Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid Crystals

This article provides a brief overview of the research on localized optical states called Tamm plasmons (TPs) and their potential applications, which have been extensively studied in recent decades. These states arise under the influence of incident light at the interface between a metal film and a...

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Main Authors: Victor Yu. Reshetnyak, Igor P. Pinkevych, Michael E. McConney, Timothy J. Bunning, Dean R. Evans
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Crystals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/2/138
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author Victor Yu. Reshetnyak
Igor P. Pinkevych
Michael E. McConney
Timothy J. Bunning
Dean R. Evans
author_facet Victor Yu. Reshetnyak
Igor P. Pinkevych
Michael E. McConney
Timothy J. Bunning
Dean R. Evans
author_sort Victor Yu. Reshetnyak
collection DOAJ
description This article provides a brief overview of the research on localized optical states called Tamm plasmons (TPs) and their potential applications, which have been extensively studied in recent decades. These states arise under the influence of incident light at the interface between a metal film and a medium with the properties of a Bragg mirror, or between two media with the properties of a Bragg mirror. The localization of the states in the interfacial region is a consequence of the negative dielectric constant of the metal and the presence of a photonic band gap of the Bragg reflector. Optically, TPs appear as resonant reflection dips or peaks in the transmission and absorption spectra in the region corresponding to the photonic band gap. The relative simplicity of creating a Tamm structure and the significant sensitivity of TPs to its parameters make them attractive for applications. The formation of broadband and tunable TP modes in hybrid structures containing, in particular, rugate filters and porous distributed Bragg reflectors are considered. Considerable attention is paid to TP designs that include liquid crystals, which allow for the remote tuning of the TP spectrum without the mechanical restructuring of the system. The application of TPs in sensors, thermal emitters, absorbers, laser generation, and the experimental capabilities of TP-liquid crystal devices are also discussed.
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spelling doaj-art-3a04f2f8f3ba45f4a869bc12f81045152025-08-20T03:12:14ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522025-01-0115213810.3390/cryst15020138Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid CrystalsVictor Yu. Reshetnyak0Igor P. Pinkevych1Michael E. McConney2Timothy J. Bunning3Dean R. Evans4Physics Faculty, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 01601 Kyiv, UkrainePhysics Faculty, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 01601 Kyiv, UkraineAir Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH 45433, USAAir Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH 45433, USAAir Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH 45433, USAThis article provides a brief overview of the research on localized optical states called Tamm plasmons (TPs) and their potential applications, which have been extensively studied in recent decades. These states arise under the influence of incident light at the interface between a metal film and a medium with the properties of a Bragg mirror, or between two media with the properties of a Bragg mirror. The localization of the states in the interfacial region is a consequence of the negative dielectric constant of the metal and the presence of a photonic band gap of the Bragg reflector. Optically, TPs appear as resonant reflection dips or peaks in the transmission and absorption spectra in the region corresponding to the photonic band gap. The relative simplicity of creating a Tamm structure and the significant sensitivity of TPs to its parameters make them attractive for applications. The formation of broadband and tunable TP modes in hybrid structures containing, in particular, rugate filters and porous distributed Bragg reflectors are considered. Considerable attention is paid to TP designs that include liquid crystals, which allow for the remote tuning of the TP spectrum without the mechanical restructuring of the system. The application of TPs in sensors, thermal emitters, absorbers, laser generation, and the experimental capabilities of TP-liquid crystal devices are also discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/2/138Tamm plasmonTamm plasmon polaritonoptical Tamm stateliquid crystalreflectancesensors
spellingShingle Victor Yu. Reshetnyak
Igor P. Pinkevych
Michael E. McConney
Timothy J. Bunning
Dean R. Evans
Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid Crystals
Crystals
Tamm plasmon
Tamm plasmon polariton
optical Tamm state
liquid crystal
reflectance
sensors
title Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid Crystals
title_full Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid Crystals
title_fullStr Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid Crystals
title_full_unstemmed Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid Crystals
title_short Tamm Plasmons: Properties, Applications, and Tuning with Help of Liquid Crystals
title_sort tamm plasmons properties applications and tuning with help of liquid crystals
topic Tamm plasmon
Tamm plasmon polariton
optical Tamm state
liquid crystal
reflectance
sensors
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/2/138
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