Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-9-2021

Abstract

Recent breakthroughs in nanophotonics have brought new opportunities to control and manipulate light at the nanoscale. The optical properties of metallic nanostructures have attracted particular interest because of their plasmon resonances, which couple strongly with visible light, and generate large near-field enhancements in their vicinity. In the first part of this thesis, we investigate the fundamental limits of the local density of photonic states near nanostructures by analyzing a sum rule relating its spectral integral to the field induced by a static dipole. Next, we analyze how the design of metallic nanoantennas can benefit from incorporating active materials that display optical gain. After that, we study the enhancement of quadrupolar transitions produced by the strong near-field gradient associated with the plasmons of graphene nanostructures. Finally, we investigate the noncontact transfer of heat and angular momentum in collections of nanostructures enabled by vacuum and thermal fluctuations of the electromagnetic field.

Degree Name

Physics

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Physics & Astronomy

First Committee Member (Chair)

Alejandro Manjavacas Arevalo

Second Committee Member

Ivan Deutsch

Third Committee Member

Rouzbeh Allahverdi

Fourth Committee Member

Terefe Habteyes

Language

English

Keywords

nanophotonics, plasmonics, local density of states, nanoantennas, graphene, fluctuational electrodynamics

Document Type

Dissertation

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