Introduction to the issue on nanoplasmonics

The last decade has seen an explosion of research interest linking plasmons to various disciplines in physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, material science, thin film technology, optics, nanosciences, etc. Nanoplasmonics aims at investigating and controlling light on length scales comparable or below the wavelength of operation, possibly down to tens of nanometers and on femtosecond time scales. Control is achieved with individual metallic nanostructures, specifically tailored to increase effective light-matter interactions by providing large local field enhancements or by slowing down propagation. This special issue focuses on the emerging important roles of nanoplasmonics ranging from its fundamental studies to applications. This issue contains 37 papers, including 13 invited and 24 contributed papers, authored by some of the leading nanophotonics research groups in the world. The papers in this special issue cover the broad scope of research representative of this growing field. Topic areas covered are: Plasmonics; Metamaterials; Nanowires and nanoparticles; and Quantum electronics science.