Adsorption of noble gases on metal surfaces and the scanning tunneling microscope

Physisorption on metal surfaces, and the tunneling currents through the adsorbed species, are calculated using a unified formalism that presents both problems on the same footing. Our method is based on a self-consistent LCAO approach whereby the different interaction parameters defining the bonds, and the tunneling currents, are calculated using the atomic properties of the atomic species forming the interface. Green function methods and the Keldish formalism are used to calculate the different physical properties. We present results for xenon adsorbed on aluminum.     

Electromagnetic interactions with rough metal surfaces

When surfaces are structured on the scale of the wavelength, we can expect incident light to be strongly modified by the surface. This is especially the case when the surface is metallic. We have developed a formalism for computing these modifications, closely analogous to electron scattering theory, which we briefly review and present some results for optical properties of, and electron energy loss in, colloids. Our main theme is another effect associate with rough or structured metallic surfaces: Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering, or SERS. We model the rough surface by a periodic array of spheres and obtain the correct magnitude for the enhancement and for the frequency shifts observed.     

Green's functions for Maxwell's equations: application to spontaneous emission

We present a new formalism for calculating the Green's function for Maxwell's equations. As our aim is to apply our formalism to light scattering at surfaces of arbitrary materials, we derive the Green's function in a surface representation. The only requirement on the material is that it should have periodicity parallel to the surface. We calculate this Green's function for light of a specific frequency and a specific incident direction and distance with respect to the surface. The material properties entering the Green's function are the reflection coefficients for plane waves at the surface. Using the close relationship between the Green's function and the density of states (DOS), we apply our method to calculate the spontaneous emission rate as a function of the distance to a material surface. The spontaneous emission rate can be calculated using Fermi's Golden Rule, which can be expressed in terms of the DOS of the optical modes available to the emitted photon. We present calculations for a finite slab of cylindrical rods, embedded in air on a square lattice. It is shown that the enhancement or suppression of spontaneous emission strongly depends on the frequency of the light. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Theory of negative-refractive-index response of double-fishnet structures

A theory is presented of the negative refractive index observed in the so-called double-fishnet structures. We find that the electrical response of these structures is dominated by the cutoff frequency of the hole waveguide whereas the resonant magnetic response is due to the excitation of gap surface plasmon polaritons propagating along the dielectric slab. Associated with this origin, we show how the negative refractive index in these metamaterials presents strong dispersion with the parallel momentum of the incident light.     

Optical switching in metal-slit arrays on nonlinear dielectric substrates

We propose a scheme for an optical limiter and switch of the transmitted light intensity in an array of subwavelength metallic slits placed on a nonlinear Kerr-type dielectric substrate of finite thickness, where the geometrical parameters are designed for operation at telecom wavelengths. Our approach is based on the abrupt changes of the output light intensity observed in these systems near transmission minima.     

Optical control over surface-plasmon-polariton-assisted THz transmission through a slit aperture

We demonstrate optical control over the transmission of terahertz (THz) radiation through a single subwavelength slit in an otherwise opaque silicon wafer. The addition of periodic corrugation on each side of the wafer allows coupling to surface plasmon polaritons, so that light not impinging directly on the slit can contribute to the transmission. A significant enhancement of the THz transmission can be achieved through control of the surface wave propagation length by excitation at optical wavelengths. The observed transmission increase is in distinct contrast to the reduction reported for photoexcitation of arrays of holes in semiconductors.     

Channel plasmon-polaritons: modal shape, dispersion, and losses

We theoretically study channel plasmon-polaritons (CPPs) with a geometry similar to that in recent experiments at telecommunication wavelengths [Bozhevolnyi et al., Nature 440, 508 (2006)]. The CPP modal shape, dispersion relation, and losses are simulated by using the multiple multipole method and the finite difference time domain technique. It is shown that, with an increase of the wavelength, the fundamental CPP mode shifts progressively toward the groove opening, ceasing to be guided at the groove bottom and becoming hybridized with wedge plasmon-polaritons running along the groove edges.     

Anomalous band formation in arrays of terahertz nanoresonators

We investigate band formation in one-dimensional periodic arrays of rectangular holes which have a nanoscale width but a length of 100 μm. These holes are tailored to work as resonators in the terahertz frequency regime. We study the evolution of the electromagnetic response with the period of the array, showing that this dependence is not monotonic due to both the oscillating behavior of the coupling between holes and its long-range character.     

Entanglement of two qubits mediated by one-dimensional plasmonic waveguides

We investigate qubit-qubit entanglement mediated by plasmons supported by one-dimensional waveguides. We explore both the situation of spontaneous formation of entanglement from an unentangled state and the emergence of driven steady-state entanglement under continuous pumping. In both cases, we show that large values for the concurrence are attainable for qubit-qubit distances larger than the operating wavelength by using plasmonic waveguides that are currently available.