arXiv subjects

F. A. Pinheiro

Publications and source records attributed to F. A. Pinheiro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Near-field-driven Radiative Thermal Dynamics in Aperiodic Nanostructures

Harnessing structural correlations in near-field plasmonic and polaritonic systems hold untapped potential for controlling light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. By tuning these correlations, one can reshape mode localization, coupling, and spectral distribution which are properties central to manipulating energy transport and field enhancement in nanophotonic platforms. We exploit Vogel spirals, an aperiodic geometry where a single parameter dictates spatial correlations, to show how correlation strength reshapes the modal spectrum and transient dynamics of near-field coupling. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that aperiodic configurations outperform both uncorrelated (random) and periodic arrays in controlling near-field radiative heat-transfer dynamics. These results establish deterministic aperiodic order as a powerful platform for tailoring correlated electromagnetic responses in next-generation nanophotonic devices.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition and Multifractal Critical Phase in Two-Dimensional Quantum Percolation

We present a numerical study of the two-dimensional quantum percolation model, revealing that a critical region with multifractal eigenstates mediates the transition from localized to delocalized states. By analyzing the mean level ratio and participation entropy, we identify two distinct transitions: a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition at the classical percolation threshold, separating the localized and critical phases, and a power-law-type transition at a larger concentration, marking the onset of full delocalization. The critical phase is characterized by multifractal eigenstates, as evidenced by the generalized fractal dimension and multifractal spectrum. Altogether, our results establish that in the marginal two-dimensional case, the Anderson impurity model and the quantum percolation model belong to different universality classes.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2023

Controlling electric and magnetic Purcell effects in phosphorene via strain engineering

We investigate the spontaneous emission lifetime of a quantum emitter near a substrate coated with phosphorene under the influence of uniaxial strain. We consider both electric dipole and magnetic dipole-mediated spontaneous transitions from the excited to the ground state. The modeling of phosphorene is performed by employing a tight-binding model that goes beyond the usual low-energy description. We demonstrate that both electric and magnetic decay rates can be strongly tuned by the application of uniform strain, ranging from a near-total suppression of the Purcell effect to a remarkable enhancement of more than 1300% due to the high flexibility associated with the puckered lattice structure of phosphorene. We also unveil the use of strain as a mechanism to tailor the most probable decay pathways of the emitted quanta. Our results show that uniaxially strained phosphorene is an efficient and versatile material platform for the active control of light-matter interactions thanks to its extraordinary optomechanical properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Enantioselective optical forces in gain-functionalized single core-shell chiral nanoparticles

We propose a gain-assisted enantioselective scheme in dye-doped chiral particles, demonstrating optical pulling and pushing forces that can be tuned using externally controllable parameters. By controlling the concentration of dye molecules and pumping rate, we achieve all-optical chiral resolution of racemic mixtures and enantioselection of small dipolar chiral particles without relying on interference. This scheme is applicable to both lossless and lossy plasmonic chiral particles, making it a promising approach for chiral sensing, drug discovery, and molecular separation.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Entangled two-plasmon generation in carbon nanotubes and graphene coated wires

We investigate the two-plasmon spontaneous decay of a quantum emitter near single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and graphene-coated wires (GCWs). We demonstrate efficient, enhanced generation of two-plasmon entangled states in SWCNTs due to the strong coupling between tunable guided plasmons and the quantum emitter. We predict two-plasmon emission rates more than twelve orders of magnitude higher than in free-space, with average lifetimes of a few dozens of nanoseconds. Given their low dimensionality, these systems could be more efficient for generating and detecting entangled plasmons in comparison to extended graphene. Indeed, we achieve tunable spectrum of emission in GCWs, where sharp resonances occur precisely at the plasmons' minimum excitation frequencies. We show that, by changing the material properties of the GCW's dielectric core, one could tailor the dominant modes and frequencies of the emitted entangled plasmons while keeping the decay rate ten orders of magnitude higher than in free-space. By unveiling the unique properties of two-plasmon spontaneous emission processes in the presence of low dimensional carbon-based nanomaterials, our findings set the basis for a novel material platform with applications to on-chip quantum information technologies.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Probing topological phase transitions via quantum reflection in the graphene family materials

