6533b838fe1ef96bd12a4691
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Electrical excitation of surface plasmons
Lukas NovotnyPalash BharadwajAlexandre Bouheliersubject
Physics - Instrumentation and DetectorsNanowireFOS: Physical sciencesGeneral Physics and AstronomyPhysics::Optics02 engineering and technologyElectron01 natural scienceslaw.invention010309 opticslawMesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)0103 physical sciencesPhysics::Atomic and Molecular Clusters010306 general physicsQuantum tunnellingPlasmonPhysicsCondensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale PhysicsSurface plasmonInstrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det)021001 nanoscience & nanotechnologyCondensed Matter::Mesoscopic Systems and Quantum Hall EffectSurface plasmon polaritonQuasiparticleScanning tunneling microscopeAtomic physics0210 nano-technologyExcitationOptics (physics.optics)Localized surface plasmonPhysics - Opticsdescription
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.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-03-27 |