Commentary: Optical nanoantennas: from communications to super-resolution

D. SKIGIN; LESTER M

JOURNAL OF NANOPHOTONICS

SPIE-SOC PHOTOPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS

Año: 2011 vol. 5 p. 1 - 4

1934-2608

    The field of optical nanoantennas has recently experienced an extensive growth in researchactivities, owing to the fascinating possibility of confining electromagnetic radiation to sub-wavelength spatial domains via surface plasmon polaritons. As a result of nanoconfinements,the local electromagnetic field can be significantly enhanced, leading to a number of extraor-dinary effects. The potential of these devices is spectacular; applications range from plasmonicwaveguides and nano-interconnects for ultrafast communications, to solar-cells energy-efficientguiding, biosensors, amplification of molecular responses, increased Raman scattering, andmedical cancer treatments, among others.    An antenna is a part of a system designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves. Thisdevice is able to convert the radiation energy of the propagating wave into localized energy, andvice versa. The same energy conversion mechanism also occurs in metallic nanostructures atthe optical range: the electromagnetic radiation can be resonantly coupled to the free electronsof noble metals, resulting in intense concentrations of energy at the surface of the nanostructure,in a localized way. This resonant phenomenon is known in the literature as surface plasmonresonance. Thus, a metallic nanostructure might operate like an optical antenna.