Ultrafast nano-optics with optical antennas

Combining plasmonic and optical antenna concepts with ultrafast and shaped laser pulses allows for the precise control of an optical excitation on femtosecond time and nanometer length scales. I will present several new concepts extending tip-enhanced spectroscopy into the nonlinear and ultrafast regime for nano-scale imaging and spectroscopy of surface molecules and nano-solids. Examples include adiabatic nano-focusing on a tip for nano-spectroscopy, spatio-temporal superfocusing and optical control at the 10 nm-10 fs level, and ultrafast free-induction decay near-field nano-IR spectroscopy of organic nano-structures. I will conclude with an outlook for future directions including the possibility for extreme nonlinear optics, strong light matter interaction, and radiative decay engineering.