Molecular Optics in Plasmonic Fields

Plasmons are coupled excitations of light and electrons at metal-dielectric interface. By tailoring geometry of plasmonic metals at nanoscale, light can be either localized to nano-volumes or can be propagated in nano-channels. Thus, plasmons have emerged as a versatile tool in nano-optics and -spectroscopy. Of the many applications of plasmons, their interaction with molecules has gained interest not only in the context of fundamental light-matter studies, but also in nano-optical (bio)sensing. In this talk, I will introduce some aspects of plasmon-coupled fluorescence and plasmon-enhanced Raman scattering at single-molecule regime. Further, I will discuss some novel prospects [1] related to molecular nano-optics in plasmonic and thermo-plasmonic fields. 

[1] Partha P. Patra, R. Chikkaraddy, R. P.N. Tripathi, A. Dasgupta, G.V. Pavan Kumar, Nature Communications, 5, 4357 (2014)