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Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
The forces from coupled surface plasmon polaritons in planar waveguides
David Woolf1, Marko Loncar, Federico Capasso
1School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Optics Express
|December 10, 2009
Summary
This study analyzes forces from Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) modes between metal slabs. It explores how material properties affect these forces, revealing insights into plasmonic interactions.
Area of Science:
- Physics, Applied Physics, Materials Science
Background:
- Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) modes are crucial for light-matter interactions at metal-dielectric interfaces.
- Understanding forces mediated by SPPs is essential for nanoscale device design and optical phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analytically investigate the forces arising from SPP modes between metal slabs with varying thicknesses.
- To examine the influence of frequency dispersion and metal losses on SPP-mediated forces.
Main Methods:
- Analytical investigation of forces using the Maxwell Stress Tensor.
- Modeling of metal dielectric functions using the Drude model with experimental data for gold and silver.
- Calculation of forces for both attractive and repulsive SPP modes.
Main Results:
- Frequency dispersion and metal losses significantly alter SPP mode behavior and generated forces.
- The study quantifies attractive and repulsive forces, providing a detailed understanding of their dependence on material properties and geometry.
- Demonstrated distinct force profiles for finite and infinitely thick metal slabs.
Conclusions:
- SPP-mediated forces are highly sensitive to the optical properties of metals, particularly dispersion and loss.
- The analytical framework provides a valuable tool for predicting and controlling plasmonic forces in nanophotonic systems.
- This research contributes to the fundamental understanding of light-matter interactions relevant to metamaterials and plasmonics.
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