Physicists Measure Photonic Interactions at the Atomic Level

Physicists Measure Photonic Interactions at the Atomic Level

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By measuring the unique properties of light on the scale of a single atom, researchers from Duke University and Imperial College London believe that they have characterized the limits of metal’s ability in devices that enhance light.

This field is known as plasmonics because scientists are trying to take advantage of plasmons, electrons that have been “excited” by light in a phenomenon that produces electromagnetic field enhancement. The enhancement achieved by metals at the nanoscale is significantly higher than that achievable with any other material.