuracy of this information. The 1996 edition not only includes the customary line-by-line transition parameters familiar to HITRAN users, but also cross-section data, aerosol indices of refraction, software to filter and manipulate the data, and documentation. This paper describes the data and features that have been added or replaced since the previous edition of HITRAN. We also cite instances of critical data that are forthcoming.

https://hitran.org/media/refs/HITRAN-1996.pdf

The hitran molecular spectroscopic database and hawks (hitran atmospheric workstation): 1996 edition

The ability to confine and store optical energy in small volumes has implications in fields ranging from cavity quantum electrodynamics to photonics. Of all cavity geometries, micrometre-sized dielectric spherical resonators are the best in terms of their ability to store energy for long periods of time within small volumes. In the sphere, light orbits near the surface, where long confinement times (high Q) effectively wrap a large interaction distance into a tiny volume. This characteristic makes such resonators uniquely suited for studies of nonlinear coupling of light with matter. Early work recognized these attributes through Raman excitation in microdroplets-but microdroplets have not been used in practical applications. Here we demonstrate a micrometre-scale, nonlinear Raman source that has a highly efficient pump-signal conversion (higher than 35%) and pump thresholds nearly 1,000 times lower than shown before. This represents a route to compact, ultralow-threshold sources for numerous wavelength bands that are usually difficult to access. Equally important, this system can provide a compact and simple building block for studying nonlinear optical effects and the quantum aspects of light.

/pdf/ultralow-threshold-raman-laser-using-a-spherical-dielectric-2fdzryn5xk.pdf

Ultralow-threshold Raman laser using a spherical dielectric microcavity

This book presents the separation-of-variables and T-matrix methods of calculating the scattering of electromagnetic waves by particles. Analytical details and computer programs are provided for determining the scattering and absorption characteristics of the finite-thickness slab, infinite circular cylinder (normal incidence), general axisymmetric particle, and sphere.The computer programs are designed to generate data that is easy to graph and visualize, and test cases in the book illustrate the capabilities of the programs. The connection between the theory and the computer programs is reinforced by references in the computer programs to equations in the text. This cross-referencing will help the reader understand the computer programs, and, if necessary, modify them for other purposes.

Light scattering by particles: Computational methods

Light Scattering by Particles: Computational Methods

Laser cavities are open systems, in that energy can leak to the outside via output coupling. The ``normal modes'' are therefore quasinormal modes, with eigenvalues that are complex and eigenfunctions that extend outside the cavity, such that any normalization integral is dominated by the region outside; in short, such systems are non-Hermitian. This paper addresses the question: How is the complex eigenvalue (i.e., the mode frequency) changed when the cavity is perturbed by a small change of dielectric constant? The usual time-independent perturbation theory fails because of non-Hermiticity. By generalizing the work of Zeldovich [Sov. Phys.---JETP 12, 542 (1961)] for scalar fields in one dimension, we express the change of frequency in terms of matrix elements involving the unperturbed eigenfunctions, so that the problem is reduced to quadrature. We then apply the formalism to shape perturbations of a dielectric microdroplet, and give analytic formulas for the frequency shifts of the morphology-dependent resonances. These results are, surprisingly, independent of the radial wave function, so that all integrals can be performed and explicit algebraic expressions are given for axially symmetric perturbations.

Time-independent perturbation for leaking electromagnetic modes in open systems with application to resonances in microdroplets

Improved real-time methods for characterizing airborne biological particles are needed. Here we review our efforts in developing techniques for measuring the laser-induced fluorescence (total and spectrally dispersed) of individual airborne particles, and describe our present system, which can measure fluorescence spectra of single micrometer-sized bioaerosol particles with good signal-to-noise ratios. We demonstrate the capability of this system by showing measured spectra of a variety of airborne particles generated in the laboratory from road dust, ammonium sulfate, Bacillus subtilis and other bacteria prepared under various conditions, allergens, cigarette smoke, and chicken-house dust. These spectra illustrate the capability of the system to distinguish between some biological and nonbiological aerosols, and among several types of laboratory-generated biological aerosols. We suggest improvements needed to make our system field portable. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.* Field Analyt Chem Technol 3: 221–239, 1999

Steven C. Hill

Papers

Light scattering by particles: Computational methods

Light Scattering by Particles: Computational Methods

Time-independent perturbation for leaking electromagnetic modes in open systems with application to resonances in microdroplets

Real-time measurement of fluorescence spectra from single airborne biological particles

Light scattering by particles