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Updated: May 31, 2026
07:39
Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
Electrical excitation of surface plasmons
Palash Bharadwaj1, Alexandre Bouhelier, Lukas Novotny
1Institute of Optics and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|June 28, 2011
Summary
This study demonstrates converting low-energy electrons into light using a plasmon-mediated process. Electron tunneling efficiently launches surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in nanostructures for photon generation.
Area of Science:
- Nanophotonics and Plasmonics
- Quantum Electronics
Background:
- Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are crucial for nanoscale light manipulation.
- Efficiently launching SPPs using low-energy methods is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a nonoptical, low-energy method for generating propagating photons from tunneling electrons.
- To investigate the excitation and outcoupling mechanisms of SPPs in gold nanowires.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a two-step momentum down-conversion scheme.
- Exciting surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) via low-energy electron tunneling.
- Employing an extended gold nanowire for SPP propagation and conversion.
Main Results:
- Successfully converted low-energy tunneling electrons into propagating photons.
- Demonstrated that tunneling electrons excite gap plasmons, which then couple to propagating plasmons.
- Separation of excitation and outcoupling confirmed the plasmon dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Electron tunneling offers a voltage-controlled, low-energy pathway for launching SPPs.
- This method is applicable to nanostructures like plasmonic waveguides.
- Provides a novel route for generating photons from electrons at the nanoscale.
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