Back focal plane imaging of Tamm plasmons and their coupled emission

The unique optical properties of Tamm plasmons (TPs) – such as flexible wavevector matching conditions including inplane wavevector within the light line, and existing both S‐ and P‐polarized TPs − facilitate them for direct optical excitation. The Tamm plasmon‐coupled emission (TPCE) from a combined photonic–plasmonic structure sustaining both surface plasmons (SPs) and TPs is described in this paper. The sensitivity of TPCE to the emission wavelength and polarization is examined with back focal plane imaging and verified with the numerical calculations. The results reveal that the excited probe can couple with both TPs and SPs, resulting in surface plasmon‐coupled emission (SPCE) and TPCE, respectively. The TPCE angle is strongly dependent on the wavelength allowing for spectral resolution using different observation angles. These Tamm structures provide a new tool to control the optical emission from dye molecules and have many potential applications in fluorescence‐based sensing and imaging.     

偏振控制光强调制型点阵SPR传感器研究

介绍了一种偏振控制光强调制型点阵表面等离子体共振(SPR)传感器,分析了入射角度、金膜厚度、起偏器设置、光源波长及数据处理方式对传感器灵敏度和线性范围的影响,并对632.8 nm与740 nm两种光源传感器系统进行了实验测试与分析.结果表明,偏振控制光强调制型点阵SPR传感器可将光经过表面等离子体共振所产生的偏振态变化...     

Dipole and quadrupole plasmon in confined quasi-one-dimensional electron gas systems

An eigen-equation of plasmon excitation in confined quasi-one-dimensional systems is presented. Besides dipole plasmons, quadrupole plasmons are found in the systems by comparing the eigen-solutions with the dipole response. For both dipole and quadrupole plasmons, the plasmon frequencies decrease with the increase of the system's length, and their size dependence can be well fitted by the plasmon dispersion in the infinite systems calculated by the random phase approximation. Through extensively studies of eigen-charge density and induced charge density, we find that quadrupole plasmon corresponds to symmetric charge density distribution, and can only be excited by non-uniform electric field.     

石墨烯等离激元的光学性质及其应用前景

石墨烯等离激元由于其独特的电学可调性、本征低衰减以及局域光场高度增强等特性, 引起了广泛的关注并迅速成长为一门新的学科分支--石墨烯表面等离激元光子学. 本文介绍了石墨烯等离激元的一些基本性质, 包括色散关系、局域的等离激元和传导的等离激元以及石墨烯等离激元对其周边介电环境的敏感性等. 在此基础上, 进一步介绍了石墨烯等离激元在太赫兹到中红外频段的应用, 比如有源光调制器的一些功能器件和增强的红外光谱探测等.     

Surface plasmon photodetectors and their applications

Surface plasmon photodetectors are of vigorous current interest. Such detectors typically combine a metallic structure that supports surface plasmons with a photodetection structure based on internal photoemission or electron‐hole pair creation. Detector architectures are highly varied, involving surface plasmons on planar metal waveguides, on metal gratings, on nano‐particles, ‐islands, or ‐antennas, or involving plasmon‐mediated transmission through one or many sub‐wavelength holes in a metal film. Properties inherent to surface plasmons, such as sub‐wavelength confinement and their ability to resonate on tiny metallic structures, are exploited to convey useful characteristics to detectors in addressing applications such as low‐noise high‐speed detection, single‐plasmon detection, near‐ and mid‐infrared imaging, photovoltaic solar energy conversion, and (bio)chemical sensing. The operating principles behind surface plasmon detectors are reviewed, the literature on the topic is surveyed, and avenues that appear promising are highlighted.     

Nonlinear excitation of surface plasmon polaritons by four-wave mixing

We demonstrate nonlinear excitation of surface plasmons on a gold film by optical four-wave mixing. Two excitation beams of frequencies omega(1) and omega(2) are used in a modified Kretschmann configuration to induce a nonlinear polarization at a frequency of omega(4wm)=2omega(1)-omega(2), which gives rise to surface plasmon excitation at a frequency of omega(4wm). We observe a characteristic plasmon dip at the Kretschmann angle and explain its origin in terms of destructive interference. Despite a nonvanishing bulk response, surface plasmon excitation by four-wave mixing is dominated by a nonlinear surface polarization. To interpret and validate our results, we provide a comparison with second-harmonic generation.     

Negative role of surface plasmons in the transmission of metallic gratings with very narrow slits

It is generally admitted that the extraordinary transmission of metallic grating with very narrow slits is mainly due to the excitation of surface plasmons on the upper and lower interfaces of the grating. We show that the surface plasmon contribution is not the prime effect and that waveguide mode resonance and diffraction are responsible for the extraordinary transmission. Additionally and surprisingly, we reveal that the transmittance of subwavelength metallic gratings is always nearly zero for frequencies corresponding to surface plasmon excitation. This finding implies that surface plasmons play a negative role in the transmission.     

The influence of wire shape on surface plasmon mode distribution

The influence of the nanowire shape on the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at metallic nanowire arrays is studied numerically. For a system of silver nanowires housed on a polymer substrate, nanowires with rectangular and elliptical cross sections are compared. It was found that in the case of rectangular nanowires the excitation efficiency is higher for surface plasmons at the polymer–metal interface than for surface plasmons at the air–metal interface. Conversely, in the case of elliptical nanowires the air–metal plasmon modes are stronger. Further, it is noted that the nanowire shape directly influences the position of the surface plasmon resonance.     

Slow surface plasmons in amplifying media and ultrahigh-resolution nonlinear optical microscopy

The technique of ultrahigh-resolution nonlinear fluorescent microscopy based on standing surface plasmons is proposed. On the wavelength of a surface plasmon of 20 nm the expected lateral resolution should be 1–2 nm. Slow surface plasmons with the required mean free path of ～1 m are possible in the planar amplifying medium-metal-dielectric structures due to the compensation of loss in the metal by the amplification in the active medium. In the optical and near infrared range the undamped surface plasmons with the wavelength of 20–50 nm in thin silver films can be obtained at the material gain of active medium of (1–2) × 10⁴ cm ^?1. Possibilities of obtaining this gain in the plasmon structures remain to be seen.     

截面形状对快电子激发纳米双线表面等离激元的影响

采用边界元方法研究了快电子在金属纳米双线中激发间隙表面等离激元(SPP)的性质,比较了在不同横截面形状(包括圆形、尖劈形和不规则形状)下电子所激发SPP的不同.研究表明:在以上波导结构中,快电子都能激发具有较长传播距离和较好局域性的低阶单级-单级耦合的间隙等离激元模式;同时通过对波导无量纲价值参数的比较,发现快电子在纳米双线中激发间隙等离激元对双线波导的横截面形状要求不高,横截面形状真正影响的是高阶等离激元模式的激发,而且快电子在截面形状为尖劈的双线波导中能激发局域性更强的间隙SPP.该研究将对实验中利用 关键词： 表面等离激元 间隙模式 金属纳米波导     

Detection of the plasmon photoeffect of alkali metals in photoelectron energy distribution curves

A new explanation is proposed for the experimental results obtained from measuring photoelectron energy distributions in alkali metals. The explanation is based on the idea of the plasmon photoeffect. The plasmon photoeffect consists of the excitation of plasmons by light in a solid, and the decay of the plasmons in turn excites the electrons. In a vacuum these photoelectrons form groups of electrons with different energies. The plasmon photoeffect provides a significantly better explanation of the structure of the experimental data than the usual photoeffect.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 82–87, October, 1973.     

Nonlocal screening of plasmons in graphene by semiconducting and metallic substrates: first-principles calculations

We investigate the role of substrates on the collective excitations of graphene by using a first-principles implementation of the density response function within the random-phase approximation. Specifically, we consider graphene adsorbed on SiC(0001) and Al(111) as representative examples of a semiconducting and metallic substrate. On SiC(0001), the long wavelength π plasmons are significantly damped although their energies remain almost unaltered. On Al(111), the long wavelength π plasmons are completely quenched due to the coupling to the metal surface plasmon. The strong damping of the plasmon excitations occurs despite the fact that the single-particle band structure of graphene is completely unaffected by the substrates illustrating the nonlocal nature of the effect.     

Electrical excitation of surface plasmons

We exploit a plasmon mediated two-step momentum down-conversion scheme to convert low-energy tunneling electrons into propagating photons. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) propagating along an extended gold nanowire are excited on one end by low-energy electron tunneling and are then converted to free-propagating photons at the other end. The separation of excitation and outcoupling proves that tunneling electrons excite gap plasmons that subsequently couple to propagating plasmons. Our work shows that electron tunneling provides a nonoptical, voltage-controlled, and low-energy pathway for launching SPPs in nanostructures, such as plasmonic waveguides.     

