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Spontaneous symmetry breaking in plasmon lattice lasers
Nelson de Gaay Fortman1,2, Radoslaw Kolkowski2,3, Debapriya Pal2
1Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, NL1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Science Advances
|July 5, 2024
Summary
Spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) occurs in 2D metasurfaces during lasing transitions. This study reveals simultaneous spatial parity and U(1) symmetry breaking in plasmonic nanoparticle lattices.
Area of Science:
- Metaphotonics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Optics
Background:
- Spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) is fundamental to understanding phase transitions and the emergence of order.
- Metasurfaces offer tunable optical properties for advanced photonic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) in the lasing transition of a two-dimensional (2D) periodic metasurface with gain.
- To resolve the order parameters associated with simultaneous spatial parity and U(1) symmetry breaking.
Main Methods:
- Studied diffractive hexagonal plasmon nanoparticle lattices.
- Utilized femtosecond pulses to energize the gain medium.
- Captured simultaneous single-shot real-space and Fourier-space images of laser emission.
Main Results:
- Observed spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) in the lasing transition of the 2D metasurface.
- Resolved simultaneous spatial parity and U(1) symmetry breaking.
- Identified random relative mode amplitude and phase as indicators of symmetry breaking.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates SSB in 2D periodic metasurfaces with gain during lasing.
- The methodology is applicable to various 2D plasmonic and dielectric metasurfaces.
- Opens opportunities for studying SSB and spatial coherence in metaphotonics.
