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Full-Text Articles in Physics
Practicality Of Compensating The Loss In The Plasmonic Waveguides Using Semiconductor Gain Medium, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
Practicality Of Compensating The Loss In The Plasmonic Waveguides Using Semiconductor Gain Medium, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
Physics Faculty Publications
We consider the issue of compensating the loss in plasmonic waveguides with semiconductor gain material and show that, independent of specific geometry, full loss compensation in plasmonic waveguides with significantly sub-wavelength light confinement (less than λ/4n) requires current density well in excess of 100 kA/cm2. This high current density is attributed to the unavoidable shortening of recombination time caused by the Purcell effect inherent to sub-wavelength confinement. Consequently, an injection-pumped plasmonic laser that is truly sub-wavelength in all three dimensions (“spaser”) would have threshold current densities that are hard to obtain in any conceivable semiconductor device.
Scaling Of Losses With Size And Wavelength In Nanoplasmonics And Metamaterials, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
Scaling Of Losses With Size And Wavelength In Nanoplasmonics And Metamaterials, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
Physics Faculty Publications
We show that, for the resonant metal-dielectric structures with sub-wavelength confinement of light in all three dimensions, the loss cannot be reduced considerably below the loss of the metal itself unless one operates in the far IR and THz regions of the spectrum or below. Such high losses cannot be compensated by introducing gain due to Purcell-induced shortening of recombination times. The only way low loss optical meta-materials can be engineered is with, as yet unknown, low loss materials with negative permittivity.
In Search Of The Elusive Lossless Metal, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
In Search Of The Elusive Lossless Metal, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
Physics Faculty Publications
We show that when one looks beyond the Drude model of metal conductivity, the metals that may be extremely lossy for low frequency electromagnetic waves can become perfectly lossless in the mid-IR region or higher, while retaining the essential metallic characteristic of negative permittivity even at those frequencies. We identify that the transition to the lossless regime occurs when the interatomic distances in the lattice exceed certain values, typically a factor of two larger than those occurring in nature. We believe that advances in nanoassembly may render lossless metals feasible with revolutionary implications for the fields of plasmonics and metamaterials.
Impact Of Disorder On Surface Plasmons In Two-Dimensional Arrays Of Metal Nanoparticles, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
Impact Of Disorder On Surface Plasmons In Two-Dimensional Arrays Of Metal Nanoparticles, Jacob B. Khurgin, Greg Sun
Physics Faculty Publications
We study the impact of disorder on the properties of surface plasmons (SP) in metal nanoparticle arrays and develop analytical expressions enabling us to ascertain the degree of localization and mixing between the SP states. We show that it might be advantageous to intentionally introduce a certain degree of disorder in order to engineer the improved sensors and detectors.