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Updated: Feb 5, 2026
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Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
Published on: July 8, 2013
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Direct observation of Anderson localization in plasmonic terahertz devices
Shashank Pandey1, Barun Gupta1, Sushil Mujumdar2
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
Light, Science & Applications
|September 1, 2018
Summary
Researchers experimentally observed Anderson localization in terahertz (THz) waveguides using plasmonic structures. This phenomenon, characterized by spatially localized modes, was achieved by introducing controlled disorder into the THz waveguides.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Anderson localization is a quantum phenomenon where waves fail to propagate due to disorder.
- Terahertz (THz) technology is rapidly advancing, with applications in imaging, sensing, and communication.
- Plasmonic structures offer unique ways to manipulate electromagnetic waves at the nanoscale.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate Anderson localization in the terahertz frequency range.
- To investigate the effect of disorder on wave propagation in plasmonic THz waveguides.
- To characterize the properties of localized modes within these disordered structures.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of one-dimensional arrays of rectangular apertures in freestanding metal foil to create THz waveguides.
- Introduction of controlled positional disorder in the aperture array.
- Experimental measurement of wave propagation and localization within the fabricated waveguides.
Main Results:
- Increased propagation loss observed for disorder levels below 25%.
- Observation of a spatially localized mode in waveguides with 25% disorder.
- The localized mode exhibited double-sided exponential spatial decay, confirming Anderson localization.
Conclusions:
- The study provides the first experimental evidence of Anderson localization in the terahertz frequency range using plasmonic structures.
- Disordered plasmonic waveguides can support localized modes, opening possibilities for novel THz devices.
- This work contributes to the fundamental understanding of wave localization in disordered nanophotonic systems.
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