We study how to trap and guide light in gaps just a few atoms wide—formed between metallic nanostructures—where optical fields are squeezed far below the diffraction limit. In these extreme spaces, light–matter interactions are dramatically enhanced, allowing us to ‘see the nano-world’ and unlocking new pathways for nanoscale sensing and spectroscopy.

Key Papers:

• Physical Review Letters (2023) 131, 126902

• ACS Photonics (2021) 8, 10, 2868-2875

• Journal of Raman Spectroscopy (2021) 52, 2, 348-352

• ACS Photonics (2017) 4, 469–475

• Applied Physics Letters (2012) 100, 4

Extreme tight confinement of optical fields breaks the selection rules for light absorption and emission, resulting in a non-classical light emission, with ultra-fast rates along with greatly improving the stability of emitters. We show that such system energy oscillates back and forth between light and molecule resulting in a complete mixing of the two, with material properties of half-light and half-molecule.

Key Papers:

• Light: Science & Applications (2024) 13, 3

• ACS Photonics (2020) 7, 2, 463-471

• Nature Communications (2019) 10, 1049

• Nature (2016) 535, 127–130

Many molecules vibrate or 'speak' with signature frequencies in the mid-infrared (MIR) range, but MIR light is difficult to detect efficiently. We develop ways to convert MIR signals into visible light, where detection is easier and more sensitive, with implications in environmental sensing, medical diagnostics, and security.

Key Papers:

• Nature Photonics (2023) 17, 865-871

• Light: Science & Applications (2022) 11, 281

• Science (2021) 374, 1268-1271

We explore how light can drive the vibrations of individual chemical bonds—letting us watch, and even possibly control them. This opens up new possibilities for making or breaking bonds with light, with implications in catalysis and low-energy switching.

Key Papers:

• Light: Science & Applications (2024) 11, 9

• Physical Review Letters (2021) 126, 047402

• Science (2016) 354, 726–729