Fisica delle nanostrutture e delle metasuperfici
The research activity aims to develop nanostructures and nanoscale devices capable of performing innovative functionalities, in particular by exploiting the peculiar properties of the light-matter interaction at the nanoscale. This is done by combining physics and materials science expertise and using an approach ranging from nanofabrication, characterization and modelling. Due to quantum confinement, the properties of materials depend on the size of the nanostructures, therefore by controlling their size, morphology and degree of order, innovative properties of interest not only for basic physics but also for their multiple technological applications can be obtained. Nanostructures ordered to form ordered two-dimensional arrays (metasurfaces) are used to control the quantum efficiency of emission by quantum emitters to obtain coherent or single-photon light sources for applications in nanophotonics and quantum optics. The research activity on metasurfaces focuses also on the development of nanostructured materials capable of manipulating light in new and controllable ways. The interaction between metasurfaces and electromagnetic waves is studied to create advanced optical devices, such as metalenses, with applications in telecommunications, imaging, and sensors. In particular, the design and fabrication of new configurations of metalenses aim at efficiency in light manipulation, with applications in quantum optics, telecommunications, optical and fiber microscopy, and plenoptics.
Staff
Full Professors:Giovanni Mattei, Filippo Romanato
Associate Professors: Tiziana Cesca, Chiara Maurizio, Alessandro Patelli
Assistant Professors: Bibiana Maria Fernandez Perez, Gianluca Ruffato
Technical staff: Nicola Argiolas, Luca Bacci, Giorgio Delfitto, Carlo Scian
Post-doc
Domenico Genchi, Boris Kalinic, Mattia Negrisolo, Darshan Giriyapura Prabhukumara, Eshan Shakerinasab
PhD students
Ilaria Delbono, Francesca Dodici, Marco Ferrari, Riccardo Fiorotto, Paola Ragonese, Alice Sindoni, Yashashree Rajesh Vernekar, Andrea Vogliardi, Namratha Wooluvarana Naveekumar
Research activities
Development of innovative light sources
The possibility of engineering the emission properties of quantum emitters, coupling them with nanostructures, and metallic and/or dielectric metasurfaces properly designed to increase the density of optical states, allows to control properties such as quantum efficiency, coherence but also non-classical properties as single photon emission. These innovative sources find application in nanophotonics on one hand in the development of integrable nanolasers that emit in the visible or near-infrared range (in the telecommunications region) or in the creation of non-classical single photon light sources for quantum technologies such as cryptography or quantum communications. Among the investigated topics:
> plasmonic nanolasers
> increase in emission quantum efficiency exploiting BIC modes in metasurfaces
Contacts: Tiziana Cesca, Giovanni Mattei
Sito web: https://materia.dfa.unipd.it/nsg/
Metamaterials and metasurfaces for nanophotonics
The possibility of engineering the emission properties of quantum emitters, coupling them with nanostructures, and metallic and/or dielectric metasurfaces properly designed to increase the density of optical states, allows to control properties such as quantum efficiency, coherence but also non-classical properties as single photon emission. These innovative sources find application in nanophotonics on one hand in the development of integrable nanolasers that emit in the visible or near-infrared range (in the telecommunications region) or in the creation of non-classical single photon light sources for quantum technologies such as cryptography or quantum communications. Among the investigated topics:
> plasmonic nanolasers
> increase in emission quantum efficiency exploiting BIC modes in metasurfaces
Contacts: Tiziana Cesca, Giovanni Mattei
Sito web: https://materia.dfa.unipd.it/nsg/
Plasmonics
When photons in the visible or near-infrared rage interact with metallic nanostructures of size, shape and composition (Au, Ag or their alloys for example) appropriately designed to exploit the surface plasma resonance phenomenon, it is possible to localize the electromagnetic field intensity in regions smaller than the wavelength of light (overcoming the diffraction limit) or to exploit peculiar phenomena that are activated at the nanoscale in metasurfaces obtained through the periodic arrangement of nanostructures capable of supporting collective resonances (lattice modes). Among the studied topics:
> Plasmonic nanoantennas
> Linear and nonlinear optical properties of metallic nanostructures
> Plasmonic and/or dielectric metasurfaces with chiral properties
> Modeling of the plasmonic properties of isolated or interacting nanostructures
Contatti: Tiziana Cesca, Giovanni Mattei
Sito web: https://materia.dfa.unipd.it/nsg/
Nanomateriali per l’energetica
Framed within the European Green Deal, this topic is on the investigation of nanomaterials that use solar radiation to produce hydrogen from water and to purify water from pollutants. The challenge is to identify new and efficient materials for this purpose—not yet available—based on non-critical raw elements (typically transition metal oxides), non-polluting, and eco-sustainable. Achieving this ambitious goal requires a detailed understanding of the physical phenomena underlying the interaction process between light and nanostructures, also mediated by plasmonic nanostructures, and the charge transport processes within the material and across its surface. The experimental activity includes the synthesis of nanomaterials, the morphological, structural, and functional characterizations, also using European synchrotron light sources.
Among the studied topics:
> Synthesis of nanostructures with high surface area for photocatalysis.
> Transport of photoinduced charges across interfaces.
> Effect of local order on photocatalytic processes.
Contacts: Chiara Maurizio, M. Fernandez Perez, G. Mattei
Utilizing Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure for Nano- and Micro-Structures
Plasma at room temperature and atmospheric pressure provides a unique environment rich in ions, electrons, electric fields, and radicals. Our research endeavors focus on harnessing these components to direct the growth of nano- and micro-structures, both on surfaces and within liquid synthesis.
This research initiative stems from the development of an innovative, internationally unparalleled system utilizing dual-frequency power supplies. While the propagation of plasmas at atmospheric pressure is typically governed by instability, our devised solution enables precise control over propagation, species generation, and plasma interaction with surfaces.
These distinctive characteristics offer avenues for synthesizing both organic and inorganic materials, even on thermally sensitive substrates. Moreover, they facilitate control over orientation and aggregation, with applications ranging from controlling the alignment of 1D or 2D materials within hydrogels to influencing the aggregation of macromolecules such as peptides. These applications span diverse fields, including water purification, hydrogen synthesis, tissue engineering, and drug delivery.
Our research encompasses several key areas:
> Investigating the controlled aggregation of macromolecules.
> Synthesizing materials with different degree of order/disorder.
Exploring surface treatments to modify chemical and morphologica
Contacts: Alessandro Patelli
Metasurfaces
Metasurfaces represent the latest stage of evolution in optics, replacing standard optical elements, whether refractive or diffractive, with flat optical elements that have micrometric thicknesses and manipulate the properties of light on a scale smaller than the wavelength. This new paradigm allows the use of materials and techniques from semiconductor manufacturing for the production and integration of optics, enabling an unprecedented integration of functionalities within the same device. Areas of interest include:
> Study of the interaction between light and microstructures
> Design and engineering of optics in the form of metasurfaces
> Nanofabrication processes for metasurfaces
> Integration of optical devices
Contacts: Filippo Romanato, Gianluca Ruffato
Structured light
The spatial structuring of the properties of optical beams, such as intensity, phase, and polarization, and their combined manipulation have recently opened up innovative applications in various fields, from life sciences to information technologies. Among the topics studied in this field are:
> Beams with orbital angular momentum
> Vector beams
> Exotic beams and high-dimensional structuring
> Light caustics and caustic beams
Contacts: Filippo Romanato, Gianluca Ruffato
