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Photonics and spectroscopy in nanojunctions: a theoretical insight
1Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. migalperin@ucsd.edu.
Chemical Society Reviews
|April 12, 2017
Summary
Optoelectronics research combines nonlinear optical spectroscopy and quantum transport. Unified theoretical descriptions of nanojunction spectroscopy are presented, highlighting Green function methods for classical radiation fields.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Advancements in nanoscale experimental techniques enable optical measurements in current-carrying nanojunctions.
- This has led to the emergence of optoelectronics, a new research field.
- Optical spectroscopy of open nonequilibrium systems bridges nonlinear optical spectroscopy and quantum transport.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent progress in optoelectronics, focusing on theoretical treatments of optical response in nanojunctions.
- To compare theoretical approaches from nonlinear spectroscopy and quantum transport communities.
- To present a unified theoretical description for spectroscopy in nanojunctions.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of theoretical treatments used in nonlinear optical spectroscopy and quantum transport.
- Application of Green function based considerations from quantum transport.
- Classical treatment of the radiation field in nanojunctions.
Main Results:
- Theoretical approaches from the quantum transport community, particularly Green function methods, are effective for optoelectronics with classical radiation fields.
- Differences in theoretical toolboxes become significant when considering the quantum nature of the radiation field.
- A unified theoretical framework for nanojunction spectroscopy is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Quantum transport theory provides a valuable framework for understanding optoelectronic phenomena in nanojunctions.
- Further development is needed to incorporate quantum radiation field effects for a complete description.
- This work facilitates a deeper understanding of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale.
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