Scientists map light behaviour in nature-inspired materials


Scientists are said to have broken the limit of light resolution at the nanoscale and delivered a fundamental insight into how light and matter interact, which could lead to the development of enhanced biosensors for healthcare and more efficient solar cells and displays.

According to a statement, optical measurements of light waves at the nanoscale have always been limited by the resolution of the optical microscope, but researchers were able to break this limit using a new technique that combines electronic excitation with optical detection to explore the inside of a photonic crystal and study the confinement of light.

Working with a spatial resolution of 30nm, scientists examined the structures at a resolution more than 10 times smaller than the diffraction limit for light, revealing a greater understanding of how light interacts with matter to create, for example, the visible iridescence phenomena observed in nature on the wings of butterflies.

Dr Riccardo Sapienza, from the Department of Physics at King’s College London, said: ‘This is very important as it allows scientists to test optical theories to a new level of accuracy, fully characterise new optical materials and test new optical devices.’

The collaborative research has been published in the journal Nature Materials.


Photonic crystals are nanostructures in which two materials with different refractive indices are arranged in a regular pattern, giving rise to exotic optical properties. Natural photonic crystals can be found in certain species of butterflies, birds and beetles, as well as in opal gemstones.


The scientists based their research methods on a technique called cathodoluminescence, whereby a beam of electrons is generated by an electron gun and impacted on a luminescent material, causing the material to emit visible light. Prof Albert Polman and his group in AMOLF modified this technique to access nanophotonics materials.

Sapienza said: ‘Each time a single electron from the electron gun reaches the sample surface, it generates a burst of light as if we had placed a fluorescent molecule at the impact location. Scanning the electron beam, we can visualise the optical response of the nanostructure, revealing features 10 times smaller than ever done before.’

With major advances in nanofabrication techniques, it has become possible to construct artificial photonic crystals with optical properties that can be accurately engineered.

These structures can be used to make high-quality nanoscale optical waveguides and cavities.