In this work, we show that a THz reflector made of a phosphorene (graphene)–dielectric multilayer can be analyzed through a simple effective plasma frequency model. We obtain the cutoff frequency, marking the beginning of the transmission region in terms of the effective plasma frequency, which depends on structural parameters of the multilayer and, more importantly, on the carrier density of phosphorene (graphene) layers. This implies that the cutoff frequency can be varied when considering carrier density tuning. We also show that the frequency regime, where cutoff frequency is obtained by carrier density tuning, goes through a wide range in the THz domain (3–25 THz), making the design of tunable reflectors in these frequencies possible through electrical doping. We numerically analyze the cutoff frequency as a function of carrier density and optical thickness of the multilayer, finding that the cutoff frequency and carrier density of phosphorene (graphene) have a very simple quadratic (quartic) relation. Our analysis allows us to obtain ranges where the effective analytical model fits better with the cutoff frequency computed from photonic bands for the multilayer periodic structure.

With the advance of laser technology, there are many applications exciting surface plasmons with very short pulses of light. We perform a quantitative study of field amplification of surface plasmons excited by short light pulses. The dependence of the maximum intensity of the electromagnetic fields at the metal–dielectric interface is obtained as a function of the pulse duration. A Gaussian light pulse is used as the excitation source and the propagation of this pulse is computed on an attenuated total reflection system for the Kretschmann geometry. The field enhancement produced by the pulse is about 80% of the steady-state case when the width of the pulse is half the decay time of the surface plasmon, and it gets close to 95% when the width is equal to the time decay. We obtain an approximate expression for the field amplification as a function of the pulse width that is close to the exact calculation. Additionally, an approximate expression is obtained for the enhancement of the fields when surface plasmons are excited with a narrow spatial width beam.

This paper analyzes how the real part of the dielectric constant affects the emittance or temperature in some materials. A two-layer configuration was implemented on a glass substrate, with theory and experiment, on a sunny day in Mexico. Furthermore, the transfer matrix method was used as theory, changing the material on the top of the substrate and below a film of zinc sulfide. As a result, for a larger real part of the dielectric constant, the emittance decreased in analytical results, and therefore a decrease in temperature was obtained in the experiment. Furthermore, a virtual dielectric constant was obtained from the experimental reflectance in a bilayer system reproducing this system analytically with one layer having different thickness. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method was used to obtain the optimal length of equilateral pyramids on the surface of a flat film by changing the materials to improve the reflectance or decrease the emittance. It was concluded that for a wavelength of the incident source, optimal dimensions of the triangles on the surface exist.

It is well established that solar cells convert solar energy into electrical energy, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. In the present study, thin films composed of different materials were employed with the aim of mitigating efficiency losses in polycrystalline solar cells, which operate at a specific output voltage of 0.5 V. To evaluate the performance of these films, solar irradiation tests were conducted in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, during periods that accounted for both seasonal and diurnal variations in solar irradiance. The experiments were carried out during peak solar hours, a time frame that represents the conditions of highest thermal stress and irradiance intensity and is therefore relevant for analyzing heat-related efficiency losses. The thin films investigated included silver nanoparticles, copper sulfide, potassium permanganate, zinc sulfide, and lead sulfide. An improvement of 0.5% in open circuit voltage gain was achieved, corresponding to a temperature difference of 13.5 °C between the hottest and coolest cells. Notably, the cells that exhibited efficiency enhancement were those incorporating silver nanoparticles and potassium permanganate, with varying deposition times in the chemical bath. Among these, the latter demonstrated superior performance (KMnO₄ performed best). So, the objective of this experimental work was to assess the effect of various thin film coatings on the performance of polycrystalline silicon solar cells under natural sunlight.