损耗对表面等离子体激元压缩态的影响

表面等离子体激元是金属表面电子集体振荡,它以波的形式在金属和介质之间的界面中传播.近期Huck等证明等离子体激元可以处在压缩态,本文利用量子光学的热库理论,研究金波导损耗对表面等离子体激元压缩态的影响,并对Huck等的实验结果给与理论解释. 关键词： 表面等离子体激元 压缩态 热库理论     

A photoemission-into-electrolyte study of surface plasmon excitation on high index faces of silver

By use of photoemission-into-electrolyte spectroscopy on a cylindrical silver single crystal the optical excitation and decay of surface plasmons on high index faces of silver has been studied. After electrochemical roughening the surface plasmon excitation showed a pronounced polarization dependence. Photoemission, induced by the decay of the excited plasmon. was only detected for orientations very close to the densely packed Ag(111) face.     

Surface plasmon interference excited by tightly focused laser beams

We show that interfering surface plasmon polaritons can be excited with a focused laser beam at normal incidence to a plane metal film. No protrusions or holes are needed in this excitation scheme. Depending on the axial position of the focus, the intensity distribution on the metal surface is either dominated by interferences between counterpropagating plasmons or by a two-lobe pattern characteristic of localized surface plasmon excitation. Our experiments can be accurately explained by use of the angular spectrum representation and provide a simple means for locally exciting standing surface plasmon polaritons.     

A Kirchhoff solution to plasmon hybridization

Using Ohm’s law, a solution to plasmon hybridization via Kirchoff’s equations results in a simple and intuitive picture of a metal nanoparticle dimer as a capacitively coupled circuit. Calculated absorption spectra and surface charge densities show that dimers of different metallic composition support different super- and sub-radiant plasmons compared to homodimers. Strong screening of Coulomb interactions between nanoparticles of different metallic background prohibits the excitation of anti-bonding plasmons, while changes to the free electron conductivity upon a collective response result in coupled plasmon lifetimes which shift as a function of interparticle distance. Smaller separations then result in the longest lived plasmons.     

Plasmon response of a quantum-confined electron gas probed by core-level photoemission

We demonstrate the existence of quantized "bulk" plasmons in ultrathin magnesium films on Si(111) by analyzing plasmon-loss satellites in core-level photoemission spectra, recorded as a function of the film thickness d. Remarkably, the plasmon energy is shown to vary as 1/d2 all the way down to three atomic layers. The loss spectra are dominated by the n=1 and n=2 normal modes, consistent with the excitation of plasmons involving quantized electronic subbands. With decreasing film thickness, spectral weight is gradually transferred from the plasmon modes to the low-energy single-particle excitations. These results represent striking manifestations of the role of quantum confinement on plasmon resonances in precisely controlled nanostructures.     

Surface plasmon propagation in a pair of metal nanowires coupled to a nanosized optical emitter

The coupling, propagations, and far-field emissions of surface plasmons in a pair of Au nanowires with a dipole emitter have been investigated using the finite-difference time domain method. The surface plasmon wavelength is tunable from 650 to 380 nm by adjusting the distance between the two wires, which leads to an enhancement of coupling constant and density of states of the surface plasmon. The converted energy from the dipole emitter to the propagating surface plasmon as well as the far-field emission intensity of a pair of Au nanowires increase to approximately four times as large as those of a single nanowire.     

Silver nanoparticle coverage dependence of surface-enhanced Raman scattering

We report surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) from 4-mercaptopyridine adsorbed on nanotextured silver surfaces as the coverage of silver is varied. The degree of surface enhancement is strongly dependent on silver coverage and correlated to the extinction of the surface at the Raman excitation wavelength, that extinction being determined by multiparticle surface plasmon resonances. The coverage dependence of the Raman intensity is consistent with signals being dominated by molecules at junctions inside nanoparticle aggregates where electromagnetic energy is localized into “hot spots” by interactions of the incident and scattered fields with the surface plasmons. The Raman intensity drops precipitously near the conductivity percolation threshold because these hot spots are destroyed when conducting paths allow plasmons to propagate. Our approach to substrate preparation provides clean surfaces with average enhancements ≥10⁷, an order of magnitude larger than typical for SERS. PACS 78.67.-n; 78.68.+m; 33.20.Fb