Large tunable photonic band gaps in nanostructured doped semiconductors

A plasmonic nanostructure conceived with periodic layers of a doped semiconductor and passive semiconductor is shown to generate spontaneously surface plasmon polaritons thanks to its periodic nature. The nanostructure is demonstrated to behave as an effective material modeled by a simple dielectric function of ionic-crystal type, and possesses a fully tunable photonic band gap, with widths exceeding 50%, in the region extending from mid-infra-red to Tera-Hertz.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, publishe

The onset of tree-like patterns in negative streamers

We present the first analytical and numerical studies of the initial stage of the branching process based on an interface dynamics streamer model in the fully 3-D case. This model follows from fundamental considerations on charge production by impact ionization and balance laws, and leads to an equation for the evolution of the interface between ionized and non-ionized regions. We compare some experimental patterns with the numerically simulated ones, and give an explicit expression for the growth rate of harmonic modes associated with the perturbation of a symmetrically expanding discharge. By means of full numerical simulation, the splitting and formation of characteristic tree-like patterns of electric discharges is observed and described

Surface Josephson plasma waves in layered superconductors

We predict the existence of surface waves in layered superconductors in the THz frequency range, below the Josephson plasma frequency $\omega_J$. This wave propagates along the vacuum-superconductor interface and dampens in both transverse directions out of the surface (i.e., towards the superconductor and towards the vacuum). This is the first prediction of propagating surface waves in any superconductor. These predicted surface Josephson plasma waves are important for different phenomena, including the complete suppression of the specular reflection from a sample (Wood's anomalies) and a huge enhancement of the wave absorption (which can be used as a THz detector).Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Perfect coupling of light to surface plasmons with ultra-narrow linewidths

We examine the coupling of electromagnetic waves incident normal to a thin silver film that forms an oscillatory grating embedded between two otherwise uniform, semi-infinite half spaces. Two grating structures are considered, in one of which the mid point of the Ag film remains fixed whereas the thickness varies sinusoidally, while in the other the mid point oscillates sinusoidally whereas the film thicknesses remains fixed. On reducing the light wavelength from the long wavelength limit, we encounter signatures in the transmission, T, and reflection, R, coefficients associated with: i) the short-range surface plasmon mode, ii) the long-range surface plasmon mode, and iii) electromagnetic diffraction tangent to the grating. The first two features can be regarded as generalized (plasmon) Wood's anomalies whereas the third is the first-order conventional (electromagnetic) Wood's anomaly. The energy density at the film surface is enhanced for wavelengths corresponding to these three anomalies, particularly for the long range plasmon mode in thin films. When exciting the silver film with a pair of waves incident from opposite directions, we find that by adjusting the grating oscillation amplitude and fixing the relative phase of the incoming waves to be even or odd, T+R can be made to vanish for one or the other of the plasmon modes; this corresponds to perfect coupling (impedance matching in the language of electrical engineering) between the incoming light and these modes.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures. accepted J. Chem. Phy

Gain-assisted slow to superluminal group velocity manipulation in nano-waveguides

We study the energy propagation in subwavelength waveguides and demonstrate that the mechanism of material gain, previously suggested for loss compensation, is also a powerful tool to manipulate dispersion and propagation characteristics of electromagnetic pulses at the nanoscale. We show theoretically that the group velocity in lossy nano-waveguides can be controlled from slow to superluminal values by the material gain and waveguide geometry and develop an analytical description of the relevant physics. We utilize the developed formalism to show that gain-assisted dispersion management can be used to control the transition between ``photonic-funnel'' and ``photonic-compressor'' regimes in tapered nano-waveguides. The phenomenon of strong modulation of group velocity in subwavelength structures can be realized in waveguides with different geometries, and is present for both volume and surface-modes.Comment: Some changes in the abstract and Fig.1. No results affecte

Enhanced transmission of optically thick metallic films at infrared wavelengths

For an optically thick metallic film, the transmission for both s- and p-polarized waves is extremely low. If the metallic film is coated on both sides with a finite dielectric layer, light transmission for $p$-polarized waves can be enhanced considerably. This enhancement is not related to surface plasmon-polaritions. Instead, it is due to the interplay between Fabry-Perot interference in the coated dielectric layer and the existence of the Brewster angle at the dielectric/metallic interface. It is shown that the coated metallic films can act as excellent polarizers at infrared wavelengths.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Appl. Phys. Let

Theory of Optical Transmission through Elliptical Nanohole Arrays

We present a theory which explains (in the quasistatic limit) the experimentally observed [R. Gordon, {\it et al}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 92}, 037401 (2004)] squared dependence of the depolarization ratio on the aspect ratio of the holes, as well as other features of extraordinary light transition. We calculated the effective dielectric tensor of a metal film penetrated by elliptical cylindrical holes and found the extraordinarily light transmission at special frequencies related to the surface plasmon resonances of the composite film. We also propose to use the magnetic field for getting a strong polarization effect, which depends on the ratio of the cyclotron to plasmon frequencies.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Conversion of terahertz wave polarization at the boundary of a layered superconductor due to the resonance excitation of oblique surface waves

We predict a complete TM-TE transformation of the polarization of terahertz electromagnetic waves reflected from a strongly anisotropic boundary of a layered superconductor. We consider the case when the wave is incident on the superconductor from a dielectric prism separated from the sample by a thin vacuum gap. The physical origin of the predicted phenomenon is similar to the Wood anomalies known in optics, and is related to the resonance excitation of the oblique surface waves. We also discuss the dispersion relation for these waves, propagating along the boundary of the superconductor at some angle with respect to the anisotropy axis, as well as their excitation by the attenuated-total-reflection method.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Direct generation of charge carriers in c-Si solar cells due to embedded nanoparticles

It is known that silicon is an indirect band gap material, reducing its efficiency in photovoltaic applications. Using surface plasmons in metallic nanoparticles embedded in a solar cell has recently been proposed as a way to increase the efficiency of thin film silicon solar cells. The dipole mode that dominates the plasmons in small particles produces an electric field having Fourier components with all wave numbers. In this work, we show that such a field creates electron-hole-pairs without phonon assistance, and discuss the importance of this effect compared to radiation from the particle and losses due to heating.Comment: 1 figur

Generalized scattering-matrix approach for magneto-optics in periodically patterned multilayer systems

We present here a generalization of the scattering-matrix approach for the description of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in nanostructured magneto-optical systems. Our formalism allows us to describe all the key magneto-optical effects in any configuration in periodically patterned multilayer structures. The method can also be applied to describe periodic multilayer systems comprising materials with any type of optical anisotropy. We illustrate the method with the analysis of a recent experiment in which the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect was measured in a Fe film with a periodic array of subwavelength circular holes. We show, in agreement with the experiments, that the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in this system leads to a resonant enhancement of the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Physical Review