Spontaneous symmetry breaking in plasmon lattice lasers.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) is key for our understanding of phase transitions and the spontaneous emergence of order. In this work, we report that, for a two-dimensional (2D) periodic metasurface with gain, SSB occurs in the lasing transition. We study diffractive hexagonal plasmon nanoparticle lattices, where the -points in momentum space provide two modes that are degenerate in frequency and identically distributed in space.

Temporal Dynamics of Collective Resonances in Periodic Metasurfaces.

Temporal dynamics of confined optical fields can provide valuable insights into light-matter interactions in complex optical systems, going beyond their frequency-domain description. Here, we present a new experimental approach based on interferometric autocorrelation (IAC) that reveals the dynamics of optical near-fields enhanced by collective resonances in periodic metasurfaces. We focus on probing the resonances known as waveguide-plasmon polaritons, which are supported by plasmonic nanoparticle arrays coupled to a slab waveguide.

Enabling infinite factors in absorbing optical systems.

Resonant optical structures have widespread applications in science and technology. However, their quality () factors can be significantly deteriorated, if some of their parts exhibit optical absorption. Here, we show that by coupling a lossy mode of such a structure to two independent lossless modes, one can create a nonradiating and absorption-free bound state in the continuum (BIC).

Extreme-Ultraviolet Shaping and Imaging by High-Harmonic Generation from Nanostructured Silica.

Coherent extreme-ultraviolet pulses from high-harmonic generation have ample applications in attosecond science, lensless imaging, and industrial metrology. However, tailoring complex spatial amplitude, phase, and polarization properties of extreme-ultraviolet pulses is made nontrivial by the lack of efficient optical elements. Here, we have overcome this limitation through nanoengineered solid samples, which enable direct control over amplitude and phase patterns of nonlinearly generated extreme-ultraviolet pulses.

Monitoring the gold nanoshell growth mechanism: stabilizing and destabilizing effects of PEG-SH molecules.

Plasmonic nanoshells have attracted significant interest due to their resonant optical properties providing excellent spectral tunability, promising for various biophotonic applications. In this work we discuss our experimental and theoretical results related to the synthesis and optical characterization of surface-modified gold nanoshells. The nanoshell growth mechanism is monitored by IR spectroscopy, and the effects of modification of the gold nanoshell surface by PEG-SH ((11-mercaptoundecyl)tetra(ethylene glycol)) molecules are studied using TEM and optical methods.