Optical nanotransceivers in photonics

The analogy used in nanophotonics with radiophysics, on the basis of which the notion of an optical nanoantenna was introduced and fruitfully used, is extended to the case of two-step processes with optical excitation of a quantum emitter (scatterer) and subsequent emission of secondary photons and the concept of an “optical nanotransceiver” (transceiver), i. e. a device receiving primary and generating secondary photons is introduced. The nanotransceiver efficiency parameter is introduced, which is defined by the product of the primary radiation intensity factor and the local density of photonic states at the secondary radiation frequency. This nanotransceiver parameter determines scattered radiation intensity enhancement and a maximum possible value of photoluminescence enhancement. The latter is achieved for emitters with low intrinsic quantum yield.