We theoretically investigate the quantum reflection of different atoms by two-dimensional (2D) materials of the graphene family (silicene, germanene, and stanene), subjected to an external electric field and circularly polarized light. By using Lifshitz theory to compute the Casimir-Polder potential, which ensures that our predictions apply to all regimes of atom-2D surface distances, we demonstrate that the quantum reflection probability exhibits distinctive, unambiguous signatures of topological phase transitions that occur in 2D materials. We also show that the quantum reflection probability can be highly tunable by these external agents, depending on the atom-surface combination, reaching a variation of 40% for Rubidium in the presence of a stanene sheet. Our findings attest that not only dispersive forces play a crucial role in quantum reflection, but also that the topological phase transitions of the graphene family materials can be comprehensively and efficiently probed via atom-surface interactions at the nanoscale.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Gain-assisted optical tweezing of plasmonic and large refractive index microspheres

We have theoretically investigated optical tweezing of gain-functionalized microspheres using a highly focused single beam in the nonparaxial regime. We employ the Mie-Debye theory of optical tweezers to calculate the optical force acting on homogeneous and core-shell Mie microspheres with gain. We demonstrate that the optical gain plays a crucial role in optical manipulation, especially to optimize the restoring force and thus allowing for trapping of large refractive index and plasmonic particles. Indeed we demonstrate that one can trap such particles, which is usually not possible in the case of passive media, by functionalizing them with an optical gain material. We show that by varying the value of the gain, which can be realized by changing the pump power, one can not only achieve trapping but also manipulate the equilibrium position of the tweezed particle. Altogether our findings open new venues for gain-assisted optomechanics, where gain functionalized systems could facilitate optical trapping and manipulation of plasmonic nanoparticles in particular, with potential applications in self-assembling of nanoparticle suspensions and on a chip.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Controlling spontaneous emission in inertial and dissipative nematic liquid crystals: the role of critical phenomena

We develop a rigorous, field-theoretical approach to the study of spontaneous emission in inertial and dissipative nematic liquid crystals, disclosing an alternative application of the massive Stueckelberg gauge theory to describe critical phenomena in these systems. This approach allows one not only to unveil the role of phase transitions in the spontaneous emission in liquid crystals but also to make quantitative predictions for quantum emission in realistic nematics of current scientific and technological interest in the field of metamaterials. Specifically, we predict that one can switch on and off quantum emission in liquid crystals by varying the temperature in the vicinities of the crystalline-to-nematic phase transition, for both the inertial and dissipative cases. We also predict from first principles the value of the critical exponent that characterizes such a transition, which we show not only to be independent of the inertial or dissipative dynamics, but also to be in good agreement with experiments. We determine the orientation of the dipole moment of the emitter relative to the nematic director that inhibits spontaneous emission, paving the way to achieve directionality of the emitted radiation, a result that could be applied in tuneable photonic devices such as metasurfaces and tuneable light sources.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Time scaling and quantum speed limit in non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

We report on a time scaling technique to enhance the performances of quantum protocols in non-Hermitian systems. The considered time scaling involves no extra-couplings and yields a significant enhancement of the quantum fidelity for a comparable amount of resources. We discuss the application of this technique to quantum state transfers in 2 and 3-level open quantum systems. We derive the quantum speed limit in a system governed by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Interestingly, we show that, with an appropriate driving, the time-scaling technique preserves the optimality of the quantum speed with respect to the quantum speed limit while reducing significantly the damping of the quantum state norm.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Enantioselection and chiral sorting of single microspheres using optical pulling forces

We put forward a novel, twofold scheme that enables at the same time all-optical enantioselection and sorting of single multipolar chiral microspheres based on optical pulling forces exerted by two non-collinear, nonstructured, circularly-polarized light sources. Our chiral resolution method can be externally controlled by varying the angle between their incident wavevectors, allowing for a fine-tuning of the range of chiral indices for enantioselection. Enantioselectivity is achieved by choosing angles such that only particles with the same handedness of the light sources are pulled. This proposal allows one to achieve all-optical sorting of chiral microspheres with arbitrarily small chiral parameters, thus outperforming current optical methods.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Theory of optical tweezing of dielectric microspheres in chiral host media and its applications

We report for the first time the theory of optical tweezers of spherical dielectric particles embedded in a chiral medium. We develop a partial-wave (Mie) expansion to calculate the optical force acting on a dielectric microsphere illuminated by a circularly-polarized, highly focused laser beam. When choosing a polarization with the same handedness of the medium, the axial trap stability is improved, thus allowing for tweezing of high-refractive-index particles. When the particle is displaced off-axis by an external force, its equilibrium position is rotated around the optical axis by the mechanical effect of an optical torque. Both the optical torque and the angle of rotation are greatly enhanced in the presence of a chiral host medium when considering radii a few times larger than the wavelength. In this range, the angle of rotation depends strongly on the microsphere radius and the chirality parameter of the host medium, opening the way for a quantitative characterization of both parameters. Measurable angles are predicted even in the case of naturally occurring chiral solutes, allowing for a novel all-optical method to locally probe the chiral response at the nanoscale.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Tailoring optical pulling forces with composite microspheres

Optical pulling forces or tractor beams can pull particles against light propagation by redirecting the incident photons forward. This is typically achieved using Bessel beams with very small half-cone angles, which considerably limits its applicability. One can circumvent such issue by using a superposition of plane waves. In order to investigate optical pulling forces exerted by a pair of non-colinear plane waves, we develop a theoretical framework based on Mie theory, Debye potentials and Wigner rotation matrices. We apply this framework to calculate the optical pulling force on metallo-dielectric composite particles, which we put forward as an alternative material platform to optimize and tailor tractor beams. Indeed we demonstrate that by adding a few plasmonic inclusions to low-refractive index dielectric particles of arbitrary sizes, we are able to produce polarization dependent optical pulling forces that cannot occur in the corresponding homogeneous particles. Altogether our findings not only provide innovative theoretical methods to compute optical pulling forces, but also provide new strategies to tailor and optimize them, paving the way to increase their applicability.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Probing the optical chiral response of single nanoparticles with optical tweezers

We propose an enantioselective scheme to sort homogeneous chiral particles using optical tweezers. For a certain range of material parameters, we show that a highly focused circularly-polarized laser beam traps particles of a specific chirality selected by the handedness of the trapping beam. Furthermore, by applying a transverse Stokes drag force that displaces the trapped particle off-axis, we allow for the rotation of the particle center-of-mass around the trapping beam axis. The rotation angle is highly dependent on the handedness of the trapped particle and is easily measurable with standard video-microscopy techniques, allowing for an alternative mechanism for chiral resolution. Our platform not only allows for enantioselection of particles dispersed in solution but also paves the way to the characterization of the chiral parameter of individual, homogeneous chiral microspheres using optical tweezing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Enantioselective manipulation of chiral nanoparticles using optical tweezers

We put forward an enantioselective method for chiral nanoparticles using optical tweezers. We demonstrate that the optical trapping force in a typical, realistic optical tweezing setup with circularly-polarized trapping beams is sensitive to the chirality of core-shell nanoparticles, allowing for efficient enantioselection. It turns out that the handedness of the trapped particles can be selected by choosing the appropriate circular polarization of the trapping beam. The chirality of each individual trapped nanoparticle can be characterized by measuring the rotation of the equilibrium position under the effect of a transverse Stokes drag force. We show that the chirality of the shell gives rise to an additional twist, leading to a strong enhancement of the optical torque driving the rotation. Both methods are shown to be robust against variations of size and material parameters, demonstrating that they are particularly useful in (but not restricted to) several situations of practical interest in chiral plasmonics, where enantioselection and characterization of single chiral nanoparticles, each and every with its unique handedness and optical properties, are in order. In particular, our method could be employed to unveil the chiral response arising from disorder in individual plasmonic raspberries, synthesized by close-packing a large number of metallic nanospheres around a dielectric core.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Decoherence and collective effects in critical media

