We realize giant optical nonlinearity of a single plasmonic nanostructure which we call a split hole resonator (SHR). The SHR is the marriage of two basic elements of nanoplasmonics, a nanohole and a nanorod. A peak field intensity in the SHR occurs at the single tip of the nanorod inside the nanohole. The peak field is much stronger than those of the nanorod and nanohole, because the SHR field involves contributions from the following two field-enhancement mechanisms: (1) the excitation of surface plasmon resonances and (2) the lightning-rod effect. Here, we demonstrate the use of the SHR as a highly efficient nonlinear optical element for: (i) the generation of the third harmonic from a single SHR; (ii) the excitation of intense multiphoton luminescence from a single SHR.

Electroresistance in ferroelectric tunnel junctions is controlled by changes in the electrostatic potential profile across the junction upon polarization reversal of the ultrathin ferroelectric barrier layer. Here, hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy is used to reconstruct the electric potential barrier profile in as-grown Cr/BaTiO3(001)/Pt(001) heterostructures. Transport properties of Cr/BaTiO3/Pt junctions with a sub-μm Cr top electrode are interpreted in terms of tunneling electroresistance with resistance changes of a factor of ∼30 upon polarization reversal. By fitting the I-V characteristics with the model employing an experimentally determined electric potential barrier we derive the step height changes at the BaTiO3/Pt (Cr/BaTiO3) interface +0.42(−0.03) eV following downward to upward polarization reversal.

For the first time we have demonstrated an approach to control transmission of light through a single nanohole with the use of photon crystal microcavity. By use of the approach 28-fold enhanced transmission of light through a single nanohole in Au film has been experimentally demonstrated. The approach has the following advantages: (1) it enables to considerably increase transmission of light through a single nanohole, (2) the increase in transmission is unaffected by the hole diameter, (3) the transmission of nanohole is selective in frequency, the width of the resonance ~λ/90, (4) no auxiliary structures are necessary on the surface of the Au film (extra nanoholes, grooves, etc.).

In this letter, we report on a particularly strong optical nonlinearity at the nanometer scale in aluminum. A strong optical nonlinearity of the third order was demonstrated on a single nanoslit. Single nanoslits of different aspect ratio were excited by a laser pulse (120 fs) at the wavelength 1.5 µm, leading predominantly to third-harmonic generation (THG). It has been shown that strong surface plasmon resonance in a nanoslit allows the realization of an effective nanolocalized source of third-harmonic radiation. We show also that a nanoslit in a metal film has a significant advantage in nonlinear processes over its Babinet complementary nanostructure (nanorod): the effective abstraction of heat in a film with a slit makes it possible to use much higher laser radiation intensities.

We propose and experimentally realize subwavelength light localization based on the optical nonlinearity of a single nonlinear element in nanoplasmonics-a split hole resonator (SHR). The SHR is composed of two basic elements of nanoplasmonics, a nanohole, and a nanorod. A peak field intensity occurs at the single spot of the SHR nanostructure. We demonstrate the use of the SHR as a highly efficient nonlinear optical element for (i) the construction of a polarization-ultrasensitive nanoelement and, as a practical application, (ii) the building up of an all-optical display.

We are first to demonstrate a broadband, nanometer-scale, and background-free light source that is based on photoluminescence of a single nanohole in an Au film. We show that a nanohole with a diameter of as small as 20 nm in a 200-nm thick Au film can be used for this purpose. Further development of the localized source that involves the use of a photon-crystal microcavity with a Q-factor of 100 makes it possible to create a 30-fold enhanced, narrowband tunable light source and with a narrow directivity of the radiation.

In modern experimental physics the pinhole camera is used when the creation of a focusing element (lens) is difficult. We have experimentally realized a method of image construction in atom optics, based on the idea of an optical pinhole camera. With the use of an atom pinhole camera we have built an array of identical arbitrary-shaped atomic nanostructures with the minimum size of an individual nanostructure element down to 30 nm on an Si surface. The possibility of 30 nm lithography by means of atoms, molecules and clusters has been shown.

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