Search

The photon spin is an important resource for quantum information processing as is the electron spin in spintronics. However, for subwavelength confined optical excitations, polarization as a global property of a mode cannot be defined. Here, we show that any polarization state of a plane-wave photon can reversibly be mapped to a pseudospin embodied by the two fundamental modes of a subwavelength plasmonic two-wire transmission line. We design a device in which this pseudospin evolves in a well-defined fashion throughout the device reminiscent of the evolution of photon polarization in a birefringent medium and the behavior of electron spins in the channel of a spin field-effect transistor. The significance of this pseudospin is enriched by the fact that it is subject to spin-orbit locking. Combined with optically active materials to exert external control over the pseudospin precession, our findings could enable spin-optical transistors, that is, the routing and processing of quantum information with light on a subwavelength scale.

The optimization of nonlinear optical processes at the nanoscale is a crucial step for the development of nanoscale photon sources for quantum-optical networks. The development of innovative plasmonic nanoantenna designs and hybrid nanostructures to enhance optical nonlinearities in very small volumes represents one of the most promising routes. In such systems, the upconversion of photons can be achieved with high efficiencies via third-order processes, such as third harmonic generation (THG), thanks to the resonantly-enhanced volume currents. Conversely, second-order processes, such as second harmonic generation (SHG), are often inhibited by the symmetry of metal lattices and of common nanoantenna geometries. SHG and THG processes in plasmonic nanostructures are generally treated independently, since they both represent a small perturbation in the light-matter interaction mechanisms. In this work, we demonstrate that this paradigm does not hold in general, by providing evidence of a cascaded process in THG, which is fueled by SHG and sizably contributes to the overall yield. We address this mechanism by unveiling an anomalous fingerprint in the polarization state of the nonlinear emission from non-centrosymmetric gold nanoantennas and point out that such cascaded processes may also appear for structures that exhibit only moderate SHG yields - signifying its general relevance in plasmon-enhanced nonlinear optics. The presence of this peculiar mechanism in THG from plasmonic nanoantennas at telecommunication wavelengths allows gaining further insight on the physics of plasmon-enhanced nonlinear optical processes. This could be crucial in the realization of nanoscale elements for photon conversion and manipulation operating at room-temperature., 25 pages, 4 figures

Coupling mechanical degrees of freedom with plasmonic resonances has potential applications in optomechanics, sensing, and active plasmonics. Here we demonstrate a suspended two-wire plasmonic nano-antenna acting like a nano-electrometer. The antenna wires are supported and electrically connected via thin leads without disturbing the antenna resonance. As a voltage is applied, equal charges are induced on both antenna wires. The resulting equilibrium between the repulsive Coulomb force and the restoring elastic bending force enables us to precisely control the gap size. As a result the resonance wavelength and the field enhancement of the suspended optical nano-antenna (SONA) can be reversibly tuned. Our experiments highlight the potential to realize large bandwidth optical nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS).

Electrically connected resonant optical antennas hold promise for the realization of highly efficient nanoscale electro-plasmonic devices that rely on a combination of electric fields and local near-field intensity enhancement. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of such a concept by attaching leads to the arms of a two-wire antenna at positions of minimal near-field intensity with negligible influence on the antenna resonance. White-light scattering experiments in accordance with simulations show that the optical tunability of connected antennas is fully retained. Analysis of the electric properties demonstrates that in the antenna gaps direct current (DC) electric fields of 10(8) V/m can consistently be achieved and maintained over extended periods of time without noticeable damage.

In the presence of matter, there is no fundamental limit preventing confinement of visible light even down to atomic scales. Achieving such confinement and the corresponding resonant intensity enhancement inevitably requires simultaneous control over atomic-scale details of material structures and over the optical modes that such structures support. By means of self-assembly we have obtained side-by-side aligned gold nanorod dimers with robust atomically defined gaps reaching below 0.5 nm. The existence of atomically confined light fields in these gaps is demonstrated by observing extreme Coulomb splitting of corresponding symmetric and antisymmetric dimer eigenmodes of more than 800 meV in white-light scattering experiments. Our results open new perspectives for atomically resolved spectroscopic imaging, deeply nonlinear optics, ultrasensing, cavity optomechanics, as well as for the realization of novel quantum-optical devices.