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Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
Phase singularity of surface plasmon polaritons generated by optical vortices
1School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, 639798. Singapore.
Optics Letters
|August 18, 2011
Summary
We show how to create phase singularities in surface plasmon waves using optical vortices. This method offers advantages for plasmonics applications involving plasmonic vortices.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are light-like waves confined to metal-dielectric interfaces.
- Optical vortices carry orbital angular momentum and possess phase singularities.
- Generating and controlling SPPs with tailored phase structures is crucial for advanced plasmonics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate the generation of phase singularities in surface plasmon waves via direct transformation of optical vortices.
- To investigate the near-field intensity distribution of the generated surface plasmon waves.
- To validate the experimental findings with numerical simulations.
Main Methods:
- Direct focusing of optical vortices onto a structureless metal surface at normal incidence.
- Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) for probing the near-field intensity distribution.
- Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations for theoretical validation.
Main Results:
- Experimental observation of phase singularities in surface plasmon waves.
- Measured near-field intensity distribution shows good agreement with FDTD simulations.
- The proposed excitation scheme is shown to be experimentally viable.
Conclusions:
- Direct transformation of optical vortices is an effective method for generating surface plasmon vortices.
- This technique offers a reconfigurable and advantageous alternative to patterned metallic films for plasmonics.
- The findings pave the way for novel plasmonic devices utilizing structured light.
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