We report a powerful method to enhance and modify the magnetic plasmon (MP) resonance in three-dimensional (3D) optical metamaterials consisting of periodic arrays of silver vertical split-ring resonators (VSRRs) for high-sensitivity sensing. By positioning the 3D metamaterials above a thick silver film separated by a silica dielectric spacer layer, the strong coupling between the MP resonance in the VSRRs and the surface plasmons polaritons (SPPs) propagating on the silver film can be realized and gives rise to an ultra-narrowband hybrid MP mode with a huge enhancement of magnetic fields. For the coupling to happen, the magnetic field direction of the SPPs should be parallel to the magnetic moment induced in the VSRRs. More importantly, because the ultra-narrowband hybrid MP mode is extremely sensitive to the surrounding media, the sensitivity and the figure of merit (FOM) of the 3D metamaterials can reach as high as 700 nm/RIU and 170, respectively, suggesting that the proposed 3D metamaterials hold potential applications in label-free biomedical sensing.

The authors show that evanescent tunneling transmission of effective surface plasmon polaritons between two counterstreaming electron beams noticeably increases Smith-Purcell radiation (SPR) intensity by about two orders of magnitude as well as lower its transition threshold from a spontaneous emission to a stimulated one. An emission mechanism of the superradiant SPR is theoretically analyzed by the dielectric conversion of the structured metal surface and the boundary matching condition of Maxwell’s equations in comparison with numerical simulations.

We introduce the subwavelength transmission of an effective surface plasmon beyond the light zone via the proximity interaction of convection electrons with a metal grating. A comparative analysis of dielectric homogenization and a finite-difference–time-domain simulation shows that out-of-phase-like modes ($\pi$ modes) have strong transmission below the cutoff frequency relying on the parametric condition of structural dimension and electronic energy. The synchronous spatial field and charge distribution of the $\pi$ mode system confirms the evanescent tunneling effect of the electron-coupled plasmons.

Significance: Why have primates evolved epidermal ridges on the volar regions of the hands and feet and with a much greater density of sweat glands than flat skin, which respond to anxiety rather than act as a thermoregulation mechanism? During contact with solid objects, the ridges are important for grip and precision manipulation by regulating moisture levels from either external sources or the sweat pores so that the friction is maximized and catastrophic slip is inhibited. An understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved has become particularly important with the almost ubiquitous contact of the finger pads with flat screens and recent developments in haptic feedback using ultrasonic vibrations for which the performance is critically related to the friction.

It is well known that a suspended monolayer graphene has a weak light absorption efficiency of about 2.3% at normal incidence, which is disadvantageous to some applications in optoelectronic devices. In this work, we will numerically study multiband and broadband absorption enhancement of monolayer graphene over the whole visible spectrum, due to multiple magnetic dipole resonances in metamaterials. The unit cell of the metamaterials is composed of a graphene monolayer sandwiched between four Ag nanodisks with different diameters and a SiO2 spacer on an Ag substrate. The near-field plasmon hybridizations between individual Ag nanodisks and the Ag substrate form four independent magnetic dipole modes, which result into multiband absorption enhancement of monolayer graphene at optical frequencies. When the resonance wavelengths of the magnetic dipole modes are tuned to approach one another by changing the diameters of the Ag nanodisks, a broadband absorption enhancement can be achieved. The position of the absorption band in monolayer graphene can be also controlled by varying the thickness of the SiO2 spacer or the distance between the Ag nanodisks. Our designed graphene light absorber may find some potential applications in optoelectronic devices, such as photodetectors.

We present an atomistic simulation scheme for the determination of the hydration number (h) of aqueous electrolyte solutions based on the calculation of the water dipole reorientation dynamics. In this methodology, the time evolution of an aqueous electrolyte solution generated from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations is used to compute the reorientation time of different water subpopulations. The value of h is determined by considering whether the reorientation time of the water subpopulations is retarded with respect to bulk‐like behavior. The application of this computational protocol to magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) solutions at different concentrations (0.6–2.8 mol kg⁻¹) gives h values in excellent agreement with experimental hydration numbers obtained using GHz‐to‐THz dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. This methodology is attractive because it is based on a well‐defined criterion for the definition of hydration number and provides a link with the molecular‐level processes responsible for affecting bulk solution behavior. Analysis of the ab initio molecular dynamics trajectories using radial distribution functions, hydrogen bonding statistics, vibrational density of states, water‐water hydrogen bonding lifetimes, and water dipole reorientation reveals that MgCl₂ has a considerable influence on the hydrogen bond network compared with bulk water. These effects have been assigned to the specific strong Mg‐water interaction rather than the Cl‐water interaction.