The resonant wave modes in monomodal and multimodal planar Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensors and their response to a bidimensional array of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are analyzed both theoretically and experimentally, to investigate the parameters that rule the correct nanoparticle counting in the emerging metal nanoparticle-amplified surface plasmon resonance (PA-SPR) spectroscopy. With numerical simulations based on the Finite Element Method (FEM), we evaluate the error performed in the determination of the surface density of nanoparticles σ when the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory is used for fast data processing of the SPR reflectivity curves upon nanoparticle detection. The deviation increases directly with the manifestations of non-negligible scattering cross-section of the single nanoparticle, dipole-dipole interactions between adjacent AuNPs and dipolar interactions with the metal substrate. Near field simulations show clearly the set-up of dipolar interactions when the dielectric thickness is smaller than 10 nm and confirm that the anomalous dispersion usually observed experimentally is due to the failure of the effective medium theories. Using citrate stabilized AuNPs with a nominal diameter of about 15 nm, we demonstrate experimentally that Dielectric Loaded Waveguides (DLWGs) can be used as accurate nanocounters in the range of surface density between 20 and 200 NP/µm², opening the way to the use of PA-SPR spectroscopy on systems mimicking the physiological cell membranes on SiO₂ supports.

An alternative approach to classical surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy is dielectric-loaded waveguide (DLWG) spectroscopy, widely used in the past decades to investigate bio-interaction kinetics. Despite their wide application, a successful and clear approach to use the DLWGs for the one-step simultaneous determination of both the thickness and refractive index of organic thin films is absent in the literature. We propose here, for the first time, an experimental protocol based on the multimodal nature of DLWGs to be followed in order to evaluate the optical constants and thickness of transparent thin films with a unique measurement. The proposed method is general and can be applied to every class of transparent organic materials, with a resolution and accuracy which depend on the nature of the external medium (gaseous or liquid), the geometrical characteristics of the DLWG, and the values of both the thickness and dielectric constant of the thin film. From the experimental point of view, the method is demonstrated in a nitrogen environment with an accuracy of about 3%, for the special case of electroluminescent thin films of Eu³⁺β-diketonate complexes, with an average thickness of about 20 nm. The high value of the refractive index measured for the thin film with the Eu(btfa)₃(t-bpete) complex was confirmed by the use of a spectroscopic model based on the Judd–Ofelt theory, in which the magnetic dipole transition ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (Eu³⁺) for similar films containing Eu³⁺ complexes is taken as a reference. The DLWGs are finally applied to control the refractive index changes of the organic thin films under UVA irradiation, with potential applications in dosimetry and monitoring light-induced transformation in organic thin films.

We present in this work a simple and efficient technique to analyze cylindrical plasmonic nanoantennas. In this method, we take into account only longitudinal current inside cylindrical structures and use 1D integral equation for the electric field with a given surface impedance of metal. The solution of this integral equation is obtained by the Method of Moments with sinusoidal basis functions. Some examples of calculations of nanoantennas with different geometries and sources are presented and compared with the commercial software Comsol 3D simulations. The results show that the proposed technique provides a good precision in the near-infrared and lower optical frequencies 100400THz.

In this paper, we present a quantitative comparison of circular and triangular gold nanodisks with the same length and thickness. The method of moments is used to solve numerically the scattering problem. With this model, we investigate the spatial near field distribution, spectral response, far field diagrams, and bandwidth wavelength of these particles. Our results show that the resonant wavelength and the near field enhancement and confinement of the triangular particle are larger than those for the circular particle, but the resonance bandwidth and scattering cross section of the triangular particle are smaller

In this work, we analyze modified bowtie nanoantennas with polynomial sides in the excitation and emission regimes. In the excitation regime, the antennas are illuminated by an incident plane wave, and in the emission regime, the excitation is fulfilled by infinitesimal electric dipole positioned in the gap of the nanoantennas. Several antennas with different sizes and polynomial order were numerically analyzed by method of moments. The results show that these novel antennas possess a controllable resonance by the polynomial order and good characteristics of near field enhancement and confinement for applications in enhancement of spontaneous emission of a single molecule.

We analyze impedance matching and excitation properties of a plasmonic optical nanocircuit composed by a receiving and an emitting dipole connected by a two-wire optical transmission line. The circuit is fed by a circular Gaussian beam focused on the receiving dipole. The numerical analysis is performed by linear method of moments with a given surface impedance of gold cylindrical conductors. With this model, we analyze the variation of standing-wave response along the circuit in function of some geometrical parameters. We present some conclusions concerning impedance matching between the transmission line and the emitting dipole and coupling between the receiving dipole and the incident Gaussian beam.