Self-consistent scheme for optical response of large hybrid networks of semiconductor quantum dots and plasmonic metal nanoparticles

TL;DR

This paper introduces an efficient, scalable self-consistent scheme to model the optical response of large hybrid networks of semiconductor quantum dots and plasmonic metal nanoparticles, enabling advanced light manipulation.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel self-consistent computational method for large hybrid SQD-MNP networks, accurate in the weak interaction limit, and applicable to various lattice configurations.

Findings

Hybrid SQD-MNP lattices offer tunable resonant optical properties.

The method accurately predicts optical responses in large networks.

Hybrid structures can be used for flexible light manipulation.

Abstract

We discuss a self-consistent scheme for treating the optical response of large, hybrid networks of semiconducting quantum dots (SQDs) and plasmonic metallic nanoparticles (MNPs). Our method is efficient and scalable and becomes exact in the limiting case of weakly interacting SQDs. The self-consistent equations obtained for the steady state are analogous to the von Neumann equations of motion for the density matrix of a SQD placed in an effective electric field computed within the discrete dipole approximation. Illustrative applications of the theory to square and honeycomb SQD, MNP, and hybrid SDQ-MNP lattices as well as SQD-MNP dimers are presented. Our results demonstrate that hybrid SQD-MNP lattices can provide flexible platforms for light manipulation with tunable resonant characteristics.