
All these antennas have an approximately dipolar angular emission their modes both radiate and are excited with a dipolar angular dependence. Optical dipole, monopole and several types of “gap” antennas have been demonstrated to enhance transition rates and, only recently, to modify angular emission. The main advantage of nano-particles over such systems is their size: both the antenna dimensions and the volume of interaction are smaller than the wavelength, allowing manipulation on the nano-scale. The situation is analogous to the modification of spontaneous emission by coupling to, for example, cavity or photonic crystal modes.

In emission, the decay rate, spectrum and angular emission are modified. Under suitable illumination the local field is enhanced, increasing the excitation rate. If a quantum emitter is coupled to the antenna mode, the antenna acts as a resonator mediating the interaction between the emitter and the radiation field. Such particles function, in analogy to resonant radio antennas, as optical antennas. Metallic nano-particles support resonant plasmon modes that couple strongly to the optical radiation field. The directivity is even more increased by the presence of a dielectric substrate, making such antennas a promising candidate for compact easy-to-address planar sensors. Arbitrary control over the main direction of emission is obtained, regardless of the orientation of the emitter. The angular emission of the coupled system is highly directed and determined by the antenna mode. The single emitter is coupled in the near field to the resonant plasmon mode of the feed element, enhancing both excitation and emission rates. We demonstrate by 3D numerical calculations that the interaction of a single quantum emitter with the electromagnetic field is both enhanced and directed by a nano-optical Yagi-Uda antenna.

