A Floquet engineering approach to optimize Schottky junction-based surface plasmonic waveguides

Abstract

The ability to finely control the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes of plasmonic waveguides unveils many potential applications in nanophotonics. This work presents a comprehensive theoretical framework for predicting the propagation characteristics of SPP modes at a Schottky junction exposed to a dressing electromagnetic field. Applying the general linear response theory towards a periodically driven many-body quantum system, we obtain an explicit expression for the dielectric function of the dressed metal. Our study demonstrates that the dressing field can be used to alter and fine-tune the electron damping factor. By doing so, the SPP propagation length could be controlled and enhanced by appropriately selecting the intensity, frequency and polarization type of the external dressing field. Consequently, the developed theory reveals an unexplored mechanism for enhancing the SPP propagation length without altering other SPP characteristics. The proposed improvements are compatible with existing SPP-based waveguiding technologies and could lead to breakthroughs in the design and fabrication of state-of-the-art nanoscale integrated circuits and devices in the near future.

Investigating the impact of polarization on surface plasmon polariton characteristics in plasmonic waveguides under periodic driving fields

“…By appropriately choosing the drive frequency, amplitude, and polarization, periodic driving can be used to change the topological features of electronic system's quantum states, which govern the evolution of electrons in both space and time [57]. This opens up the possibility of altering the physical properties of quantum many-body systems, including two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, as well as threedimensional (3D) topological insulators and thin metal films [58][59][60]. In these novel non-equilibrium quantum phenomena, the matter and light are considered as constituent elements of a composite quantum system known as a dressed system.…”