Magneto-Plasmonic Nanoantennas: Basics and Applications (Review)

TL;DR

This review discusses the principles and diverse applications of magneto-plasmonic nanoantennas, highlighting their ability to enhance magneto-optical effects and enable innovative nano-scale devices and biomedical imaging techniques.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the design, functionalities, and potential applications of magneto-plasmonic nanoantennas, emphasizing their unique ability to combine magnetic and optical properties.

Findings

Magneto-plasmonic nanoantennas enhance magneto-optical effects.

They enable new devices like biosensors and waveguides.

Potential for integration of nanophotonics and nanomagnetism.

Abstract

Plasmonic nanoantennas is a hot and rapidly expanding research field. Here we overview basic operating principles and applications of novel magneto-plasmonic nanoantennas, which are made of ferromagnetic metals and driven not only by light, but also by external magnetic fields. We demonstrate that magneto-plasmonic nanoantennas enhance the magneto-optical effects, which introduces additional degrees of freedom in the control of light at the nano-scale. This property is used in conceptually new devices such as magneto-plasmonic rulers, ultra-sensitive biosensors, one-way subwavelength waveguides and extraordinary optical transmission structures, as well as in novel biomedical imaging modalities. We also point out that in certain cases 'non-optical' ferromagnetic nanostructures may operate as magneto-plasmonic nanoantennas. This undesigned extra functionality capitalises on established optical characterisation techniques of magnetic nanomaterials and it may be useful for the integration of nanophotonics and nanomagnetism on a single chip.