Electric current induced unidirectional propagation of surface plasmon-polaritons

Nonreciprocity and one-way propagation of optical signals is crucial for modern nanophotonic technology, and is typically achieved using magneto-optical effects requiring large magnetic biases. Here we suggest a fundamentally novel approach to achieve unidirectional propagation of surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) at metal-dielectric interfaces. We employ a direct electric current in metals, which produces a Doppler frequency shift of SPPs due to the uniform drift of electrons. This tilts the SPP dispersion, enabling one-way propagation, as well as zero and negative group velocities. The results are demonstrated for planar interfaces and cylindrical nanowire waveguides.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Opt. Let

Effective shell model Hamiltonians from density functional theory: quadrupolar and pairing correlations

We describe a procedure for mapping a self-consistent mean-field theory (also known as density functional theory) into a shell model Hamiltonian that includes quadrupole-quadrupole and monopole pairing interactions in a truncated space. We test our method in the deformed N=Z sd-shell nuclei Ne-20, Mg-24 and Ar-36, starting from the Hartree-Fock plus BCS approximation of the USD shell model interaction. A similar procedure is then followed using the SLy4 Skyrme energy density functional in the particle-hole channel plus a zero-range density-dependent force in the pairing channel. Using the ground-state solution of this density functional theory at the Hartree-Fock plus BCS level, an effective shell model Hamiltonian is constructed. We use this mapped Hamiltonian to extract quadrupolar and pairing correlation energies beyond the mean field approximation. The rescaling of the mass quadrupole operator in the truncated shell model space is found to be almost independent of the coupling strength used in the pairing channel of the underlying mean-field theory.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Structure of krypton isotopes within the interacting boson model derived from the Gogny energy density functional

The evolution and coexistence of the nuclear shapes as well as the corresponding low-lying collective states and electromagnetic transition rates are investigated along the Krypton isotopic chain within the framework of the interacting boson model (IBM). The IBM Hamiltonian is determined through mean-field calculations based on the several parametrizations of the Gogny energy density functional and the relativistic mean-field Lagrangian. The mean-field energy surfaces, as functions of the axial $\beta$ and triaxial $\gamma$ quadrupole deformations, are mapped onto the expectation value of the interacting-boson Hamiltonian that explicitly includes the particle-hole excitations. The resulting boson Hamiltonian is then used to compute low-energy excitation spectra as well as E2 and E0 transition probabilities for $^{70-100}$Kr. Our results point to a number of examples of the prolate-oblate shape transitions and coexistence both on the neutron-deficient and neutron-rich sides. A reasonable agreement with the available experimental data is obtained for the considered nuclear properties.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 2 table

Angular momenta, helicity, and other properties of dielectric-fiber and metallic-wire modes

Spin and orbital angular momenta (AM) of light are well studied for free-space electromagnetic fields, even nonparaxial. One of the important applications of these concepts is the information transfer using AM modes, often via optical fibers and other guiding systems. However, the self-consistent description of the spin and orbital AM of light in optical media (including dispersive and metallic cases) was provided only recently [K.Y. Bliokh et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 073901 (2017)]. Here we present the first accurate calculations, both analytical and numerical, of the spin and orbital AM, as well as the helicity and other properties, for the full-vector eigenmodes of cylindrical dielectric and metallic (nanowire) waveguides. We find remarkable fundamental relations, such as the quantization of the canonical total AM of cylindrical guided modes in the general nonparaxial case. This quantization, as well as the noninteger values of the spin and orbital AM, are determined by the generalized geometric and dynamical phases in the mode fields. Moreover, we show that the spin AM of metallic-wire modes is determined, in the geometrical-optics approximation, by the transverse spin of surface plasmon-polaritons propagating along helical trajectories on the wire surface. Our work provides a solid platform for future studies and applications of the AM and helicity properties of guided optical and plasmonic waves.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Optic