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  • Review Article
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Mapping nanoscale light fields

Nature Photonics volume 8, pages 919–926 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

The control of light fields on subwavelength scales in nanophotonic structures has become ubiquitous, driven by both curiosity and a multitude of applications in fields ranging from biosensing to quantum optics. Mapping these fields in detail is crucial, as theoretical modelling is far from trivial and highly dependent on nanoscale geometry. Recent developments of nanoscale field mapping, particularly with near-field microscopy, have not only led to a vastly increased resolution, but have also resulted in increased functionality. The phase and amplitude of different vector components of both the electric and magnetic fields are now accessible, as is the ultrafast temporal or spectral evolution of propagating pulses in nanostructures. In this Review we assess the current state-of-the-art of subwavelength light mapping, highlighting the new science and nanostructures that have subsequently become accessible.

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Figure 1: Near-field scanning optical microscopy.
Figure 2: Vector light field mappings with NSOMs.
Figure 3: Examples of time- and frequency-resolved near-field mappings.
Figure 4: Electromagnetic near-field maps.

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Acknowledgements

We thank B. le Feber for discussions and help in the preparation of this manuscript, and A. de Hoogh for help with the figures. This work is part of the research programme of the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), which is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). This work is supported by the EU FET project “SPANGL4Q” and was also funded by ERC Advanced Investigator Grant (no. 240438-CONSTANS).

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Rotenberg, N., Kuipers, L. Mapping nanoscale light fields. Nature Photon 8, 919–926 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.285

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