Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
Published on: July 8, 2013
Spacetime Imaging of Group and Phase Velocities of Terahertz Surface Plasmon Polaritons in Graphene
Simon Anglhuber1, Martin Zizlsperger1, Eva A A Pogna2
1Regensburg Center for Ultrafast Nanoscopy (RUN) and Department of Physics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Detecting electromagnetic radiation scattered from a tip-sample junction has enabled overcoming the diffraction limit and started the flourishing field of polariton nanoimaging. However, most techniques only resolve amplitude and relative phase of the scattered radiation. Here, we utilize field-resolved detection of ultrashort scattered pulses to map the dynamics of surface polaritons in both space and time. Plasmon polaritons in graphene serve as an ideal model system for the study, demonstrating how propagating modes can be visualized and modeled in the time domain by a straightforward mathematical equation and normalization method. This novel approach enables a direct assessment of the polaritons' group and phase velocities, as well as the damping. Additionally, it is particularly powerful in combination with a pump-probe scheme to trace subcycle changes in the polariton propagation upon photoexcitation. Our method readily applies to other quantum materials, providing a versatile tool to study ultrafast nonequilibrium spatiotemporal dynamics of polaritons.
Related Concept Videos
Van der Waals Interactions
Intermolecular Forces
Comparing Intermolecular Forces: Melting Point, Boiling Point, and Miscibility
Temporary attractive forces like dispersion are present in all molecules, whether they are polar or nonpolar. They...
Valence Bond Theory
Fischer Projections
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution

