Arrays of metallic nanoparticles can form an optical cavity tunable by liquid crystals

Phys.org  March 2, 2022 An international team of researcher (the Netherlands, Japan) designed, constructed, and analyzed a tunable device combining nano-particle arrays that support collective surface lattice resonances (SLRs) with liquid crystals. By leveraging the tunability of liquid crystals and the effect of the refractive index of the environment on SLRs, the optical response of the array can be controlled electrically by switching between states in the liquid crystal. The resulting rapid and reversible spectral tuning gives users a large degree of control over SLR wavelength. Because of narrow collective resonances the changes in refractive index that can be induced […]