arXiv subjects

Aitzol Garcia-Etxarri

Publications and source records attributed to Aitzol Garcia-Etxarri.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Molecular-Induced Chirality Transfer to Plasmonic Lattice Modes

Molecular chirality plays fundamental roles in biology. The chiral response of a molecule occurs at a specific spectral position, determined by its molecular structure. This fingerprint can be transferred to other spectral regions via the interaction with localized surface plasmon resonances of gold nanoparticles. Here, we demonstrate that molecular chirality transfer occurs also for plasmonic lattice modes, providing a very effective and tunable means to control chirality. We use colloidal self-assembly to fabricate non-close packed, periodic arrays of gold nanoparticles, which are embedded in a polymer film containing chiral molecules. In the presence of the chiral molecules, the SLRs become optically active, i.e. showing handedness-dependent excitation. Numerical simulations with varying lattice parameters show circular dichroism peaks shifting along with the spectral positions of the lattice modes, corroborating the chirality transfer to these collective modes. A semi-analytical model based on the coupling of molecular and plasmonic resonances rationalizes this chirality transfer.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Vectorial Bulk-Boundary Correspondence for 3D Photonic Chern Insulators

In 2D Chern insulators (2D CI), the topology of the bulk states is captured by a topological invariant, the Chern number. The scalar bulk-boundary correspondence (sBBC) relates the change in Chern number across an interface with the number of 1D chiral edge modes at the interface. However, 3D Chern insulators (3D CI) can be characterized by a Chern vector C = (Cx, Cy, Cz) and a more general vector bulk-boundary correspondence (vBBC) is needed to correctly predict the propagation of the surface modes. In this work the possible interfaces between 3D photonic CIs are explored, focusing on possible changes in Chern vector orientation. To formulate a 3D vBBC, a link is derived between the Chern vector discontinuity across an interface and the winding of the surface equifrequency loops on the boundary. Lastly, it is demonstrated how to correctly predict the number and the propagation direction of topological photonic surface modes in 3D CIs.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

A Chirality-Based Quantum Leap

Chiral degrees of freedom occur in matter and in electromagnetic fields and constitute an area of research that is experiencing renewed interest driven by recent observations of the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect in chiral molecules and engineered nanomaterials. The CISS effect underpins the fact that charge transport through nanoscopic chiral structures favors a particular electronic spin orientation, resulting in large room-temperature spin polarizations. Observations of the CISS effect suggest opportunities for spin control and for the design and fabrication of room-temperature quantum devices from the bottom up, with atomic-scale precision. Any technology that relies on optimal charge transport, including quantum devices for logic, sensing, and storage, may benefit from chiral quantum properties. These properties can be theoretically and experimentally investigated from a quantum information perspective, which is presently lacking. There are uncharted implications for the quantum sciences once chiral couplings can be engineered to control the storage, transduction, and manipulation of quantum information. This forward-looking perspective provides a survey of the experimental and theoretical fundamentals of chiral-influenced quantum effects, and presents a vision for their future roles in enabling room-temperature quantum technologies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

On the robustness of topological corner modes in photonic crystals

We analyze the robustness of corner modes in topological photonic crystals, taking a $C_6$-symmetric breathing honeycomb photonic crystal as an example. First, we employ topological quantum chemistry and Wilson loop calculations to demonstrate that the topological properties of the bulk crystal stem from an obstructed atomic limit phase. We then characterize the topological corner modes emerging within the gapped edge modes employing a semi-analytical model, determining the appropriate real space topological invariants. For the first time, we provide a detailed account of the effect of long-range interactions on the topological modes in photonic crystals, and we quantify their robustness to perturbations. We conclude that, while photonic long-range interactions inevitably break chiral symmetry, the corner modes are protected by lattice symmetries.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Symmetry-protection of multiphoton states of light

In this manuscript we analyze the emergence of protected multiphoton states in scattering problems with cylindrical symmetry. In order to do that, we first provide a formal definition of the concept of postselected symmetry-protection. We show that symmetry-protected states are not limited to one- or two-photon states, on the contrary, it can be formally extended to the multiphoton case. In addition, we prove for the case of cylindrical symmetry that all possible multiphoton protected states are constructed from a small set of one- and two-photon states. Finally, we point out possible applications that symmetry-protected states may have in quantum communications, concretely, in the construction of decoherence-free subspaces.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Surface-Enhanced Circular Dichroism spectroscopy on periodic dual nanostructures

Increasing the sensitivity of chiral spectroscopic techniques such as circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is a current aspiration in the research field of nanophotonics. Enhancing CD spectroscopy depends upon of two complementary requirements: the enhancement of the electromagnetic fields perceived by the molecules under study and the conservation of the helicity of those fields, guaranteed by duality symmetry. In this work, we introduce a systematic method to design nanostructured dual periodic photonic systems capable of enhancing molecular CD spectroscopy resonantly. As an illustration, we engineer a dual 1D silicon nanoparticle array and show that its collective optical modes can be efficiently employed to resonantly enhance by two orders of magnitude the local density of optical chirality and, thus, the CD signal obtained from a given molecular sample on its vicinity.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Polarization singularities on high index nanoparticles

In this article, we study the emergence of polarization singularities in the scattered fields of optical resonators excited by linearly polarized plane waves. First, we prove analytically that combinations of isotropic electric and magnetic dipoles can sustain L surfaces, and C lines that propagate from the near-field to the far field. Moreover, based on these analytical results, we derive anomalous scattering Kerker conditions trough singular optics arguments. Secondly, through exact full-field calculations, we demonstrate that high refractive index spherical resonators present such topologically protected features. Furthermore, we calculate the polarization structure of light around the generated C lines, unveiling a Möbius strip structure in the main axis of the polarization ellipse. These results prove that high-index nanoparticles are excellent candidates for the generation and control of polarization singularities and that they may lead to new platforms for the experimental study of the topology of light fields around optical antennas.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Surface enhanced circular dichroism spectroscopy mediated by non-chiral nanoantennas

We theoretically investigate light matter interactions for chiral molecules in the presence of non-chiral nanoantennas. Isotropic nanostructures supporting optical-frequency electric or magnetic dipoles are sufficient to locally enhance the excitation of a molecule's chiral polarizability and thus its circular dichroism spectrum. However, simultaneous electric and magnetic dipoles are necessary to achieve a net, spatially-averaged enhancement. Our contribution provides a theoretical framework to understand chiral light-matter interactions at the nanoscale and sets the necessary and sufficient conditions to enhance circular dichroism spectroscopy in the presence of nanoantennas. The results may lead to new, field-enhanced, chiral spectroscopic techniques.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