Chemical and Biological Physics Guest seminar
Date:
Lecture / Seminar
Time: 11:00
Title: Strong light-matter coupling: from transition metal dichalcogenides to Casimir self-assembly
Location: Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Lecturer: Prof. Timur O. Shegai
Organizer: Department of Chemical and Biological Physics
Details: Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Abstract: Strong light-matter interactions are at the core of many electromagnetic phenome ... Read more Strong light-matter interactions are at the core of many electromagnetic phenomena. In this talk, I will give an overview of several nanophotonic systems which support polaritons – hybrid light-matter states, as well as try to demonstrate their potential usefulness in applications. I will start with transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and specifically discuss one-dimensional edges in these two-dimensional materials (1-2). I will show that TMDs can be etched along certain crystallographic axes, such that the obtained edges are nearly atomically sharp and exclusively zigzag-terminated, while still supporting polaritonic regime. Furthermore, I will show that Fabry-Pérot resonators, one of the most important workhorses of nanophotonics, can spontaneously form in an aqueous solution of gold nanoflakes (3-4). This effect is possible due to the balance between attractive Casimir-Lifshitz forces and repulsive electrostatic forces acting between the flakes. There is a hope that this technology is going to be useful for future developments in self-assembly, nanomachinery, polaritonic devices, and perhaps other disciplines.
References: 1) Nat. Commun., 11, 4604, (2020) 2) Laser & Photonics Rev., 17, 2200057, (2023) 3) Nature 597, 214-219, (2021) 4) Nat. Phys. 19, 271-278, (2023)Close abstract
