132 research outputs found
Mid-infrared plasmons in scaled graphene nanostructures
Plasmonics takes advantage of the collective response of electrons to
electromagnetic waves, enabling dramatic scaling of optical devices beyond the
diffraction limit. Here, we demonstrate the mid-infrared (4 to 15 microns)
plasmons in deeply scaled graphene nanostructures down to 50 nm, more than 100
times smaller than the on-resonance light wavelength in free space. We reveal,
for the first time, the crucial damping channels of graphene plasmons via its
intrinsic optical phonons and scattering from the edges. A plasmon lifetime of
20 femto-seconds and smaller is observed, when damping through the emission of
an optical phonon is allowed. Furthermore, the surface polar phonons in SiO2
substrate underneath the graphene nanostructures lead to a significantly
modified plasmon dispersion and damping, in contrast to a non-polar
diamond-like-carbon (DLC) substrate. Much reduced damping is realized when the
plasmon resonance frequencies are close to the polar phonon frequencies. Our
study paves the way for applications of graphene in plasmonic waveguides,
modulators and detectors in an unprecedentedly broad wavelength range from
sub-terahertz to mid-infrared.Comment: submitte
Tunable hybrid surface waves supported by a graphene layer
We study surface waves localized near a surface of a semi-infinite dielectric
medium covered by a layer of graphene in the presence of a strong external
magnetic field. We demonstrate that both TE-TM hybrid surface plasmons can
propagate along the graphene surface. We analyze the effect of the Hall
conductivity on the disper- sion of hybrid surface waves and suggest a
possibility to tune the plasmon dispersion by the magnetic field.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Intrinsic Terahertz Plasmons and Magnetoplasmons in Large Scale Monolayer Graphene
We show that in graphene epitaxially grown on SiC the Drude absorption is
transformed into a strong terahertz plasmonic peak due to natural nanoscale
inhomogeneities, such as substrate terraces and wrinkles. The excitation of the
plasmon modifies dramatically the magneto-optical response and in particular
the Faraday rotation. This makes graphene a unique playground for
plasmon-controlled magneto-optical phenomena thanks to a cyclotron mass 2
orders of magnitude smaller than in conventional plasmonic materials such as
noble metals.Comment: to appear in Nano Letter
Plasmon-phonon coupling in large-area graphene dot and antidot arrays
Nanostructured graphene on SiO2 substrates pave the way for enhanced
light-matter interactions and explorations of strong plasmon-phonon
hybridization in the mid-infrared regime. Unprecedented large-area graphene
nanodot and antidot optical arrays are fabricated by nanosphere lithography,
with structural control down to the sub-100 nanometer regime. The interaction
between graphene plasmon modes and the substrate phonons is experimentally
demonstrated and structural control is used to map out the hybridization of
plasmons and phonons, showing coupling energies of the order 20 meV. Our
findings are further supported by theoretical calculations and numerical
simulations.Comment: 7 pages including 6 figures. Supporting information is available upon
request to author
Real-space mapping of tailored sheet and edge plasmons in graphene nanoresonators
Plasmons in graphene nanoresonators have many potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics, including room-temperature infrared and terahertz photodetectors, sensors, reflect arrays or modulators1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The development of efficient devices will critically depend on precise knowledge and control of the plasmonic modes. Here, we use near-field microscopy8, 9, 10, 11 between λ0 = 10–12 μm to excite and image plasmons in tailored disk and rectangular graphene nanoresonators, and observe a rich variety of coexisting Fabry–Perot modes. Disentangling them by a theoretical analysis allows the identification of sheet and edge plasmons, the latter exhibiting mode volumes as small as 10−8λ03. By measuring the dispersion of the edge plasmons we corroborate their superior confinement compared with sheet plasmons, which among others could be applied for efficient 1D coupling of quantum emitters12. Our understanding of graphene plasmon images is a key to unprecedented in-depth analysis and verification of plasmonic functionalities in future flatland technologies.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Infrared nanoscopy of Dirac plasmons at the graphene-SiO2 interface
We report on infrared (IR) nanoscopy of 2D plasmon excitations of Dirac
fermions in graphene. This is achieved by confining mid-IR radiation at the
apex of a nanoscale tip: an approach yielding two orders of magnitude increase
in the value of in-plane component of incident wavevector q compared to free
space propagation. At these high wavevectors, the Dirac plasmon is found to
dramatically enhance the near-field interaction with mid-IR surface phonons of
SiO2 substrate. Our data augmented by detailed modeling establish graphene as a
new medium supporting plasmonic effects that can be controlled by gate voltage.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Resonant Visible Light Modulation with Graphene
Fast modulation and switching of light at visible and near-infrared (vis-NIR)
frequencies is of utmost importance for optical signal processing and sensing
technologies. No fundamental limit appears to prevent us from designing
wavelength-sized devices capable of controlling the light phase and intensity
at gigaherts (and even terahertz) speeds in those spectral ranges. However,
this problem remains largely unsolved, despite recent advances in the use of
quantum wells and phase-change materials for that purpose. Here, we explore an
alternative solution based upon the remarkable electro-optical properties of
graphene. In particular, we predict unity-order changes in the transmission and
absorption of vis-NIR light produced upon electrical doping of graphene sheets
coupled to realistically engineered optical cavities. The light intensity is
enhanced at the graphene plane, and so is its absorption, which can be switched
and modulated via Pauli blocking through varying the level of doping.
