Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 34: Poster Session I (Graphene; Plasmonics and nanooptics; Coherence and coherent control in nanophotonics and plasmonics)

O 34.58: Poster

Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 18:15–21:45, Poster E

Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Surface Plasmon Polaritons on Gold Microstructures Using Photoemission Electron Microscopy — •Martin Piecuch¹, Christian Schneider¹, Daniela Bayer¹, Alexander Fischer¹, Pascal Melchior¹, Christoph Lemke², Michael Bauer², and Martin Aeschlimann¹ — ¹TU Kaiserslautern — ²Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

Collective electron excitations at metal surfaces are currently a rapidly developing research field. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) for instance are promising candidates for future ultrafast subwavelength electronic devices. By using photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), we investigate coherent excitations with spatial resolution which is well below the diffraction limit defined by the laser wavelength. Applying a laser pulse to a gold microstructure results in a beating pattern due to interference between the incident light source and excited SPPs which can be observed by PEEM. Using a phase stabilized Mach-Zehnder-interferometer that manipulates the excitation spectrum of the laser enables us to control the phase sensitive interference pattern. Theoretical simulations of the full electrical field with a fast algorithm based on the Huygens principle give insight into the underlying SPP dynamics. We show the high potential of the developed algorithm by a comprehensive comparison between experimental data and the simulation.