The spaser as a nanoscale quantum generator and ultrafast amplifier

By M. Stockman. 2009

363 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Nanoplasmonics has recently experienced explosive development with many novel ideas and dramatic achievements in both fundamentals and applications. The spaser has been predicted and observed experimentally as an active element—a generator of coherent local fields. Even greater progress will be achieved if the spaser can function as an ultrafast nanoamplifier—an optical counterpart of the MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistor). A formidable problem with this is that the spaser has inherent feedback, causing quantum generation of nanolocalized surface plasmons and saturation and consequent elimination of the net gain, making it unsuitable for amplification. We have overcome this inherent problem and shown that the spaser can perform functions of an ultrafast nanoamplifier in two modes: transient and bistable. On the basis of quantum density matrix (optical Bloch) equations we have shown that the spaser amplifies with gain with a switching time fs (potentially, ∼10 fs). This prospective spaser technology will further broaden both fundamental and applied horizons of nanoscience, in particular enabling ultrafast microprocessors working at 10–100 THz clock speed. Other prospective applications are in ultrasensing, ultradense and ultrafast information storage, and biomedicine. The spasers are based on metals and, in contrast to semiconductors, are highly resistive to ionizing radiation, high temperatures, microwave radiation, and other adverse environments.

Subfields: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Biomedical Engineering, Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/fcafea2d694bc41dbb15012facafb72a4b9ccaf6

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

1. G. Shvets
2. Chihhui Wu
3. S. Forget
4. S. Chénais
5. Andrea Alù
6. Nader Engheta

In Biomedical Engineering

1. Lih-Juann Chen
2. G. Shvets
3. M. Lu
4. Chihhui Wu
5. S. Forget
6. S. Chénais

In Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

1. G. Shvets
2. Chihhui Wu
3. S. Forget
4. S. Chénais
5. Andrea Alù
6. Nader Engheta

Citations in the corpus

• Plasmonic Nanolaser Using Epitaxially Grown Silver Film (2012, background): “Introduction A new class of lasers based on surface plasmon amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (SPASER) has recently been proposed [1,2] and experimentally demonstrated [3-6].”
• Recent advances in solid-state organic lasers (2011, background): “The interest of SPASERs lies in their ability to generate electric fields oscillating at optical frequencies in nanolocalized areas[196]; this may be useful for microscopy (such as SNOM or fluorescence imaging with single molecule sensitivity), nanoscale lithography[185], or serve as a basis for ult”
• Quantum plasmonics (2013, neutral): “Q̇ (t) = J (t) , (4) J̇ (t) = −4π2 C1 σ̇ (t)Q, (5)”