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Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
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Published on: July 21, 2018

Surface plasmons modulate the spatial coherence of light in Young's interference experiment.

Choon How Gan1, Greg Gbur, Taco D Visser

  • 1Department of Physics and Optical Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina 29223, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|March 16, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Surface plasmons alter light field coherence in Young's experiment, modulating interference fringe visibility. This opens new avenues for controlling light

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Area of Science:

  • Optics and Photonics
  • Surface Plasmonics
  • Quantum Optics

Background:

  • Young's double-slit experiment is fundamental for demonstrating wave interference.
  • Spatial coherence is a key property of light fields, influencing interference patterns.
  • Surface plasmons are collective electron oscillations on metal surfaces that interact with light.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of surface plasmons on the spatial coherence of light in Young's experiment.
  • To explore how surface plasmon propagation between slits influences interference fringe visibility.
  • To determine if surface plasmons can be used to tailor light field properties.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing Young's double-slit experiment setup.
  • Guiding surface plasmons between the two slits.
  • Analyzing the spatial coherence of the radiated field.
  • Measuring the visibility of interference fringes.

Main Results:

  • Surface plasmons traveling between slits can increase or decrease the field's spatial coherence.
  • The effect on coherence depends on the separation distance between the slits.
  • Interference fringe visibility is modulated by the surface plasmon-induced changes in coherence.

Conclusions:

  • Surface plasmons offer a novel method to manipulate the spatial coherence of light.
  • This control over coherence allows for tailoring of light field properties like spectrum and polarization.
  • The findings suggest new applications in optical manipulation and metrology.