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Recent advances in nano technology have opened doors to several next generation devices and sensors. Characterizing nano particles and structures in a simple and effective way is imperative for monitoring and detecting processes at nano scale in a variety of environments. In recent years, the problem of studying nano particle interactions with surface plasmons or evanescent waves has gained significant interest. Here, a numerical model is presented to characterize nano-size particles and agglomerates near a metal or a dielectric interface. The methodology is based on a hybrid method, where the T-matrix approach is coupled with the image theory. The far field scattering patterns of single particles and agglomerates subjected to surface plasmons/evanescent waves are obtained. The approach utilizes the vector spherical harmonics for the incident and scattered fields relating them through a T-matrix. Effects of size, shape and orientation of the cluster on their scattering patterns are studied. An effort is made to distinguish particle characteristics from the scattering information obtained at certain observation angles. Understanding these scattering patterns is critical for the design of sensors using the surface plasmon scattering technique to monitor nano self assembly processes

<p>DNA origami is a novel self-assembly technique that can be used to form various </p><p>2D and 3D objects, and to position matter with nanometer accuracy. It has been </p><p>used to coordinate the placement of nanoscale objects, both organic and inorganic, to make molecular motor and walkers; and to create optically active nanostructures. In this dissertation, DNA origami templates are used to assemble plasmonic structures. Specifically, engineered Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrates were fabricated. Gold nanoparticles were selectively placed on the corners of rectangular origami and subsequently enlarged via solution-based metal deposition. The resulting assemblies exhibited "hot spots" of enhanced electromagnetic field between the nanoparticles. These hot spots significantly enhanced the Raman signal from Raman molecules covalently attached to the assemblies. Control samples with only one nanoparticle per DNA template, which therefore lacked inter-particle hot spots, did not exhibit strong enhancement. Furthermore, Raman molecules were used to map out the hot spots' distribution, as the molecules are photo-damaged when experiencing a threshold electric field. This method opens up the prospect of using DNA origami to rationally engineer and assemble plasmonic structures for molecular spectroscopy.</p> / Dissertation

Surface plasmon microscopes are mostly built around the prism based Kretschmann configuration. In these systems, an image of a sample can be obtained in terms of an intensity map, where the intensity of the image is dependent on the coupling of the light into the surface plasmons. Unfortunately the lateral resolution of these systems relies on the ability of plasmons to propagate along the metallised layer and is usually limited to a few microns unless special measures are taken. The widefield surface plasmon microscope (WSPR), used here enables surface plasmon imaging at significantly higher lateral resolutions than prism based systems. In this study we demonstrate the functionality of the WSPR by imaging a sequence of binding events between micro-patterned extracellular matrix proteins and their specific antibodies. Using the WSPR system a change in contrast was observed with each binding event. Images produced via the WSPR system were analyzed and compared qualitatively and quantitatively. Consequently, we confirm that the WSPR microscope described here can be used to study sequential monomolecular layer binding events on a micron scale. These results have significant implications in the development of new micron scale bioassays.

