The department focuses on the nano-optics of various types of nanostructures, including metamaterials. This primarily includes the solution of fundamental problems related to excitation, amplification, and dynamics of plasmon-polaritons in ordered nanostructures, as well as in metamaterials. We use optical tweezers to study optical effects in individual nanoparticles. We explore ultrafast dynamics of light pulses to understand physical processes in nanostructures.