Regensburg 2013 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 30: Plasmonics and Nanooptics III
O 30.9: Talk
Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 12:30–12:45, H31
Real-time observation of ultrafast Rabi oscillations between excitons and plasmons in J-aggregate/metal hybrid nanostructures — Parinda Vasa1,2, Wei Wang1, •Ephraim Sommer1, Melanie Lammers1, Margherita Maiuri3, Cristian Manzoni3, Giulio Cerullo3, and Christoph Lienau1 — 1Institut für Physik and Center of Interface Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany — 2Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 400076 Mumbai, India — 3IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), optical excitations at the interface between a metal and a dielectric, carry significant potential for guiding and manipulating light on the nanoscale. Their weak optical nonlinearities, however, hinder active device fabrication, e.g., for all-optical switching or information processing. Recently, strong optical dipole coupling between SPPs and nonlinear quantum emitters with normal mode splittings of up to 700 meV has been demonstrated. The predicted ultrafast energy transfer between quantum emitters and SPP fields could be a crucial microscopic mechanism for switching light by light on the nanoscale. Here, we present the first real-time observation of ultrafast Rabi oscillations in a J-aggregate/metal nanostructure, evidencing coherent energy transfer between excitonic quantum emitters and SPP fields. We demonstrate coherent manipulation of the coupling energy by controlling the exciton density on a 10-fs timescale, a step forward towards coherent, all-optical ultrafast plasmonic circuits and devices.