Effective focusing of electromagnetic (EM) energy to nanoscale regions is one of the major challenges in nano-photonics and plasmonics. The strong localization of the optical energy into regions much smaller than allowed by the diffraction limit, also called nanofocusing, offers promising applications in nano-sensor technology, nanofabrication, near-field optics or spectroscopy. One of the most promising solutions to the problem of efficient nanofocusing is related to surface plasmon propagation in metallic structures. Metallic tapered rods, commonly used as probes in near field microscopy and spectroscopy, are of a particular interest. They can provide very strong EM field enhancement at the tip due to surface plasmons (SP’s) propagating towards the tip of the tapered metal rod. A large number of studies have been devoted to the manufacturing process of tapered rods or tapered fibers coated by a metal film. On the other hand, structures such as metallic V-grooves or metal wedges can also provide strong electric field enhancements but manufacturing of these structures is still a challenge. It has been shown, however, that the attainable electric field enhancement at the apex in the V-groove is higher than at the tip of a metal tapered rod when the dissipation level in the metal is strong. Metallic V-grooves also have very promising characteristics as plasmonic waveguides. This thesis will present a thorough theoretical and numerical investigation of nanofocusing during plasmon propagation along a metal tapered rod and into a metallic V-groove. Optimal structural parameters including optimal taper angle, taper length and shape of the taper are determined in order to achieve maximum field enhancement factors at the tip of the nanofocusing structure. An analytical investigation of plasmon nanofocusing by metal tapered rods is carried out by means of the geometric optics approximation (GOA), which is also called adiabatic nanofocusing. However, GOA is applicable only for analysing tapered structures with small taper angles and without considering a terminating tip structure in order to neglect reflections. Rigorous numerical methods are employed for analysing non-adiabatic nanofocusing, by tapered rod and V-grooves with larger taper angles and with a rounded tip. These structures cannot be studied by analytical methods due to the presence of reflected waves from the taper section, the tip and also from (artificial) computational boundaries. A new method is introduced to combine the advantages of GOA and rigorous numerical methods in order to reduce significantly the use of computational resources and yet achieve accurate results for the analysis of large tapered structures, within reasonable calculation time. Detailed comparison between GOA and rigorous numerical methods will be carried out in order to find the critical taper angle of the tapered structures at which GOA is still applicable. It will be demonstrated that optimal taper angles, at which maximum field enhancements occur, coincide with the critical angles, at which GOA is still applicable. It will be shown that the applicability of GOA can be substantially expanded to include structures which could be analysed previously by numerical methods only. The influence of the rounded tip, the taper angle and the role of dissipation onto the plasmon field distribution along the tapered rod and near the tip will be analysed analytically and numerically in detail. It will be demonstrated that electric field enhancement factors of up to ~ 2500 within nanoscale regions are predicted. These are sufficient, for instance, to detect single molecules using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with the tip of a tapered rod, an approach also known as tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy or TERS. The results obtained in this project will be important for applications for which strong local field enhancement factors are crucial for the performance of devices such as near field microscopes or spectroscopy. The optimal design of nanofocusing structures, at which the delivery of electromagnetic energy to the nanometer region is most efficient, will lead to new applications in near field sensors, near field measuring technology, or generation of nanometer sized energy sources. This includes: applications in tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS); manipulation of nanoparticles and molecules; efficient coupling of optical energy into and out of plasmonic circuits; second harmonic generation in non-linear optics; or delivery of energy to quantum dots, for instance, for quantum computations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1993. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [147]-149).

Thesis (M. S.)--Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: El-Sayed, Mostafa A.; Committee Member: Lyon, L. Andrew; Committee Member: Sherrill, C. David; Committee Member: Wang, Zhong Lin; Committee Member: Whetten, Robert L.

Th.--Sci. phys.--Paris 6, 1979.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Στην παρούσα εργασία μελετάται η τρίτης τάξης μη γραμμική απόκριση νανοσωματιδίων παλλαδίου σε συμπολυμερή όπως επίσης και κβαντικών ψηφίδων ιωδιούχου μολύβδου. Ο προσδιορισμός της μη γραμμικής επιδεκτικότητας τρίτης τάξης και η υπερπολωσιμότητα δεύτερης τάξης επιτυγχάνεται με την βοήθεια των τεχνικών Z-scan και οπτικού φαινομένου Kerr (OKE) χρησιμοποιώντας παλμούς λέιζερ 35 psec και 4 nsec με μήκος κύματος διέγερσης 532 nm και 1064 nm. / In this work the third order nonlinear optical response of palladium nanoparticles encapsulated in block copolymers has been investigated as well as lead iodide quantum dots. The third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ(3) and the second hyperpolarizability γ are determined by employing Z-scan and Optical Kerr Effect (OKE) techniques using 35 ps and 4 ns laser pulses at excitation wavelengths of 532 and 1064 nm.