Abstract Concepts adapted from radio frequency devices have brought forth subwavelength scale optical nanoantenna, enabling light localization below the diffraction limit. Beyond enhanced light–matter interactions, plasmonic nanostructures conjugated with active materials offer strong and tunable coupling between localized electric/electrochemical/mechanical phenomena and far-field radiation. During the last two decades, great strides have been made in development of active plasmonic nanoantenna (PNA) systems with unconventional and versatile optical functionalities that can be engineered with remarkable flexibility. In this review, we discuss fundamental characteristics of active PNAs and summarize recent progress in this burgeoning and challenging subfield of nano-optics. We introduce the underlying physical mechanisms underpinning dynamic reconfigurability and outline several promising approaches in realization of active PNAs with novel characteristics. We envision that this review will provide unambiguous insights and guidelines in building high-performance active PNAs for a plethora of emerging applications, including ultrabroadband sensors and detectors, dynamic switches, and large-scale electrophysiological recordings for neuroscience applications.

中文翻译：

---

有源等离子体纳米天线：从光子学到神经科学的新兴工具箱

摘要 射频设备的概念带来了亚波长尺度的光学纳米天线，使光定位在衍射极限以下。除了增强的光-物质相互作用之外，与活性材料共轭的等离子体纳米结构在局部电/电化学/机械现象和远场辐射之间提供了强大且可调的耦合。在过去的二十年里，有源等离子体纳米天线 (PNA) 系统的开发取得了长足的进步，该系统具有非常规和通用的光学功能，可以以非凡的灵活性进行设计。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了有源 PNA 的基本特征，并总结了这个新兴且具有挑战性的纳米光学子领域的最新进展。我们介绍了支持动态可重构性的潜在物理机制，并概述了实现具有新特性的有源 PNA 的几种有前景的方法。我们设想这篇综述将为大量新兴应用（包括超宽带传感器和探测器、动态开关以及用于神经科学应用的大规模电生理记录）构建高性能有源 PNA 提供明确的见解和指南。