Optical size resonances in nanostructures

Abstract

The existence of optical size resonances in atomic nanostructures is proved. The properties of optical size resonances strongly depend on the interatomic distances and on the polarization of an external radiation field. The properties of linear and nonlinear size resonances are considered in the case of two-dimensional nanostructures. The linear optical size resonances are described based on a closed system of equations for dipole oscillators and nonlocal field equations taking into account the dipole-dipole interactions of atoms in the radiation field. Using a stationary solution to these equations, it is demonstrated that two isotropic atoms with definite intrinsic frequencies form an anisotropic system in the radiation field, possessing two or four size resonances depending on whether the component atoms are identical or different. The nanostructure composed of two different atoms possesses two size resonances with positive dispersion and two other resonances with negative dispersion. The frequencies of the size resonances significantly differ from the intrinsic frequencies of isolated atoms entering into the nanostructure. By changing the angle of incidence of the external wave, it is possible to excite various size resonances. The properties of nonlinear optical size resonances excited by an intense radiation field were theoretically and numerically studied using the modified Bloch equations and nonlocal field equations. Dispersion relationships for the nonlinear resonances were derived and the inversion properties of atoms in the nanostructure were studied for various polarizations of the external optical wave.