Work

Enhanced optical chirality with directional emission of Surface Plasmon Polaritons for chiral sensing applications

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Chirality is a crucial aspect in life sciences, where systems capable of enhancing the chiroptical properties of molecules are highly demanded. In this work, we present a numerical proof of concept of a novel approach towards chiral sensing, consisting in the measurement of chiroptical properties via the directional emission of Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPPs) on a metasurface. Based on the enhanced differential absorption between right and left circularly polarized light upon interaction with a metasurface made of high refractive index dielectric unit cells, a polarization-dependent SPP differential emission is obtained. Furthermore, the plasmonic emission direction is entirely dependent on the polarization handedness. Using FDTD numerical methods we report Circular Dichroism signals of around − 6° for the unit cell, with threefold dissymmetry factor enhancements in places accessible to analytes. We believe that this work sets a brand-new branch in chiral sensing towards faster, real-time measurements.

Source: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer

DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2022.108166

Authors: Guillermo Serrera, Javier González-Colsa, Vincenzo Giannini, José M. Saiz, Pablo Albella

Institutions: Universidad de Cantabria, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Technology Innovation Institute, Instituto de Estructura de la Materia

Language: English

Topic: Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications

Subfield: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,450