Controlling the interactions between light and matter has been a long-standing ambition for scientists seeking to develop and advance numerous technologies that are fundamental to society. With the boom of nanotechnology in recent years, the nanoscale manipulation of light has become both, a promising pathway to continue this advancement, as well as a unique challenge due to new behaviors that appear when the dimensions of structures become comparable to the wavelength of light. | |
Scientists in the Theoretical Nanophotonics Group at The University of New Mexico’s Department of Physics and Astronomy have made an exciting new advancement to this end, in a pioneering research effort published recently in ACS Nano (“Analysis of the Limits of the Near-Field Produced by Nanoparticle Arrays”). |
The group, led by Assistant Professor Alejandro Manjavacas, studied how the optical response of periodic arrays of metallic nanostructures can be manipulated to produce strong electric fields in their vicinity. | |
The arrays they studied are composed of silver nanoparticles, tiny spheres of silver that are hundreds of times smaller than the thickness of a human hair, placed in a repeating pattern, though their results apply to nanostructures made of other materials as well. Because of the strong interactions between each of the nanospheres, these systems can be used for different applications, ranging from vivid, high-resolution color printing to biosensing that could revolutionize healthcare. | |
“This new work will help to advance the many applications of nanostructure arrays by providing fundamental insights into their behavior,” says Manjavacas. “The near-field enhancements we predict could be a game changer for technologies like ultrasensitive biosensing.” | |
Manjavacas and his team, composed of Lauren Zundel and Stephen Sanders, both graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, modeled the optical response of these arrays, finding exciting new results. When periodic arrays of nanostructures are illuminated with light, each of the particles produces a strong response, which, in turn, results in enormous collective behaviors if all of the particles can interact with one another. This happens at certain wavelengths of incident light, which are determined by the interparticle spacing of the array, and can result in electric fields that are thousands, or even tens of thousands, of times that of the light shined on the array. |
Image Credit: University of New Mexico Department of Physics

News This Week
Researchers discover potential new therapeutic targets on SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted considerable investigation into how the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein attaches to a human cell during the infection process, as this knowledge is useful in designing vaccines and therapeutics. Now, a [...]
Tricking the novel coronavirus with a fake ‘handshake’
Scientists have developed protein fragments—called peptides—that fit snugly into a groove on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein that it would normally use to access a host cell. These peptides effectively trick the virus into "shaking hands" with a replica rather than with [...]
Researchers reveal genetic predisposition to severe COVID-19
HSE University researchers have become the first in the world to discover genetic predisposition to severe COVID-19. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. T-cell immunity is one of [...]
What Pseudoviruses Bring to the Study of SARS-CoV-2
When SARS-CoV-2 first began spreading across the globe, not every lab was equipped to study it directly. The virus behind the current pandemic is highly pathogenic and transmissible, leading the US Centers for Disease [...]
Covid-19: Future targets for treatments rapidly identified with new computer simulations
esearchers have detailed a mechanism in the distinctive corona of Covid-19 that could help scientists to rapidly find new treatments for the virus, and quickly test whether existing treatments are likely to work with [...]
Almost Half of Coronavirus Sufferers Report Depression
Almost half of people testing positive for coronavirus have reported symptoms of depression, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Researchers from Bangladesh, the United States [...]
Six previously FDA-approved drugs appear promising against SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory testing
A team of investigators from the Republic of China has discovered that 6 drugs previously approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for other indications could be repurposed to treat or prevent [...]
Graphene could one day be used to make quick, reliable tests for viruses like SARS-CoV-2
Graphene is a layer of carbon only one atom thick. Since it was first isolated in 2004, it has found applications in strengthening materials, accelerating electronics, and boosting performance in batteries, among others. It [...]
UK spots 33 cases of ANOTHER Covid variant
Another Covid variant that could dodge vaccine-triggered immunity has been identified in the UK, scientists say. The strain — called B.1.525 — has been spotted 33 times already but experts say this could be [...]
Spotlight on mRNA vaccines: Covid-19 approvals highlight a novel competitive landscape in oncology
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has yielded an unexpected advancement in the pharmaceutical industry with the approval of the first mRNA vaccines, which GlobalData expects will soon impact other indications. This historical landmark could have [...]
New AI Tool Can Thwart Coronavirus Mutations
USC researchers have developed a new method to counter emergent mutations of the coronavirus and hasten vaccine development to stop the pathogen responsible for killing thousands of people and ruining the economy. Using artificial [...]
Pfizer vaccine: Single dose ‘90 per cent effective after 21 days’
A single dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is “highly protective” after three weeks, according to a study. Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) said the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was still effective [...]
COVID-19 Attack On Brain, Not Lungs, Triggers Severe Disease In Mice
Summary: Mice exposed to COVID-19 through the nasal passage, researchers noted a rapid and escalated attack on the brain by the virus that triggered a more severe outcome of the infection, even after the lungs [...]
GSK and CureVac sign £132m deal to develop multi-variant Covid vaccine
GlaxoSmithKline and Germany’s CureVac have reached a €150m (£132m) agreement to develop a next generation of Covid-19 vaccines targeting new emerging variants in the pandemic. The two companies said they plan to work jointly to [...]
Monoclonal antibodies: ‘great hope’ in Covid treatments fails against variants
The great hope for drug treatments against Covid-19 – the monoclonal antibodies – are failing against variants of the virus, such as those that have emerged in South Africa and Brazil, scientists have found. [...]
Nano ‘Smart bandage’ detects, could prevent infections
Bandages are great for covering wounds, but they would be much more useful if they could also detect infections. By embedding nanosensors in the fibers of a bandage, University of Rhode Island Assistant Professor [...]