Terahertz surface plasmon polaritons in textured metal surfaces formed by square arrays of metallic pillars

In this paper, we investigate numerically the characteristics of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) sustained by two-dimensional arrays of metallic pillars protruding out of planar metal surfaces at terahertz (THz) frequencies. Various shapes of the pillars are analyzed, and it is shown that the pillar shape only has weak influence on the dispersion of spoof SPPs. However, the loss of spoof SPPs is closely dependent on the pillar shape. It is also shown that spoof SPPs on textured surfaces with pillars can exhibit much better confinement than those on pierced surfaces with holes.     

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.     

The excitation and emission of terahertz surface plasmon polaritons on metal wire waveguides

The development of effective techniques for guiding pulsed terahertz radiation is essential for the continued development of terahertz spectroscopy and imaging applications based on the technique of time-domain spectroscopy. Terahertz surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) can be excited and guided on cylindrical metal wires with low loss and dispersion. This propagating surface wave, known as a Sommerfeld wave, possesses radial polarization, which is not well matched with conventional sources of pulsed terahertz radiation. A photoconductive terahertz antenna with radial symmetry produces radiation that more efficiently couples to the wire waveguide. At the end of the wire, terahertz SPPs emit radiation into free-space that exhibits frequency-dependent diffraction. To cite this article: J.A. Deibel et al., C. R. Physique 9 (2008).     

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.     

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.     

Coherent and tunable radiation with power enhancement from surface plasmon polaritons

Surface plasmon polaritons excited by an electron beam can be transformed into coherent and tunable light radiation waves with power enhancement in the simple structure of a metal film with a dielectric medium loading. In this paper, the process of the radiation transformation of this radiation, and the dependencies of the radiation characteristics on the parameters of the structure and the electron beam are studied in detail. The radiation power enhancement is greatly influenced by the beam energy and the film thickness in the infrared to ultraviolet frequency region. Up to 122 times radiation power enhancement and 6.5% radiation frequency tuning band can be obtained by optimizing the beam energy and the parameters of the film.     

Dispersion of surface polaritons at metal surfaces

The dispersion relation for surface polaritons at a vacuum-metal interface has been obtained using a wave-vector-dependent electrical conductivity. Surface polariton attenuation coefficients calculated in the limits of local and extreme nonlocal conductivity vary with frequency ω as ω² and ω^{$\text{7}\text{3}$} respectively.     

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。     

Analysis of plasmon terahertz waveguide formed by a dielectric ridge on semiconductor surface

We study, by the method of the effective index of refraction (EIR), the characteristics of plasmon terahertz waveguide formed by a quartz ridge above the surface of indium antimonide. EIR, propagation length, field distribution, and the condition of single-mode propagation are calculated for the fundamental TM00 mode at different sizes of the quartz ridge. It is shown that, as distinct from usual plasmon waveguides, high degree of field localization and long propagation length can be ensured simultaneously by optimum choice of ridge sizes. Comparison of field distributions calculated by the EIR technique and with COMSOL Multiphysics software indicates a good agreement, especially for not very small sizes of the ridge.     

A diagnostic complex for studying terahertz surface plasmon polaritons generated by the Novosibirsk free electron laser

A diagnostic complex for studying surface plasmon polaritons generated by the monochromatic radiation of the Novosibirsk terahertz Free Electron Laser (FEL) is described. The complex contains three detection systems: an uncooled microbolometer focal plane array conjugated with a collecting lens, a Golay cell, and a superconducting hot-electron bolometer. Examples of experiments demonstrating the operation of this complex are presented.     

Enhancing near-field photolithography by surface plasmon polaritons excited from negative-refractive-index nanofilms

We report a novel method for enhancing near-field nanophotolithography using negative-refractive-index slabs. In our method, a negative-refractive-index-metal film (NIF) is attached to the plane surface of an aplanatic solid immersion lens (SIL), and the polymer layer is coated on the negative-refractive-index film. The intensity of the transmitted light is enhanced by the surface plasmon polaritons excited in the NIF-polymer composite layer. The numerical results based on the vector diffraction theory show that under the illumination of the SIL-NIF-polymer composite by a sharp focused radially polarized beam, the composite configuration under investigation can substantially increase the spot intensity, suppress the spot expansion along the distance from the interface, and improve the depth of focus, in comparison with conventional focusing systems using bare SILs. In the case where a photoresist film is placed near the composite configuration, a subtle deep-etching pattern with high resolution can be achieved.     

