On surface plasmon polariton wavepacket dynamics in metal-dielectric heterostructures

The WKB equations for dynamics of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) wavepacket are studied. The dispersion law for the SPP in the metal-dielectric heterostructure with varying thickness of a perforated dielectric layer is rigorously calculated and investigated using the scattering matrix method. Two channels of the SPP wavepacket optical losses related to the absorption in a metal and to the SPP leakage are analyzed. It is shown that change of the dielectric layer thickness acts on the SPP as an external force leading to evolution of its quasimomentum and to the wavepacket reversal or even to the optical Bloch oscillations (BO). Properties of these phenomena are investigated and discussed. Typical values of the BO amplitude are about tens of microns and the period is around tens or hundreds of femtoseconds.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Tunable Integrated-Optics Nanoscaled Devices Based on Magnetic Photonic Crystals

Magnetooptical properties of magnetic photonic crystals have been investigated in the view of their possible applications for the modern integrated-optics devices. A "transfer matrices" formalism was expanded for the case of oblique light incidence on the periodic nanoscaled magnetic multilayered systems. Several new effects such as the Faraday effect dependence on the incidence angle and the tunability of the bandgap defect modes spectral location by external magnetic fields were found. Several possibilities of one-dimensional magnetic photonic crystals applications for the optical devices are discussed. Initial steps towards the practical implementation of the proposed devices are reported.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions (http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions

Inverse Transverse Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect

It is demonstrated that a static in-plane magnetic field is generated in a ferromagnetic film by p-polarised light obliquely incident on the film. This phenomenon can be called inverse transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect. The femtosecond laser pulse of peak intensity of 500 W/{\mu}m2 generates in nickel an effective magnetic field of about 100 Oe. The value of the effective magnetic field can be increased by more than an order of magnitude at the surface plasmon polariton resonance excited in smooth metal dielectric structures or in plasmonic crystals.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Plasmonic crystals for ultrafast nanophotonics: Optical switching of surface plasmon polaritons

We demonstrate that the dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons in a periodically perforated gold film can be efficiently manipulated by femtosecond laser pulses with the wavelengths far from the intrinsic resonances of gold. Using a time- and frequency- resolved pump-probe technique we observe shifting of the plasmon polariton resonances with response times from 200 to 800 fs depending on the probe photon energy, through which we obtain comprehensive insight into the electron dynamics in gold. We show that Wood anomalies in the optical spectra provide pronounced resonances in differential transmission and reflection with magnitudes up to 3% for moderate pump fluences of 0.5 mJ/cm^2.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure