Silica nanowires
Using a two-step drawing process, we fabricate long freestanding silica wires with diameters down to 50 nm that show atomic-level surface smoothness and excellent diameter uniformity. While other researchers have synthesised nanowires with smaller diameters, previous work has not yielded such uniform and smooth structures. The length of the wires can be up to tens of millimeters, giving them an aspect ratio larger than 50,000. Light can be launched along these wires by optical evanescent coupling. The wires allow single-mode operation and have very low optical losses within the visible to near-infrared spectral range. Mechanical tests show that the wires have tensile strength in excess of 5 GPa -- stronger than spider silk. The wires are also resilient and flexible, easily bending into microscopic loops.
Wrapping light around a hair,
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Physics Colloquium, Pomona College (Claremont, CA),
Tuesday, April 15, 2008:
Wrapping light around a hair,
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Graduate Seminar, UPR Humacao (Humacao, PR),
Thursday, February 18, 2010:
Nonlinear optics at the nanoscale,
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Chemistry Colloquium, Seoul National University (Seoul, South Korea),
Monday, January 9, 2012:
Wrapping light around a hair,
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Physics Colloquium, University of Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, MA),
Wednesday, September 22, 2004:
Wrapping light around a hair,
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Nanotech 2005: A Symposium for Teachers, Museum of Science (Boston, MA),
Monday, November 7, 2005:
Wrapping light around a hair,
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Physics Colloquium, Haverford College (Haverford, PA),
Wednesday, April 18, 2007:
Silica nanowires: manipulating light at the nanoscale,
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Asia-Pacific Optical Communications 2007 (Wuhan, China),
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Nonlinear optics at the nanoscale,
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Research Seminar, University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands),
Friday, June 12, 2009:
Silica Nanowires for Microphotonic Devices,
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NSEC AP298 Seminar, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA),
Monday, April 18, 2011:
Nonlinear optics at the nanoscale,
at
2013 Biannual Meeting of Norwegian Physical Society (Bergen, Norway),
Friday, August 9, 2013:
Wrapping light around a hair: optical sensing at the nanoscale,
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Working together: Research & Development Partnerships in Homeland Security (Boston, MA),
Wednesday, April 27, 2005:
Wrapping light around a hair,
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RET/REU Seminar, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA),
Wednesday, July 19, 2006:
Nonlinear optics at the nanoscale,
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15th International Conference on Luminescence and Optical Spectroscopy of Condensed Matter (Lyon, France),
Monday, July 7, 2008:
Nonlinear optics at the nanoscale,
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Institute of Physics in Ireland 2009/2010 Lecture, Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland),
Friday, March 12, 2010:
Silica Nanowires Part I: Optical properties,
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Royal Society Seminar on Science and Technology of Silica Nanowires, Kavli Institute of the Royal Society (Milton Keynes, United Kingdom),
Thursday, November 8, 2012: