We will discuss recent advances in the design of applications based on the atomic-scale control of optical fields, including the use of atomically thin metals and semiconductors for enhancing the nonlinear response, achieving complete coupling of light into arbitrarily confined optical modes, and exploring quantum optics phenomena at unprecedentedly small length scales. Specifically, we will present our recent experimental and theoretical results on ultraconfined plasmons in few-atomic-layer crystalline silver films, complete optical coupling into plasmons and other types of surface polaritons though engineered optical scatterers, strong nonlinear response associated with two-dimensional metals and semiconductors, and their application to optical sensing.
|