Berlin 2008 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 66: Metallic Nanostructures I (on Metals)
O 66.2: Talk
Thursday, February 28, 2008, 13:00–13:15, MA 041
Tunable Quantum Wires: New Horizons in Plasmonics — •Dominic Zerulla1, Michael Berndt2, Stephanie Rehwald3, Stephan Schwieger4, and Erich Runge4 — 1UCD Dublin, School of Physics, Dublin 4, Ireland — 2MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany — 3Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Germany — 4TU Ilmenau, Theor. Physik I, Germany
Here we report on the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP's) on a periodical arrangement of quantum wires with tunable periodicity. The ability to vary its two-dimensional lattice constant results in an additional degree of freedom, permitting excitation of SPP's for any combination of wavelength and angle of incidence within the tuning range of the system. Moreover it allows crucial questions on a fundamental level to be answered by shedding light on the characteristic localization properties of SPP's. Planar waveguides and photonic crystal structures are being intensively investigated as primary solutions for integrated photonic devices. However, there may be an alternative approach to the manufacturing of highly integrated optical devices with structural elements smaller than the wavelength, which nevertheless enables strong guidance and manipulation of light - the use of metallic and metallodielectric nanostructures in conjunction with Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPP's). Our novel design opens new vistas regarding the tuneability of SPP localisation, propagation and coupling efficiencies.
[1] S. Rehwald, M. Berndt, F. Katzenberg, S. Schwieger, E. Runge, K. Schierbaum, D. Zerulla, Phys. Rev. B 76, 085420 (2007)