ImPhys publication in NanoLetters explained on Tweakers

A recently accepted paper in Nano Letters by ImPhys researchers Robert Moerland, Gerward Weppelman, Marijke Scotuzzi, and Jacob Hoogenboom was mentioned in the news forum of tech-website Tweakers.

In the publication our ImPhys colleagues use pulsed beams of electrons instead of photons to probe the light-matter coupling inside nanoscale lasers. For many applications in (quantum) nanophotonics and integrated photonics it is important to control light-matter interaction, e.g. in nanolasers, through strong, nanoscale modification of the optical local density of states (LDOS). All-optical techniques probing emission dynamics in active media are commonly used to measure the LDOS and benchmark experimental performance against theoretical predictions. However, metal coatings needed to obtain strong LDOS modifications are incompatible with all-optical characterization. So far, no reliable method exists to validate theoretical predictions. Here, subnanosecond pulses of focused electrons are used to penetrate the metal and excite a buried active medium at precisely defined locations inside subwavelength resonant nanocavities.

In this way, the spatial layout of the spontaneous-emission decay dynamics inside the cavities is revealed with deep-subwavelength detail, directly mapping the LDOS. It is shown that emission enhancement converts to inhibition despite an increased number of modes, emphasizing the critical role of optimal emitter location. This new approach yields fundamental insight in dynamics at deep-subwavelength scales for a wide range of nano-optical systems.

Tweakers published about the work after the manuscript appeared online. The explanation (in Dutch) can be found here.

The article will feature on the cover of the October issue of NanoLetters, and can already be found here.