Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 63: Plasmonics and Nanooptics V

O 63.1: Talk

Thursday, March 25, 2010, 10:30–10:45, H32

Enhancing higher harmonics generation using plasmonic nanostructures — •Thomas Paul, Christoph Menzel, Carsten Rockstuhl, Shakeeb Bin Hasan, and Falk Lederer — Institute of Solid State Physics and Optics, Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena, Germany

Exploiting the properties of plasmon polaritons sustained by metallic nanostructures opens up great opportunities in engineering linear and nonlinear optical properties of conventional optical matter. Whereas the linear properties are usually at the focus of interest, also the nonlinear properties may benefit. If the metallic nanostructures are operated in resonance, the enhanced electrical field concentration facilitates the nonlinear interaction of light with matter. In our work we aim to detail such processes from a theoretical point of view. Particularly, we investigate the potential to enhance the higher harmonics generation by periodically arranged metallic nanostructures incorporated into a (nonlinear) dielectric host material. The geometries we are interested in are pairs of gold nanowires and split cylinder resonator structures. Emphasis is put on χ(2)-nonlinearities for which it is reasonably assumed that the intrinsic nonlinearities of the dielectric host material prevails against those of the metallic nanostructures. Independent of the structure, we reveal the peculiarities of how the various types of resonances (dipolar or quadrupolar) may boost the conversion efficiency of the fundamental light into its higher harmonics (i.e. second harmonic). Possible implications to use the process of parametrical amplification for compensating absorption losses will be discussed.