385 research outputs found
Spatial Dependence of Electron-Hole Pair Creation in Ion-Solid and Electron-Solid Interactions
The problem of electron excitation induced by interaction of charged particles with solids is investigated on theoretical grounds. The excitation probability is calculated both in homogeneous media and at surfaces. The surface wake potential, needed in the latter, is reviewed. The cases of transmission and aloof geometries are considered separately. Surface plasmons are shown to play a crucial role in the latter. An application to coincidence scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) experiments is also discussed. Finally, a spatial representation of the excitation probability is presented
Enhanced graphene nonlinear response through geometrical plasmon focusing
We propose a simple approach to couple light into graphene plasmons and focus these excitations at
focal spots of a size determined by the plasmon wavelength, thus producing high optical field
enhancement that boosts the nonlinear response of the material. More precisely, we consider a
graphene structure in which incident light is coupled to its plasmons at the carbon edges and
subsequently focused on a spot of size comparable to the plasmon wavelength. We observe large
confinement of graphene plasmons, materializing in small, intense focal spots, in which the
extraordinary nonlinear response of this material leads to relatively intense harmonic generation.
This result shows the potential of plasmon focusing in suitably edged graphene structures to produce
large field confinement and nonlinear response without involving elaborated nanostructuring.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
Electromagnetic surface states in structured perfect-conductor surfaces
Surface-bound modes in metamaterials forged by drilling periodic hole arrays
in perfect-conductor surfaces are investigated by means of both analytical
techniques and rigorous numerical solution of Maxwell's equations. It is shown
that these metamaterials cannot be described in general by local,
frequency-dependent permittivities and permeabilities for small periods
compared to the wavelength, except in certain limiting cases that are discussed
in detail. New related metamaterials are shown to exhibit exciting optical
properties that are elucidated in the light of our simple analytical approach.Comment: 5 figure
On the transmission of light through a single rectangular hole
In this Letter we show that a single rectangular hole exhibits transmission
resonances that appear near the cutoff wavelength of the hole waveguide. For
light polarized with the electric field pointing along the short axis, it is
shown that the normalized-to-area transmittance at resonance is proportional to
the ratio between the long and short sides, and to the dielectric constant
inside the hole. Importantly, this resonant transmission process is accompanied
by a huge enhancement of the electric field at both entrance and exit
interfaces of the hole. These findings open the possibility of using
rectangular holes for spectroscopic purposes or for exploring non-linear
effects.Comment: Submitted to PRL on Feb. 9th, 200
Vacuum friction in rotating particles
We study the frictional torque acting on particles rotating in empty space.
At zero temperature, vacuum friction transforms mechanical energy into light
emission and produces particle heating. However, particle cooling relative to
the environment occurs at finite temperatures and low rotation velocities.
Radiation emission is boosted and its spectrum significantly departed from a
hot-body emission profile as the velocity increases. Stopping times ranging
from hours to billions of years are predicted for materials, particle sizes,
and temperatures accessible to experiment. Implications for the behavior of
cosmic dust are discussed.Comment: 4 figures, 10 pages, includes paper and supplementary information in
the appendi
Electron energy loss and induced photon emission in photonic crystals
The interaction of a fast electron with a photonic crystal is investigated by
solving the Maxwell equations exactly for the external field provided by the
electron in the presence of the crystal. The energy loss is obtained from the
retarding force exerted on the electron by the induced electric field. The
features of the energy loss spectra are shown to be related to the photonic
band structure of the crystal. Two different regimes are discussed: for small
lattice constants relative to the wavelength of the associated electron
excitations , an effective medium theory can be used to describe the
material; however, for the photonic band structure plays an
important role. Special attention is paid to the frequency gap regions in the
latter case.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Full transmission through perfect-conductor subwavelength hole arrays
Light transmission through 2D subwavelength hole arrays in perfect-conductor
films is shown to be complete (100%) at some resonant wavelengths even for
arbitrarily narrow holes. Conversely, the reflection on a 2D planar array of
non-absorbing scatterers is shown to be complete at some wavelengths regardless
how weak the scatterers are. These results are proven analytically and
corroborated by rigorous numerical solution of Maxwell's equations. This work
supports the central role played by dynamical diffraction during light
transmission through subwavelength hole arrays and it provides a systematics to
analyze more complex geometries and many of the features observed in connection
with transmission through hole arrays.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Local density of states, spectrum, and far-field interference of surface plasmon polaritons probed by cathodoluminescence
The surface plasmon polariton (SPP) field intensity in the vicinity of gratings patterned in an otherwise planar gold surface is spatially resolved using cathodoluminescence (CL). A detailed theoretical analysis is presented that successfully explains the measured CL signal based upon interference of transition radiation directly generated by electron impact and SPPs launched by the electron and outcoupled by the grating. The measured spectral dependence of the SPP yield per incoming electron is in excellent agreement with rigorous electromagnetic calculations. The CL emission is shown to be similar to that of a dipole oriented perpendicular to the surface and situated at the point of electron impact, which allows us to establish a solid connection between the CL signal and the photonic local density of states associated to the SPPs
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