Dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons on metal wires in the terahertz frequency range

We report the experimental and theoretical study of the dispersive behavior of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on cylindrical metal surfaces in the terahertz frequency range. Time-domain measurements of terahertz SPPs propagating on metal wires reveal a unique structure that is inconsistent with a simple extrapolation of the high frequency portion of the dispersion diagram for SPPs on a planar metal surface, and also distinct from that of SPPs on metal nanowires observed at visible and near-infrared frequencies. The results are consistent with a numerical solution of Maxwell's equations, showing that the dispersive behavior of SPPs on a cylindrical metal surface at terahertz frequencies is quite different from that of SPPs on a flat surface. These findings indicate the increasing importance of skin effects for SPPs in the terahertz range, as well as the enhancement of such effects on curved surfaces.     

Dispersion relation for surface plasmon polaritons in metal/nonlinear-dielectric/metal slot waveguides

We present the first (to our knowledge) exact dispersion relation for the transverse-magnetic surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes of a plasmonic slot waveguide, which is formed by a nonlinear Kerr medium sandwiched between two metallic slabs. The obtained relation is then simplified to the case of small field intensities, while retaining nonlinear terms, to derive approximate dispersion equations for the symmetric and antisymmetric SPP modes.     

Nonlinear resonance-enhanced excitation of surface plasmon polaritons

We theoretically investigate nonlinear resonance-enhanced excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in a metal coated by a one-dimensional photonic crystal. Tunneling modes above the air-light line can be directly excited in this structure. Then, with suitable parameters, photon energy and momentum conservation between the tunneling mode and the surface plasmon polaritons can be realized by means of nonlinear four-wave mixing. Compared with the nonlinear excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in a bulk metal [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 266802 (2009)], the conversion efficiency in our structure is noticeably enhanced.     

Nanofocusing of terahertz wave on conical metal wire waveguides

The nanofocusing of the terahertz (THz) radiation energy is studied. By using a conical metal nanowire waveguide, we focus the energy of the terahertz surface plasmon polaritons (THz SPPs) to several nanometers’ scale. Another interesting property of the THz SPPs propagation on the waveguide is that the peak electric field at the waveguide tip enhances many times. What is more, both the phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient versus the wire radius are obtained. The terahertz energy nanofocusing opens the way to observe terahertz propagating and imaging on the nanoscale.     

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.     

Focused terahertz radiation formed by coherently scattered surface plasmon polaritons from partially uncorrugated metal surfaces

We present that a focus of terahertz radiation can be tailored based on coherent scattering of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) from a partially defected metal corrugation based on numerical simulations. The introduction of teeth defects in the corrugation allows coupling of the guided SPPs with the radiation and the far-field behavior is tailored by the spatial arrangement of such defects. The proposed structures serve as a kind of planar lenses which are quite thin and inexpensive. Promising applications include interfacing lens antennas between terahertz plasmonic integrated circuits and the external free space, which make terahertz systems very compact and low-cost.     

基于金属表面等离子激元控制光束的新进展

表面等离子激元(Surface plasmon polaritons,SPPs)是一种在金属-介质界面上激发并耦合电荷密度起伏的电磁振荡,具有近场增强、表面受限、短波长等特性,在纳米光子学的研究中扮演着重要角色。近年来表面等离子光学和基于SPPs的纳米光子器件的研究引起了国际上科学家们的广泛关注。讨论了SPPs的基本原理和在亚波长结构下的光学特性,介绍了基于亚波长金属结构的表面等离子激元在空间光束准直与聚焦、平面内光束聚焦与传导和在近场纳米光束的控制等方面的研究情况,以及在纳米光子学器件中的潜在应用。     

Hybrid surface plasmon polaritons guided by ultrathin metal films

Hybrid surface plasmon polaritons propagating in a new configuration comprising an ultrathin metal film bounded by a positive birefringent crystal on one side and a glass material on the other side are investigated. The results show that the conditions for existence of such hybrid surface plasmon polaritons have a strong dependence on the structure parameters. This feature opens the way for a new type of optical sensor with directional sensitivity.     

