Cooperative optical trapping in asymmetric plasmon nanocavity arrays

We propose a scheme using cooperative interaction of antiphase resonance modes to enhance optical trapping in plasmonic nanostructures. This is implemented with a subwavelength array of asymmetric binary nanogrooves (e.g. different depths) in metal. When damping and inter-coupling of antiphase fields in the nanogrooves are mediated satisfying a critical condition, light can be cooperatively trapped in the nanogrooves, demonstrating perfect absorption at nearly the intrinsic resonance frequency of the deeper nanogrooves. A harmonic oscillator model is developed to interpret the cooperative interaction processes. The phenomenon has been also implemented in asymmetric ternary nanogroove arrays. In terms of compositions and intra-coupling mechanisms, the asymmetric binary/ternary plasmonic nanostructure arrays are crystalline molecular-metamaterials, analogous to electronic crystals composed of covalence-bond molecules.