Refractive index engineering in glass containing spherical silver nanoparticles using dc electric field

In this context glasses containing metallic nanoparticles are of great interest because of their application in the field of photonics owing to their unique linear and nonlinear optical properties. The linear and nonlinear optical properties of such materials are determined by surface plasma oscillations of the metal clusters. The surface plasmon (SP) resonance depends strongly on shape, distribution and concentration of the nanoparticles as well as on the surrounding dielectric matrix. This offers the opportunity to manufacture very promising nonlinear materials, nanodevices and optical elements by manipulation of the nanostructural properties of nanocomposite media.