Stimulated emission of surface plasmon polaritons in a microcylinder cavity

We have observed stimulated emission of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in dye-doped polymeric microcylinder cavities deposited onto gold and silver wires. The stimulated emission spectra featured a characteristic series of laser modes, with modal spacing corresponding to SPPs propagating at the interface between the metal and dielectric. A plasmonic microlaser adds to the toolbox of plasmonic devices and plasmonic metamaterials and enables on-chip plasmonic generation and loss compensation.     

Monolithic excitation and manipulation of surface plasmon polaritons on a vertical cavity surface emitting laser

We report the manipulation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a thin Au layer integrated on top of the mirror of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). Gratings etched into the Au layer to different depths are used to couple the light into and out of the film, and to bend the trajectory of the SPP. The result paves the way to compact integrated plasmonic devices.     

Propagating surface plasmon polaritons for remote excitation surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy

To illustrate the attractive potentials of remote-excitation surface enhanced Raman scattering (RE-SERS), we review the fundamental concepts and typical applications of propagating surface plasmon polaritons (PSPPs). Based on the RE-SERS technic, the adsorbed molecules are protected from being directly illuminated, while the merits of SERS still remained. However, the critical limitations of applying RE-SERS hinder its rapid development. Hence, drawing an overview about the PSPPs would be beneficial for further promoting the significance of RE-SERS in biological application and investigating the mechanism of surface catalytic reactions.     

Directional excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in structure of subwavelength metallic holes

In this paper, we propose a structure formed by two subwavelength holes fabricated in a metal film to realize directional excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). The holes are employed as SPP sources, and the relative phase of SPPs generated at the hole exit end can be adjusted by changing the dielectric material filled in holes. Using the difference in relative phase values of SPP for two holes filled with different dielectric media, the SPPs can interfere constructively along one direction while destructively along the opposite direction. Our theoretical analysis is verified by the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. Moreover, the directional excitation of SPPs in two-hole array structure is also discussed. It is found that the effect of SPPs directional excitation is improved with the increase of the number of two-hole.     

Unidirectional excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in T-shaped waveguide with nanodisk resonator

The unidirectional excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in a novel configuration is numerically investigated by the finite-difference time-domain method. It is found that the transmission varies periodically with the increase of distance between the nanodisk resonator and horizontal nanoslit, which can be interpreted by the interference theory. The operating wavelength of this structure can be tuned by altering the refractive index of the nanodisk resonator. This subwavelength-scale structure exhibits high transmission (～58%) due to the constructive interference of the SPP modes, and thus can find important applications on the manipulation of SPP excitation in highly integrated optical circuits.     

Low-loss Airy surface plasmon polaritons

We propose a scheme to obtain a low-loss propagation of Airy surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) along the interface between a dielectric and a negative-index metamaterial(NIMM). We show that by using the transverse-magnetic mode and the related destructive interference effect between electric and magnetic absorption responses, the propagation loss of the Airy SPPs can be largely suppressed when the optical frequency is close to the lossless point of the NIMM. As a result, the Airy SPPs obtained in our scheme can propagate more than a 6times longer distance than that in conventional dielectric–metal interfaces.     

Nonlinear s-polarized surface plasmon polaritons

We have examined the dispersion relations for s-polarized surface plasmon polaritons, guided by (a) the interface between a semi-infinite metal and dielectric medium, and (b) a metal film bounded by semi-infinite dielectric media for situations in which one or more of the dielectric media are characterized by an intensity-dependent refractive index. We found that s-polarized waves satisfy the dispersion relations for very thin metal films bounded by nonlinear dielectric media. These waves exist only for power levels above a threshold that depends on the material parameters. We also comment on the experimental feasibility of observing these waves.     

