Excitation of Propagating Plasmons in Semi-Infinite Graphene Layer by Free Space Photons

By investigating the diffraction of plane waves by a semi-infinite graphene layer, we present a rigorous solution for propagating surface plasmons in graphene, which can be excited by incident plane waves through the graphene edge. The theoretical results are confirmed by numerical simulations. Our results reveal a convenient way to excite propagating surface plasmons in graphene where the graphene edge plays an important role.