Surface Plasmons Carry the Pancharatnam-Berry Geometric Phase

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Plasmonics
• Quantum Optics

Background:

• Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic waves confined to metal-dielectric interfaces.
• SPPs are generated and manipulated using nanostructured metallic elements.
• Light interacting with SPPs can acquire dynamic and geometric phases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if SPPs can mediate the Pancharatnam-Berry phase.
• To determine if the geometric phase survives the light-SPP-light conversion process.
• To verify the magnitude of the geometric phase with Pancharatnam's rule.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical examination of light scattering by metallic nanostructures to generate SPPs.
• Analysis of polarization transformations on the Poincaré sphere during the light-SPP-light process.
• Calculation of the geometric phase acquired by light.

Main Results:

• SPPs were demonstrated to mediate the Pancharatnam-Berry phase.
• The geometric phase was shown to be preserved after the light-SPP-light conversion.
• The magnitude of the geometric phase was found to be consistent with Pancharatnam's rule.

Conclusions:

• SPPs are capable of mediating the Pancharatnam-Berry geometric phase.
• The light-SPP-light conversion process preserves this geometric phase.
• This fundamental finding has significant implications for future photonics applications.