Quantum tunneling enhanced optical harmonic generation in single plasmonic junctions – SP-Tunnel-OHG

The proposed research aims to investigate both experimentally and theoretically the quantum tunneling enhanced optical harmonic generation in rationally designed plasmonic junctions. The main objectives of the project are: 1. To achieve precise control over the tunneling barrier width of plasmonic nano-junctions; 2. To reveal the quantum size effect in plasmon resonance evolution and harmonic signal enhancement; 3. To investigate the electron-tunneling-modifed near-field properties and local density of optical states; 4. To make comparative analysis of experimental results with a nonlinear quantum-corrected model and other models reported so far to distinguish the range of validity and limitations of these models; 5. To combine experimental far- and near-field characterization results and theoretical calculations to unravel the physical origin of quantum tunneling enhanced optical harmonic generation and provide experimental feedback to quantum plasmonics theory development.