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Nonlinear Plasmon-Photon Interaction Resolved by k-Space Spectroscopy

Nicolai B. Grosse, Jan Heckmann, and Ulrike Woggon
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 136802 – Published 26 March 2012
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Abstract

Metallic nanostructures support extreme localization and enhancement of optical fields via surface-plasmon (SP) resonances. Although SP are associated with giant enhancements of nonlinear phenomena such as second-harmonic generation (SHG), the role of SP in the process, whether as a field-enhancing catalyst or as a quasiparticle converted in the interaction, has remained experimentally elusive. We demonstrate how k-space spectroscopy can distinguish between the plasmonic and photonic SHG processes that occur in a metal nanofilm when it is optically driven via the Kretschmann geometry. The results revealed a nonlinear interaction where two SP annihilate to create a second-harmonic photon. This knowledge has implications for realizing the inverse process, plasmonic parametric down-conversion, which could act as a coherent source of entangled SP pairs.

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  • Received 20 December 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.136802

© 2012 American Physical Society

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Published 26 March 2012

Collective electron excitations in metals, called plasmons, can play an important role in second-harmonic generation of light.

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Authors & Affiliations

Nicolai B. Grosse, Jan Heckmann, and Ulrike Woggon

  • Institut für Optik und Atomare Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 108, Iss. 13 — 30 March 2012

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