Nanostructured and Subwavelength Waveguides. Fundamentals and Applications

Optical waveguides take a prominent role in photonics because they are able to trap and to transport light efficiently between a point of excitation and a point of detection. Moreover, waveguides allow the management of many of the fundamental properties of light and allow highly controlled interaction with other optical systems. For this reason waveguides are ubiquitous in telecommunications, sensing, spectroscopy, light sources, and high power light delivery. Nanostructured and subwavelength waveguides have additional advantages; they are able to confine light at a length scale below the diffraction limit and enhance or suppress light-matter interaction, as well as mana…