Scientists explore new properties of light-matter interaction

Scientists from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (MEPhI) have investigated the effect of light-matter interaction. Their study can be used to develop new types of light sources, biosensors as well as to control chemical reactions.

The researchers used the example of organic dye, rhodamine-6G's fluorescence, to show the ability to control the interaction of an electromagnetic wave, localised in a small volume, and excitons in matter. The scientists used unique equipment, a tunable Fabry–Pérot optical micro-resonator.

This will make it possible to change the fundamental properties of excited states in a cavity volume and to obtain polaritons, and quasiparticles with new hybrid properties.

"The key technology we used is the localisation of the electromagnetic field modes in a small volume of a tunable micro-resonator. A unique installation developed in our laboratory allows us to control with high accuracy the spatial and spectral distribution of electromagnetic waves in a small space bounded by metal mirrors. This way we gain the ability to control the properties of the obtained hybrid quasiparticles, which are a superposition of excitation in the matter and intrinsic resonator mode", told Dmitry Dovzhenko, a researcher at the Nanobioengineering Laboratory of MEPhI.

According to the researcher, the study is of fundamental importance, since it allows a detailed study of the process of formation for such bound states and the dependence of their properties on experimental conditions.

The results obtained on quasiparticle property changes in matter can be used to control chemical reaction rates, increase the distance of resonant energy transfer, as well as increase the efficiency of various optoelectronic devices.

The scientists are currently studying the effect of the light-substance bond on resonant energy transfer, as well as the possibility of controlling this process by controlling the resonator parameters. Basic research continues on the dependence of the properties of formed hybrid quasiparticles on various parameters of an ensemble of particles in a micro-resonator.

The study's results were published in the journals Optics Express and Proceedings of SPIE.

More information:
www.osapublishing.org/oe/abstr … cfm?uri=oe-27-4-4077

www.spiedigitallibrary.org/con … .2530257.short?SSO=1

Provided by National Research Nuclear University