We investigate the influence of critical phenomena on two distinct physical processes: the center-of-mass decoherence of a single emitter, and the collective radiation of two emitters. We address these different physical mechanisms with an unified formalism relying on standard perturbation theory. We decompose the decoherence and the collective emission rates as a sum of two contributions, accounting for the spontaneous emission and for interference effects respectively. The former is enhanced by the Purcell effect when the material is in the vicinity of the emitter(s). The latter, associated to quantum interferences, experiences a "sudden death" near the critical point of the phase transition. Our findings unveil the interplay between the Purcell and collective effects and its dependence on metal-insulator transitions. We discuss two specific examples of phase transitions: the percolation transition in a metal-dielectric composite, and the metal-insulator transition in VO2. In the latter, decoherence and collective emission rates exhibit a characteristic hysteresis that strongly depends on the material temperature. These results, based on experimental data, suggest that VO2 could be explored as a versatile material platform where decoherence and collective emission can be tuned by varying the temperature.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Controlling spontaneous emission via electronic correlations in transparent metals

We study the spontaneous emission of agglomerates of two-level quantum emitters embedded in a correlated transparent metal. The characteristic emission energy corresponds to the splitting between ground and excited states of a neutral, nonmagnetic molecular impurity (F color center), while correlations are due to the existence of narrow bands in the metal. This is the case of transition metal oxides with an ABO3 Perovskite structure, such as SrVO3 and CaVO3, where oxygen vacancies are responsible for the emission of visible light, while the correlated metallic nature arises from the partial filling of a band with mostly d-orbital character. For these systems we put forward an interdisciplinary, tunable mechanism to control light emission governed by electronic correlations. We show that not only there exists a critical value for the correlation strength above which the metal becomes transparent in the visible, but also that strong correlations can lead to a remarkable enhancement of the light-matter coupling. By unveiling the role of electronic correlations in spontaneous emission, our findings set the basis for the design of controllable, solid-state, single-photon sources in correlated transparent metals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Light Localization and Cooperative Coupling Effects in Aperiodic Vogel Spirals

By using the dyadic Green's matrix spectral method, we demonstrate that aperiodic deterministic Vogel spirals made of electric dipoles support light localization in three dimensions, an effect that does not occur in traditional uniform random media. We discover a light localization transition in Vogel spiral arrays embedded in three-dimensional space by evaluating the Thouless conductance, the level spacing statistics, and by performing a finite-size scaling. This light localization transition is different from the Anderson transition because Vogel spirals are deterministic structures. Moreover, this transition occurs when the vector character of light is fully taken into account, in contrast to what is expected for traditional uniform random media of point-like scatterers. We show that light localization in Vogel arrays is a collective phenomenon that involves the contribution of multiple length scales. Vogel spirals are suitable photonic platforms to localize light thanks to their distinctive structural correlation properties that enable collective electromagnetic excitations with strong light-matter coupling. Our results unveil the importance of aperiodic correlations for the engineering of photonic media with strongly enhanced light-matter coupling compared to the traditional periodic and homogeneous random media.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2018

Optimizing optical tweezing with directional scattering in composite microspheres

Trapping of microspheres with a single focused laser beam is usually limited to materials with relative refractive indexes slightly larger than one. We show that directional light scattering can be employed to optically trap high-index materials. For this purpose, we propose a material platform to achieve zero backward scattering (ZBS), also known as the first Kerker condition, in a composite media containing spherical inclusions of silica embedded in a SiC microsphere. By tuning the volume filling fraction of inclusions and the microsphere radius, stable trapping can be achieved, provided that ZBS is combined with the condition for destructive interference between the fields reflected at the external and internal interfaces of the microsphere when located at the focal point. We show that our proposal also holds even in the presence of a significant amount of spherical aberration, which is a common condition in most optical tweezers setups. In this case, achieving ZBS is essential for trapping high-index materials.

physics.optics↗