An externally perceivable smart leaky-wave antenna based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons

Smart antennas have received great attention for their potentials to enable communication and perception functions at the same time.However,realizing the function synthesis remains an open challenge,and most existing system solutions are limited to narrow operating bands and high complexity and cost.Here,we propose an externally perceivable leakywave antenna(LWA)based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons(SSPPs),which can realize adaptive real-time switching between the“radiating”and“non-radiating”states and beam tracking at different frequencies.With the assistance of computer vision,the smart SSPP-LWA is able to detect the external target user or jammer,and intelligently track the target by self-adjusting the operating frequency.The proposed scheme helps to reduce the power consumption through dynamically controlling the radiating state of the antenna,and improve spectrum utilization and avoid spectrum conflicts through intelligently deciding the radiating frequency.On the other hand,it is also helpful for the physical layer communication security through switching the antenna working state according to the presence of the target and target beam tracking in real time.In addition,the proposed smart antenna can be generalized to other metamaterial systems and could be a candidate for synaesthesia integration in future smart antenna systems.

Active control of surface plasmon polaritons with phase change materials

Active control of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs)is highly desired for nanophotonics.Here we employ a phase change material Ge_(2)Sb_(2)Te_(5)(GST)to actively manipulate the propagating direction of SPPs at the telecom wavelength.By utilizing the phase transition-induced refractive index change of GST,coupled with interference effects,a nanoantenna pair containing GST is designed to realize switchable one-way launching of SPPs.Devices based on the nanoantenna pairs are proposed to manipulate SPPs,including the direction tuning of SPP beams,switchable SPP focusing,and switchable cosine–Gauss SPP beam generating.Our design can be employed in compact optical circuits and photonics integration.

Propagation of surface magnetoplasmon polaritons in a symmetric waveguide with two-dimensional electron gas

The properties of surface magnetoplasmon polaritons(SMPPs)in a symmetric structure,composed of two semi-infinite regions of high-density two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)separated by a thin film in Voigt configuration,are investigated.The normal and absorption dispersion relations for the transverse magnetic polarization are derived by correlating Maxwell’s equation and the boundary conditions.It is demonstrated that the features of SMPPs are greatly influenced by the external magnetic field,collision frequency of 2DEG,the dielectric constant,and the thickness of the thin film,suggesting that the locations and propagation lengths of SMPPs can be governed accordingly.It is shown that the symmetry of the physical geometry preserves the symmetry of the dispersion relations of SMPPs.Furthermore,it is discovered that as the external magnetic field increases,the penetration depth of SMPPs decreases,while their energy loss reduces,implying that plasmons can propagate for longer distances.Additionally,it is observed that SMPPs in the symmetric configuration have a longer lifetime than those in the asymmetric configuration.

Coherent and tunable radiation with power enhancement from surface plasmon polaritons

Surface plasmon polaritons excited by an electron beam can be transformed into coherent and tunable light radiation waves with power enhancement in the simple structure of a metal film with a dielectric medium loading. In this paper, the process of the radiation transformation of this radiation, and the dependencies of the radiation characteristics on the parameters of the structure and the electron beam are studied in detail. The radiation power enhancement is greatly influenced by the beam energy and the film thickness in the infrared to ultraviolet frequency region. Up to 122 times radiation power enhancement and 6.5% radiation frequency tuning band can be obtained by optimizing the beam energy and the parameters of the film.

Electromagnetic interaction between local surface plasmon polaritons and an atmospheric surface wave plasma jet

We analyze the electromagnetic interaction between local surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） and an atmospheric surface wave plasma jet （ASWPJ） in combination with our designed discharge device. Before discharge, the excitation of the SPPs and the spatial distribution of the enhanced electric field are analyzed. During discharge, the critical breakdown electric field of the gases at atmospheric gas pressure and the surface wave of the SPPs converted into electron plasma waves at resonant points are studied. After discharge, the ionization development process of the ASWPJ is simulated using a two- dimensional fluid model. Our results suggest that the local enhanced electric field of SPPs is merely the precondition of gas breakdown, and the key mechanism in maintaining the discharge development of a low-power ASWPJ is the wave-mode conversion of the local enhanced electric field at the resonant point.

