Solaris Nanosciences Corporation
today announced that breakthrough work by its founder and CEO, Nabil Lawandy
has been published in the Journal of Applied Physics Letters. The letter
entitled "Localized Surface Plasmon Singularities in Amplifying Media"
appeared in the November 22, 2004 edition.
The paper has importance in the exploding field of nanotechnology and has
connections to several other fields, ranging from random lasers to single
molecule biological assays. "Plasmons were observed as far back as the 4th
Century AD by the Romans using metallic nanoparticles of silver and gold to
color glass," said Dr. Lawandy. "This work, along with the discovery of lasers
and light amplification, shows how this age old phenomena can create a whole
new regime of physics and set of applications for metal nanostructures."
"This paper describes an important insight regarding the interactions
between plasmon resonant and gain media which will no doubt lead to new
innovations and applications in the field of nanophotonics," said Naomi Halas,
the Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and
Professor of Chemistry at Rice University, and a leading research scientist in
the field of nanotechnology and its biological applications.
Vladimir Shalaev, the Robert and Anne Burnett Professor of Electrical and
Computer Engineering at Purdue University said, "the field of plasmonics is
currently playing an increasingly important role in nanophotonics and various
sensing applications. This is because oscillations of free electrons,
plasmons, in metal nanoparticles can 'focus' the electromagnetic energy of
light onto the nanoscale leading to dramatically enhanced local fields. The
level of achievable enhancement is limited by damping of plasmon oscillations.
Recently, Lawandy showed that by placing metal nanoparticles in amplifying
media, the damping of plasmons can be compensated by gain provided by a host
material so that the local field can reach truly gigantic magnitudes. This
discovery may have a revolutionary impact on the field of nanophotonics and
result in novel spectacular applications of plasmonic nanomaterials, for
example, for sensing molecules with unprecedented sensitivity." Dr. Shalaev
is well established expert in the field of nanotechnology electromagnetics.
Solaris is pursuing the application of its scalable, consumable
nanoantenna platform to provide unique benefits to several large industry
sectors. Solaris Nanosciences is applying its nanotechnology patent portfolio
to become a leading manufacturer and licensor of nano-materials and the
supporting technology.
The company is initially pursuing three major applications of its
nanoantenna platform technology: advanced materials for photovoltaics,
additives for liquid crystal displays and nanostructures for improving vision
for medical and military applications. For additional information on Solaris
and its technologies, visit http://www.solarisnano.com.
