Active Control of Plasmonic-Photonic Interactions in a Microbubble Cavity

Area of Science:

• Nanophotonics and Light-Matter Interactions
• Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) and Sensing

Background:

• Active control of light-matter interactions is crucial for advancements in solar energy, cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), and single-particle sensing.
• Coupled plasmonic-photonic systems offer subwavelength confinement and high-quality factors, promising for tunable nanophotonic networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a microfluidic approach for active control of plasmonic-photonic interactions at the single-particle level.
• To demonstrate control over these interactions by tuning the dielectric properties within microbubble cavities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized microfluidic technology to create microbubble whispering-gallery mode cavities.
• Actively controlled plasmonic-photonic interactions by changing the solvent, thereby altering the interior dielectric constant.
• Employed experimental and simulation methods to analyze the effects on coupling strengths.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated active control over plasmonic-photonic interactions at the single-particle level.
• Showed that changing the solvent alters the spatial overlap between photonic and plasmonic modes.
• Observed competing influences of mode overlap and mode volume on coupling strengths, with qualitative agreement between experiments and simulations.

Conclusions:

• The microfluidic approach provides a viable method for actively controlling light-matter interactions in coupled plasmonic-photonic systems.
• Tuning the dielectric constant within microbubble cavities is an effective strategy for manipulating plasmonic-photonic coupling.
• Further research can leverage these findings for developing advanced nanophotonic networks for various applications.