Plasmon mode characteristics of metallic nanowire in uniaxial anisotropic dielectric

The plasmon mode characteristics of metallic nanowire embedded in a uniaxial anisotropic dielectric are investigated theoretically. The hybrid plasmon modes found in this structure are significantly different from the traditional plasmon modes of metallic nanowire in a homogeneous isotropic dielectric. In contrast to the transverse-magnetic-like wave for a traditional fundamental mode, the hybrid fundamental mode of metallic nanowire involves a nonzero longitudinal magnetic field component. The degenerate behaviors of adjacent order plasmon modes are demonstrated in the case of a strongly anisotropic dielectric. Moreover, the dependence of the degenerate characteristics on the radius of a metallic nanowire and the excited wavelength are clearly shown by dispersion relation. The results of the study provide a useful approach to modulate surface plasmon polaritons with anisotropic medium.