Long-range surface plasmon polaritons with subwavelength mode expansion in an asymmetrical system

Long-range surface plasmon polariton （LRSPP） modes in an asymmetrical system, in which the thin metal film is sandwiched between a semi-infinite substrate and a high permittivity polymer film with a finite thickness, are theoret~ ically calculated and analyzed. Due to the high permittivity of the polymer film, at proper polymer film thicknesses, the index-matching condition of the dielectrics at both sides of the metal can be satisfied for supporting LRSPP modes, and the electromagnetic field above the metal can be localized well. It is found that these LRSPP modes have both long propagation lengths and subwavelength mode expansion above the metal at the optimal polymer film thickncsses. Furthermore, the requirements on the refractive index and the thickness of the polymer film to support LRSPP modes at the optimal thicknesses are found to be not critical.

Two-color laser PEEM imaging of horizontal and vertical components of femtosecond surface plasmon polaritons

Explicit visualization of different components of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) propagating at dielectric/metal interfaces is crucial in offering chances for the detailed design and control of the functionalities of plasmonic nanodevices in the future. Here, we reported independent imaging of the vertical and horizontal components of SPPs launched from a rectangular trench in the gold film by a 400-nm laser-assisted near-infrared(NIR) femtosecond laser time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy(TR-PEEM). The experiments demonstrate that distinct imaging of different components of SPPs field can be easily achieved by introducing the 400-nm laser. It can circumvent the risk of sample damage and information loss of excited SPPs field that is generally confronted in the usual NIR laser TR-PEEM scheme. The underlying mechanism for realizing distinct imaging of different components of the SPPs field with two-color PEEM is revealed via measuring the double logarithmic dependence of photoemission yield with the 800-nm and 400-nm pulse powers of different polarizations. Moreover, it is found that the PEEM image quality of the vertical and horizontal components of the SPPs field is nearly independent of the 400-nm pulse polarization. These results pave a way for SPPs-based applications and offer a possible solution for drawing a space-time field of SPPs in three dimensions.

Mode evolution and nanofocusing of grating-coupled surface plasmon polaritons on metallic tip

We present a detailed analysis on mode evolution of gratingcoupled surface plasmonic polaritons （SPPs） on a conical metal tip based on the guidedwave theory. The eigenvalue equations for SPPs modes are discussed, revealing that cylindrical metal waveguides only support TM01 and HEm1 surface modes. During propagation on the metal tip, the gratingcoupled SPPs are converted to HE31, HE21, HE11 and TM01 successively, and these modes are sequentially cut off except TM01. The TM01 mode further propagates with drastically increasing effective mode index and is converted to localized surface plasmons （LSPs） at the tip apex, which is responsible for plasmonic nanofocusing. The gapmode plasmons can be excited with the focusing TM01 mode by approaching a metal substrate to the tip apex, resulting in further enhanced electric field and reduced size of the plasmonic focus.

Pulsed microwave-driven argon plasma jet with distinctive plume patterns resonantly excited by surface plasmon polaritons

Atmospheric lower-power pulsed microwave argon cold plasma jets are obtained by using coaxial transmission line resonators in ambient air.The plasma jet plumes are generated at the end of a metal wire placed in the middle of the dielectric tubes.The electromagnetic model analyses and simulation results suggest that the discharges are excited resonantly by the enhanced electric field of surface plasmon polaritons.Moreover,for conquering the defect of atmospheric argon filamentation discharges excited by 2.45-GHz of continued microwave,the distinctive patterns of the plasma jet plumes can be maintained by applying different gas flow rates of argon gas,frequencies of pulsed modulator,duty cycles of pulsed microwave,peak values of input microwave power,and even by using different materials of dielectric tubes.In addition,the emission spectrum,the plume temperature,and other plasma parameters are measured,which shows that the proposed pulsed microwave plasma jets can be adjusted for plasma biomedical applications.

Character Diagnosis for Surface-Wave Plasmas Excited by Surface Plasmon Polaritons

The plasma parameters of planar-type surface-wave plasmas （SWPs） are diagnosed based on the resonant excitation of surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs）. The plasma parameter distributions are obtained by changing the discharge conditions of gas pressure and incident power. The measured experimental results show that the plasma near the heating layer is excited by surface waves of SPPs while the plasma located downstream originates from diffusion Moreover, the influence of high-frequency oscillations plays a significant role in producing the proposed SWPs with bi-Maxwellian electron energy distributions.