Specifically, we explore dielectric planar cavities operating under either
tunneling or Fabry-Perot resonant transmission conditions, as well as Mie modes
in silicon nanospheres and lattice resonances in metal particle arrays. Our
simulations reveal absolute variations in transmission exceeding 90% as well as
an extinction ratio >15 dB with small insertion losses using feasible material
parameters, thus supporting the application of graphene in fast electro-optics
at vis-NIR frequencies.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, 54 reference
Graphene plasmonics: A platform for strong light-matter interaction
Graphene plasmons provide a suitable alternative to noble-metal plasmons
because they exhibit much larger confinement and relatively long propagation
distances, with the advantage of being highly tunable via electrostatic gating.
We report strong light- matter interaction assisted by graphene plasmons, and
in particular, we predict unprecedented high decay rates of quantum emitters in
the proximity of a carbon sheet, large vacuum Rabi splitting and Purcell
factors, and extinction cross sections exceeding the geometrical area in
graphene ribbons and nanometer-sized disks. Our results provide the basis for
the emerging and potentially far-reaching field of graphene plasmonics,
offering an ideal platform for cavity quantum electrodynamics and supporting
the possibility of single-molecule, single-plasmon devices.Comment: 39 pages, 15 figure
Graphene plasmonics
Two rich and vibrant fields of investigation, graphene physics and
plasmonics, strongly overlap. Not only does graphene possess intrinsic plasmons
that are tunable and adjustable, but a combination of graphene with noble-metal
nanostructures promises a variety of exciting applications for conventional
plasmonics. The versatility of graphene means that graphene-based plasmonics
may enable the manufacture of novel optical devices working in different
frequency ranges, from terahertz to the visible, with extremely high speed, low
driving voltage, low power consumption and compact sizes. Here we review the
field emerging at the intersection of graphene physics and plasmonics.Comment: Review article; 12 pages, 6 figures, 99 references (final version
available only at publisher's web site
Quantum surface-response of metals revealed by acoustic graphene plasmons
A quantitative understanding of the electromagnetic response of materials is essential for the precise engineering of maximal, versatile, and controllable light-matter interactions. Material surfaces, in particular, are prominent platforms for enhancing electromagnetic interactions and for tailoring chemical processes. However, at the deep nanoscale, the electromagnetic response of electron systems is significantly impacted by quantum surface-response at material interfaces, which is challenging to probe using standard optical techniques. Here, we show how ultraconfined acoustic graphene plasmons in graphene-dielectric-metal structures can be used to probe the quantum surface-response functions of nearby metals, here encoded through the so-called Feibelman d-parameters. Based on our theoretical formalism, we introduce a concrete proposal for experimentally inferring the low-frequency quantum response of metals from quantum shifts of the acoustic graphene plasmons dispersion, and demonstrate that the high field confinement of acoustic graphene plasmons can resolve intrinsically quantum mechanical electronic length-scales with subnanometer resolution. Our findings reveal a promising scheme to probe the quantum response of metals, and further suggest the utilization of acoustic graphene plasmons as plasmon rulers with angstrom-scale accuracy. Knowledge of the quantum response of materials is essential for designing light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. Here, the authors report a theory for understanding the impact of metallic quantum response on acoustic graphene plasmons and how such response could be inferred from measurements.N.A.M. is a VILLUM Investigator supported by VILLUM FONDEN (Grant No. 16498) and Independent Research Fund Denmark (Grant No. 7026-00117B). The Center for Nano Optics is financially supported by the University of Southern Denmark (SDU 2020 funding). The Center for Nanostructured Graphene (CNG) is sponsored by the Danish National Research Foundation (Project No. DNRF103). This work was partly supported by the Army Research Office through the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies under Contract No. W911NF-18-2-0048. N.M.R.P. acknowledges support from the European Commission through the project "Graphene-Driven Revolutions in ICT and Beyond" (No. 881603, Core 3), COMPETE 2020, PORTUGAL 2020, FEDER and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through project POCI-01-0145-FEDER028114 and through the framework of the Strategic Financing UID/FIS/04650/2019. F.H. L.K. acknowledges financial support from the Government of Catalonia through the SGR grant and from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV-20150522), support by Fundacio Cellex Barcelona, Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA program, and the MINECO grants Plan Nacional (FIS2016-81044-P) and the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) 2017 SGR 1656. Furthermore, the research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 program under the Graphene Flagship Grant Agreements No. 785219 (Core 2) and no. 881603 (Core 3), and the Quantum Flagship Grant No. 820378. This work was also supported by the ERC TOPONANOP (Grant No. 726001)
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