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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 46: Plasmonics and Nanooptics IV: Fabrication and Applications
O 46.9: Talk
Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 12:30–12:45, MA 042
Dissipation-engineered plasmonic ratchet — •Anna Sidorenko1, Jan Mathis Giesen2, Sebastian Eggert2, and Stefan Linden1 — 1Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bonn, Kreuzbergweg 24, 53115 Bonn, Germany — 2Physics Department and Research Center OPTIMAS, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
A ratchet effect is an ability to convert periodic drive into directed motion without a bias force. The working principle of a ratchet relies on the breaking of space- and time-reversal symmetry that would otherwise not allow a directed current. Based on the quantum-optical analogy, we propose a new design of a plasmonic ratchet. Our implementation features a trimerized lattice where losses are periodically varied while hopping amplitudes and on-site potentials are kept constant. The plasmonic structures were fabricated by means of two-step electron beam lithography. In the produced arrays, the spatial evolution of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) was recorded by leakage radiation microscopy. We observe both in numerical calculations and in our measurements a directional transport of SPPs in such an array in a single preferred direction. Control of directionality purely by tailored dissipation distinguishes our system from a simple combination of directional couplers. We examine the effect of different dissipation strengths and durations on the efficiency of transport.
Keywords: Directional transport; Waveguide arrays; Ratchet; Surface plasmon polariton; Dissipation