Investigation on Surface Plasmon Polaritons and Localized Surface Plasmon Production Mechanism in Micro-Nano Structures

The simulation mechanism of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs)and localized surface plasmon(LSP)in different structures was studied,including the Au reflection grating(Au grating),Au substrate with dielectric ribbons grating(Au substrate grating),and pure electric conductor(PEC)substrate with Au ribbons grating(Au ribbons grating).And the characteristics of the Smith-Purcell radiation in these structures were presented.Simulation results show that SPPs are excited on the bottom surface of Au substrate grating grooves and LSP is stimulated on the upper surface both of Au ribbons grating grooves and Au grating grooves.Owing to the irreconcilable contradiction between optimizing the grating diffraction radiation efficiency and optimizing the SPPs excitation efficiency in the Au substrate grating,only 40-times enhancement of the radiation intensity was obtained by excited SPPs.However,the LSP enhanced structure overcomes the above problem and gains much better radiation enhancement ability,with about 200-times enhancement obtained in the Au ribbons grating and more than 500-times enhancement obtained in the Au grating.The results presented here provide a way of developing miniature,integratable,tunable,high-power-density radiation sources from visible light to ultraviolet rays at room temperature.

Mode splitting and multiple-wavelength managements of surface plasmon polaritons in coupled cavities

Resonance cavity is a basic element in optics,which has wide applications in optical devices.Coupled cavities(CCs)designed in metal-insulator-metal(MIM)bus waveguide are investigated through the finite difference time domain method and coupled-mode theory.In the CCs,the resonant modes of the surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs)split with the thickness decreasing of the middle baffle.Through the coupled-mode theory analysis,it is found that the phase differences introduced in opposite and positive couplings between two cavities lead to mode splitting.The resonant wavelength of positive coupling mode can be tuned in a large range(about 644 nm)through adjusting the coupling strength,which is quite different from the classical adjustment of the optical path in a single cavity.Based on the resonances of the CCs in the MIM waveguide,more compact devices can be designed to manipulate SPPs propagation.A device is designed to realize flexible multiple-wavelength SPPs routing.The coupling in CC structures can be applied to the design of easy-integrated laser cavities,filters,multiple-wavelength management devices in SPPs circuits,nanosensors,etc.

Spoof surface plasmon polaritons excited leaky-wave antenna with continuous scanning range from endfire to forward

A novel leaky-wave antenna(LWA)utilizing spoof surface plasmon polaritons(SSPPs)excitation is proposed with continuous scanning range from endfire to forward.The designed transmission line unit supports two SSPPS modes,of which the 2nd order mode is applied in the design.A novel strategy has been devised to excite the spatial radiation of the-1st order harmonics by arranging periodic counter changed sinusoidal structures on both sides of the SSPPs transmission line.Both full-wave simulation and measurement results show that the proposed LWA presents wide scanning angle from endfire to forward.In the frequency range from 4 GHz to 10 GHz,LWAs achieve scanning from 90°to+20°,covering the entire backward quadrant continuously.

Numerical investigation of the enhanced unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons generator

A unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) generator with greatly enhanced generation efficiency is proposed. The SPPs generator consists of an asymmetric single nanoslit coated with a polyviny alcohol(PVA) film and a silver rectangle block. The generation efficiency of this SPPs generator is investigated using the finite difference time domain method. Due to the presence of the silver rectangle block, the SPPs generation efficiency of the asymmetric single nanoslit with PVA film can be greatly enhanced and the corresponding wavelength with the maximum enhancement factor can be tuned flexibly. The influence of the structural parameters on the generation efficiency is also investigated for the enhanced unidirectional SPPs generator.

Cherenkov terahertz radiation from Dirac semimetals surface plasmon polaritons excited by an electron beam

We demonstrate a physical mechanism for terahertz(THz) generation from surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs). In a structure with a bulk Dirac semimetals(BDSs) film deposited on a dielectric substrate, the energy of the asymmetric SPP mode can be significantly enhanced to cross the light line of the substrate due to the SPP-coupling between the interfaces of the film. Therefore, the SPPs can be immediately transformed into Cherenkov radiation without removing the wavevector mismatch. Additionally, the symmetric SPP mode can also be dramatically lifted to cross the substrate light line when a buffer layer with low permittivity relative to the substrate is introduced. In this case, dual-frequency THz radiation from the two SPP modes can be generated simultaneously. The radiation intensity is significantly enhanced by over two orders due to the field enhancement of the SPPs. The radiation frequency can be tuned in the THz frequency regime by adjusting the beam energy and the chemical potential of the BDSs. Our results could find potential applications in developing room temperature, tunable, coherent, and intense THz radiation sources to cover the entire THz band.

