NONLINEAR OPTICAL PHYSICS AND APPLICATIONS OF THE PLASMONIC RESPONSE IN METAL NANOPARTICLES

Abstract

The optics of the surface plasmon resonance in the linear regime have been extensively studied and applied for almost a century. The explosive growth of interest in plasmonics, however, is focusing attention on novel plasmonic structures and nonlinear optical applications. In this paper, the fundamental nonlinear optical physics of the surface plasmon resonance is reviewed. Methods for preparing metal nanoparticle composites with well-define optical properties are described. Recent experiments and applications of second- and third-order nonlinearities from metal nanoparticles and ordered arrays of metal nanoparticles are described.