The goal of research in nanophotonics is to control the light-matter interactions at scales smaller than the wavelength (the wavelength of visible light ranges from 400 to 700 nm). Photonics encompasses all the sciences and technologies involved in the generation of photons, their propagation, and their absorption by matter.
The photonic properties of condensed matter depend as much on the intrinsic properties of its constituents (molecules, crystal lattices, etc.) as on their organization at the nanoscale.
The SPEC Nanophotonics Laboratory (SPEC/LEPO Team) focuses on molecular plasmonics, and specifically on the various mechanisms of photonic interaction between conjugated molecules and metallic nanostructures. Research focuses on the design and development of hybrid nano-objects offering innovative photonic functions by combining the following aspects of nanophotonics:
- plasmonics
- nonlinear nanophotonics
- self-assembled photonic objects
The applications targeted through multidisciplinary collaborative projects span the fields of information and communication technologies (integrated nanophotonics, data storage), clean energy (photovoltaics, cold light), life sciences (optical markers, sensors, and actuators), as well as more forward-looking topics such as the optical manipulation of nano-objects or photonics at the single-photon, single-electron, and single-molecule levels.
