Guest_Jim_* Posted May 11, 2015 Posted May 11, 2015 We may not think about light very much, but in our day to day lives, we probably consider it to be somewhat simple. On the scale we live at, light is not necessarily complicated, but at the nanoscale, it can be very different from what one expects. Researchers at Aalto University have confirmed this by discovering a new way to couple light with magnetic materials that may have applications in telecommunications and more. Normally when light strikes a material, you except it to reflect or scatter off, but on the nanoscale quantum mechanics can be involved, if the materials are ferromagnetic. Metallic nanoparticles can act like antennas for visible light, and thereby interact with the light, possibly shifting its polarization axis or intensity. The researchers applied this and built an array of ferromagnetic nanoparticles that exploits surface lattice resonances. This causes all of the particles to radiate together, creating a much more significant impact on the polarization change. By having the spacing between the particles differ, based on direction, the researchers were even able to change the frequency this effect occurs at away from the frequency the particles themselves most interact with. This work opens new possibilities for magneto-optical effects, as previously one would not work with ferromagnetic materials, due to their high resistance. By working with the array of nanoparticles though, this issue is mitigated. Source: Aalto University Back to original news post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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