Nonlinear plasmonic slot waveguides

TL;DR

This paper investigates nonlinear plasmonic modes in subwavelength slot waveguides, revealing symmetry-breaking bifurcations and mode splitting phenomena through dispersion analysis.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of nonlinear mode behavior, including bifurcations and mode splitting, in subwavelength plasmonic slot waveguides.

Findings

Symmetric mode undergoes symmetry-breaking bifurcation.

Antisymmetric mode can split into two branches.

Dispersion diagrams illustrate mode families and bifurcations.

Abstract

We study nonlinear modes in subwavelength slot waveguides created by a nonlinear dielectric slab sandwiched between two metals. We present the dispersion diagrams of the families of nonlinear plasmonic modes and reveal that the symmetric mode undergoes the symmetry-breaking bifurcation with the energy primarily localized near one of the interfaces. We also find that the antisymmetric mode may split into two brunches giving birth to two families of nonlinear antisymmetric modes.