Cherenkov terahertz radiation from Dirac semimetals surface plasmon polaritons excited by an electron beam

We demonstrate a physical mechanism for terahertz(THz) generation from surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs). In a structure with a bulk Dirac semimetals(BDSs) film deposited on a dielectric substrate, the energy of the asymmetric SPP mode can be significantly enhanced to cross the light line of the substrate due to the SPP-coupling between the interfaces of the film. Therefore, the SPPs can be immediately transformed into Cherenkov radiation without removing the wavevector mismatch. Additionally, the symmetric SPP mode can also be dramatically lifted to cross the substrate light line when a buffer layer with low permittivity relative to the substrate is introduced. In this case, dual-frequency THz radiation from the two SPP modes can be generated simultaneously. The radiation intensity is significantly enhanced by over two orders due to the field enhancement of the SPPs. The radiation frequency can be tuned in the THz frequency regime by adjusting the beam energy and the chemical potential of the BDSs. Our results could find potential applications in developing room temperature, tunable, coherent, and intense THz radiation sources to cover the entire THz band.     

Efficient directional excitation of surface plasmon polaritons by partial dielectric filling slit structure

In this paper, we investigate the excitation of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) in the metallic slit partly filled with dielectric by using the finite-difference time-domain method. It is found that the slit structure displays high asymmetry in the field distribution and SPP excitation due to the difference in matching degree of SPP wavevector on the two sides of slit exit. At certain incident wavelengths, the power flow carried by SPP modes on one side of slit exit is over three orders of magnitude greater than that on the other side, an efficient directional excitation is achieved. The SPP generation efficiencies on both sides of slit exit can be periodically adjusted by the dielectric width, but their changes are not synchronous, implying that such slit structure could be acted as a directional splitter/coupler. Moreover, the asymmetry degree of SPP excitation can also be modulated by the refractive index of dielectric layer.     

Chiral surface plasmon polaritons on metallic nanowires

Chiral surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) can be generated by linearly polarized light incident at the end of a nanowire, exciting a coherent superposition of three specific nanowire waveguide modes. Images of chiral SPPs on individual nanowires obtained from quantum dot fluorescence excited by the SPP evanescent field reveal the chirality predicted in our theoretical model. The handedness and spatial extent of the helical periods of the chiral SPPs depend on the input polarization angle and nanowire diameter as well as the dielectric environment. Chirality is preserved in the free-space output wave, making a metallic nanowire a broad bandwidth subwavelength source of circular polarized photons.     

表面等离子体激元的若干新应用

表面等离子体激元（SPPs）是在金属和介质界面传播的一种波动模式。本文首先叙述了SPPs的相关特性和激发方式,给出了一种基于表面等离子体激元共振（SPR）场增强原理产生相干极紫外辐射的方法,利用该方法可极大地提高光源的光子流量。分析了SPPs在生物及医疗领域的新应用,并对其在治疗癌症方面的技术原理进行了讨论。介绍了SPPs在新型光源和能源领域的发展和应用情况,综述了SPPs在太阳能电池、光子芯片以及集成电路方面的新工艺和新技术,包括最近几年来所取得的一些重要成果。最后讨论了SPPs在光存储方面的快速发展和巨大贡献。     

Nonzeroth-order anomalous optical transparency in modulated metal films owing to excitation of surface plasmon polaritons: An analytic approach

The problem of anomalous light tunneling through periodically modulated metal films is examined in a purely analytical approach. The approach uses large magnitude of the dielectric permittivity of metals in the visible and near-infrared (it is equivalent to that resulting in the Leontovich boundary conditions for semi-infinite problems). It is shown that the anomalous transparency recently discovered experimentally is caused by the excitation of single-or double-boundary surface plasmon polaritons due to film modulation. Dependences of the resonance transparency on parameters of the problem are analyzed in detail, and the optimum parameters (optimal layer thickness and optimal modulation amplitude) corresponding to extreme values of the transmittance of both zero and nonzero diffraction orders have been found. Classifying the possible types of resonances has allowed the identification of special and nontrivial features of the effect. In particular, we predict strong nonzeroth-order anomalous transparency.