We propose and investigate,both experimentally and theoretically,a novel mechanism for switching and modulating plasmonic signals based on a Fano interference process,which arises from the coupling between a narrow-ba...We propose and investigate,both experimentally and theoretically,a novel mechanism for switching and modulating plasmonic signals based on a Fano interference process,which arises from the coupling between a narrow-band optical Fabry–Pérot cavity and a surface plasmon polariton(SPP)source.The SPP wave emitted from the cavity is actively modulated in the vicinity of the cavity resonances by altering the cavity Q-factor and/or resonant frequencies.We experimentally demonstrate dynamic SPP modulation both by mechanical control of the cavity length and all-optically by harnessing the ultrafast nonlinearity of the Au mirrors that form the cavity.An electro-optical modulation scheme is also proposed and numerically illustrated.Dynamic operation of the switch via mechanical means yields a modulation in the SPP coupling efficiency of~80%,while the all-optical control provides an ultrafast modulation with an efficiency of 30%at a rate of~0.6 THz.The experimental observations are supported by both analytical and numerical calculations of the mechanical,all-optical and electro-optical modulation methods.展开更多
基金supported,in part,by EPSRC(UK)support from the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundationsupport from the EC FP7 project 304179(Marie Curie Actions)。
文摘We propose and investigate,both experimentally and theoretically,a novel mechanism for switching and modulating plasmonic signals based on a Fano interference process,which arises from the coupling between a narrow-band optical Fabry–Pérot cavity and a surface plasmon polariton(SPP)source.The SPP wave emitted from the cavity is actively modulated in the vicinity of the cavity resonances by altering the cavity Q-factor and/or resonant frequencies.We experimentally demonstrate dynamic SPP modulation both by mechanical control of the cavity length and all-optically by harnessing the ultrafast nonlinearity of the Au mirrors that form the cavity.An electro-optical modulation scheme is also proposed and numerically illustrated.Dynamic operation of the switch via mechanical means yields a modulation in the SPP coupling efficiency of~80%,while the all-optical control provides an ultrafast modulation with an efficiency of 30%at a rate of~0.6 THz.The experimental observations are supported by both analytical and numerical calculations of the mechanical,all-optical and electro-optical modulation methods.
