Unique structural and optical properties of atomically thin two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides enable in principle their efficient coupling to photonic cavities having ...the optical mode volume close to or below the diffraction limit. Recently, it has become possible to make all-dielectric nano-cavities with reduced mode volumes and negligible non-radiative losses. Here, we realise low-loss high-refractive-index dielectric gallium phosphide (GaP) nano-antennas with small mode volumes coupled to atomic mono- and bilayers of WSeFormula: see text. We observe a photoluminescence enhancement exceeding 10Formula: see text compared with WSeFormula: see text placed on planar GaP, and trace its origin to a combination of enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate, favourable modification of the photoluminescence directionality and enhanced optical excitation efficiency. A further effect of the coupling is observed in the photoluminescence polarisation dependence and in the Raman scattering signal enhancement exceeding 10Formula: see text. Our findings reveal dielectric nano-antennas as a promising platform for engineering light-matter coupling in two-dimensional semiconductors.
Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare disease of controversial origin recently recognized as a neoplasm deriving from plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). Nevertheless, it ...remains an orphan tumor with obscure biology and dismal prognosis. To better understand the pathobiology of BPDCN and discover new targets for effective therapies, the gene expression profile (GEP) of 25 BPDCN samples was analyzed and compared with that of pDCs, their postulated normal counterpart. Validation was performed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), whereas functional experiments were carried out ex vivo. For the first time at the molecular level, we definitely recognized the cellular derivation of BPDCN that proved to originate from the myeloid lineage and in particular, from resting pDCs. Furthermore, thanks to an integrated bioinformatic approach we discovered aberrant activation of the NF-kB pathway and suggested it as a novel therapeutic target. We tested the efficacy of anti-NF-kB-treatment on the BPDCN cell line CAL-1, and successfully demonstrated by GEP and IHC the molecular shutoff of the NF-kB pathway. In conclusion, we identified a molecular signature representative of the transcriptional abnormalities of BPDCN and developed a cellular model proposing a novel therapeutic approach in the setting of this otherwise incurable disease.
Time-varying metasurfaces are emerging as a powerful instrument for the dynamical control of the electromagnetic properties of a propagating wave. Here we demonstrate an efficient time-varying ...metasurface based on plasmonic nano-antennas strongly coupled to an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) deeply subwavelength film. The plasmonic resonance of the metal resonators strongly interacts with the optical ENZ modes, providing a Rabi level spitting of ∼30%. Optical pumping at frequency ω induces a nonlinear polarization oscillating at 2ω responsible for an efficient generation of a phase conjugate and a negative refracted beam with a conversion efficiency that is more than 4 orders of magnitude greater compared to the bare ENZ film. The introduction of a strongly coupled plasmonic system therefore provides a simple and effective route towards the implementation of ENZ physics at the nanoscale.
A new photonic material is presented: “photonic glass”. This is a 3D completely disordered solid arrangement of monodisperse dielectric spheres (see figure). Monodispersity ensures single‐sphere ...optical resonances to be observed. Very thick (from tenths to few millimetres) uniform samples can be grown by attenuating the inter‐sphere interaction. Thin (correlated) disordered films can be grown by vertical convective deposition and selective etching of binary colloidal suspensions.
Numerous optical technologies and quantum optical devices rely on the controlled coupling of a local emitter to its photonic environment, which is governed by the local density of optical states ...(LDOS). Although precise knowledge of the LDOS is crucial, classical optical techniques fail to measure it in all of its frequency and spatial components. Here, we use a scanning electron beam as a point source to probe the LDOS. Through angular and spectral detection of the electron-induced light emission, we spatially and spectrally resolve the light wave vector and determine the LDOS of Bloch modes in a photonic crystal membrane at an unprecedented deep-subwavelength resolution (30-40 nm) over a large spectral range. We present a first look inside photonic crystal cavities revealing subwavelength details of the resonant modes. Our results provide direct guidelines for the optimum location of emitters to control their emission, and key fundamental insights into light-matter coupling at the nanoscale.
In this Letter, we study the Purcell effect in a 3D disordered dielectric medium through fluorescence decay rates of nanosized light sources. We report distributions of Purcell factor with ...non-Gaussian long-tailed statistics and an enhancement of up to 8 times the average value. We attribute this large enhancement to strong fluctuations of the local density of states induced by near-field scattering sustained by more than one particle. Our findings go beyond standard diagrammatic and single-scattering models and can be explained only by taking into account the full near-field interaction.
We propose a scheme for efficient long-range energy transfer between two distant light emitters separated by more than one wavelength of light, i.e. much beyond the classical Förster radius. A hybrid ...nanoantenna-waveguide system mediates the transmission of energy, showing enhancements up to 108 as compared to vacuum. Our model shows how energy transfer in nanostructured media can be boosted, beyond the simple donor Purcell enhancement, and in particular for large donor-acceptor separations. The scheme we propose connects realistic emitters and could lead to practical on-chip implementations.
Plasmonic antennas integrated on silicon devices have large and yet unexplored potential for controlling and routing light signals. Here, we present theoretical calculations of a hybrid ...silicon-metallic system in which a single gold nanoantenna embedded in a single-mode silicon waveguide acts as a resonance-driven filter. As a consequence of scattering and interference, when the resonance condition of the antenna is met, the transmission drops by 85% in the resonant frequency band. Firstly, we study analytically the interaction between the propagating mode and the antenna by including radiative corrections to the scattering process and the polarization of the waveguide walls. Secondly, we find the configuration of maximum interaction and numerically simulate a realistic nanoantenna in a silicon waveguide. The numerical calculations show a large suppression of transmission and three times more scattering than absorption, consequent with the analytical model. The system we propose can be easily fabricated by standard silicon and plasmonic lithographic methods, making it promising as real component in future optoelectronic circuits.
In this Letter we demonstrate Mie resonances mediated transport of light in randomly arranged, monodisperse dielectric spheres packed at high filling fractions. By means of both static and dynamic ...optical experiments we show resonant behavior in the key transport parameters and, in particular, we find that the energy transport velocity, which is lower than the group velocity, also displays a resonant behavior.
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