Theoretical demonstration of surface plasmon polaritons in plasma/vacuum interface in GHz frequency

Negative permittivity of the material may lead to the enhanced radiation of an antenna embedded in a finite plasma,which suggests a potential way to solve blackout problem in space technology.However,the enhanced radiation phenomenon is still lack of strict theoretical investigations of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) in plasma in GHz frequency.In this paper,we demonstrate the SPPs excited at a plasma/vacuum interface in GHz frequency by the consistency of the simulated and theoretical results.With SPPs,plasma layer thicker than skin depth can be penetrated with w <w,pwhich is a complement of wave propagation theory in plasma.We also discuss the influences of thickness d,collision frequency Γ,and different plasma frequencies on SPPs.For plasma frequencies with large difference,common numerical methods have difficulties in result comparison under the same mesh size because of the computer capacity and memory.The analytical multilayer method used in the paper does not need to generate mesh,so the studies of plasma frequencies with large difference can be carried out.The simulation shows that the SPPs can be excited for an arbitrary plasma frequency.We believe the study will be beneficial for the problem of wave propagation in plasma science and technology.

Surface plasmon polaritons of symmetric and asymmetric metamaterial slabs

The p and s-polarized surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） of symmetric and asymmetric slabs formed arbitrarily by four types of conventional materials： dielectrics, negative dielectric permittivity materials, negative magnetic permeability materials, and left-handed materials are comprehensively analysed. The existence regions, dispersion relations, and excitation of SPPs in different frequency regions are investigated in detail. For symmetric slabs, the numbers and the frequency positions of surface polariton branches are quite different. At the same time, the pairs of the p or s-polarized SPP branches occur in the same frequency range. For asymmetric slabs, the SPP branches in mid- and high-frequency ranges are greatly different. In addition, the slab thickness has a great effect on SPPs of asymmetric and symmetric slabs. The attenuated total reflection spectra for the cases of p and s polarizations in these slabs are also calculated.

Coupling interaction between a single emitter and the propagating surface plasmon polaritons in a graphene microribbon waveguide

The coupling interaction between an individual optical emitter and the propagating surface plasmon polaritons in a graphene microribbon （GMR） waveguide is investigated by numerical calculations, where the emitter is situated above the GMR or in the same plane of the GMR, The results reveal a multimode coupling mechanism for the strong interaction between the emitter and the propagating plasmonic waves in graphene. When the emitter is situated in the same plane of the GMR, the decay rate from the emitter to the surface plasmon polaritons increases more than 10 times compared with that in the case with the emitter above the GMR.

Role of localised surface plasmon polaritons coupling in optical transmission through double-layer metal apertures

In this paper, we investigate the optical properties of the double-layer metal films perforated with single apertures by analysing the coupling of localized surface plasmon polaritons （LSPPs）. It is found that the amplitude and the wavelength of transmission peak in such a structure can be adjusted by changing the longitudinal interval D between two films and the lateral displacements dx and dy which are parallel and perpendicular to the polarization direction of incident light, respectively. The variation of longitudinal interval D results in the redshift of transmission peak due to the change of coupling strength of LSPPs near the single apertures. The amplitude of transmission peak decreases with the increase of dy and is less than that in the case of dx, which originates from the difference in coupling manner between LSPPs and the localized natures of LSPPs.

Surface plasmon polaritons frequency-blue shift in low confinement factor excitation region

Surface plasmon polaritons'(SPPs')frequency blue shift is observed in finite-difference time-domain(FDTD)simulation of parallel electron excitation Au bulk structure.Comparing with cold dispersion of SPPs,an obvious frequency blue shift is obtained in low confinement region excitation simulation results.Then,according to SPPs'transverse attenuation characteristics,the excited frequency mode instead of cold dispersion corresponding frequency mode matches it.Thence,this excited mode is confirmed to be SPPs'mode.As is well known the lower the frequency,the smaller the confinement factor is and the lower the excitation efficiency,the wider the bandwidth of excited SPPs is.And considering the attenuation in whole structure,the excited surface field contains attenuation signal.In a low confinement factor region,the higher the SPPs'frequency,the higher the excitation efficiency is,while broadband frequency information obtained in attenuation signal provides high frequency information in stimulation signal.Thence,in the beam-wave interaction,as the signal oscillation time increases,the frequency of the oscillation field gradually increases.Thus,compared with cold dispersion,the frequency of excited SPP is blueshifted This hypothesis is verified by monitoring the time domain signal of excited field in low and high confinement factor regions and comparing them.Then,this frequency-blue shift is confirmed to have commonality of SPPs,which is independent of SPPs'material and structure.Finally,this frequency-blue shift is confirmed in an attenuated total reflection(ATR)experiment.Owing to frequency dependence of most of SPPs'devices,such as coherent enhancement radiation and enhancement transmission devices,the frequency-blue shift presented here is of great influence in the SPPs applications.