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.     

Experimental evaluation of reflectance of surface plasmon polaritons at metal step barrier

We have proposed a way to evaluate the reflectance of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) at a Ag step barrier from an experiment using the attenuated total reflection structure consisting of ultra-thin metal films sandwiched by dielectrics with nearly identical refractive index. At a wavelength of 632.8 nm, for a long-range SPP (L-SPP) excited in a Ag film of 5.7 nm in thickness, the reflectance at Ag step barriers of 766 nm in height was evaluated to be 7.9 × 10⁻².     

Gap surface plasmon polaritons enhanced by a plasmonic lens

We numerically investigate the optical field enhancement based on gap surface plasmon polaritons (GSPPs) that are enhanced by propagating surface waves launched by a circular slit at a metal-dielectric interface. The optical field enhancement originates not only from multiple scattering and coupling of GSPPs in the spacer region between two metal layers but also from propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) launched by a circular plasmonic lens. We find that the combination of the GSPPs and the propagating SPPs launched by the plasmonic lens can achieve extremely strong field confinement, and we find that the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement factor can be up to 10(15) at the tip of the equilateral triangular nanostructures. The structure proposed here is expected to find promising applications where strong field enhancement is desired, such as optical sensing with the SERS effect.     

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.     

Simulation investigation on channel surface plasmon guiding by terahertz wave through subwavelength metal V-groove

The waveguide propagation properties of terahertz wave through subwavelength metallic triangular groove channels have been simulationally investigated. The effects of groove depth, groove angle and dielectric filling materials on propagation property have been shown and discussed. The results show that with increasing of groove depth and angle degree the propagation constant of channel surface plasmon polariton mode decreases. The propagation constant of poor conductive metal is larger than that of good conductive metal, which may result from the fact that the former has larger skin depth. In addition, the confinement of CSPP mode could be improved by increasing the refractive index of dielectric filling materials.     

Polarization-insensitive unidirectional spoof surface plasmon polaritons coupling by gradient metasurface

A polarization-insensitive unidirectional spoof surface plasmon polariton(SPP) coupler mediated by a gradient metasurface is proposed. The field distributions and average Poynting vector of the coupled spoof SPPs are analyzed. The simulated and experimental results support the theoretical analysis and indicate that the designed gradient metasurface can couple both the parallel-polarized and normally-polarized incident waves to the spoof SPPs propagating in the same direction at about 5 GHz.     

Phase singularity of surface plasmon polaritons generated by optical vortices

We demonstrate an experimental result that shows the phase singularity of surface plasmon waves generated by the direct transform of optical vortices at normal incidence focused on a structureless metal surface. The near-field two-dimensional intensity distribution near the focal plane is experimentally examined by using near-field scanning optical microscopy and shows a good agreement with the finite-difference time-domain simulation result. The experimental realization demonstrates a potential of the proposed excitation scheme to be reconfigured locally with advantages over structures milled into optically thick metallic films for plasmonics applications involving plasmonic vortices.     

Observation of propagation of surface plasmon polaritons along line defects in a periodically corrugated metal surface

Propagation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) excited in the wavelength range 720-830 nm at a corrugated gold-film surface with areas of 150-nm-wide and 45-nm-high scatterers arranged in a 380-nm-period triangular lattice containing line defects is investigated by use of near-field optical microscopy. We demonstrate that the SPP at 740-750 nm propagates along 2.2-microm -wide and 16-microm -long line defects with ~50% loss, whereas its propagation along narrower line defects is strongly damped and in periodically corrugated areas is inhibited. We observe significant deterioration of these effects for both longer and shorter wavelengths and conclude that the SPP guiding occurs as a result of the SPP bandgap effect in the structures.