Practical Guide of Key Physical Considerations in Numerical Analysis for Nanophotonic Experiments

Interest in the ever-expanding field of nanoscopy techniques has greatly increased in recent years. Specifically, in-depth characterization through optical techniques capable of nano-resolution enables a deep understanding of nanostructures and their near field domain. Due to the need to detect evanescent waves and other complicated physical phenomena, the physics of these techniques are quite involved. The scanning tips used in experiments can be either apertured or apertureless, depending on the physical principle used for the measurements. Numerical analysis of proposed experimental setups can provide significant advantages to researchers, as well as complementary results to measurements. After the setup has been defined, parameters (optical, electrical, thermal, structural and dimensional) can be virtually varied and provide a preliminary forecast of the expected experimental results. It is then necessary to make assumptions about real world conditions (experimental setup) to allow the simulations to be conducted efficiently. The research reviews significant photonics/bio-photonics case studies in which physical concerns and considerations simplified the analysis and demonstrated excellent results. Moreover, this numerical practical guide can help contribute to simulations on observed phenomena/signals via the selected optical techniques, especially for chemical engineers and biological scientists looking for forecasts of sensing in dynamic and fluidic environments.