Control and Dynamic Competition of Bright and Dark Lasing States in Active Nanoplasmonic Metamaterials

TL;DR

This paper investigates the lasing dynamics in active nanoplasmonic metamaterials, demonstrating how bright and dark modes compete and coexist, with control methods based on gain discrimination, pump intensity, and polarization.

Contribution

It introduces a Maxwell-Bloch model with Langevin noise to analyze mode competition and control in active nano-fishnet structures, revealing conditions for mode coexistence.

Findings

Bright mode lasing is achievable when dark mode gain is discriminated.

Steady-state emission can feature coexistence of bright and dark modes.

Pump intensity and polarization influence mode competition and control.

Abstract

Active nanoplasmonic metamaterials support bright and dark modes that compete for gain. Using a Maxwell-Bloch approach incorporating Langevin noise we study the lasing dynamics in an active nano-fishnet structure. We report that lasing of the bright negative-index mode is possible if the higher-Q dark mode is discriminated by gain, spatially or spectrally. The nonlinear competition during the transient phase is followed by steady-state emission where bright and dark modes can coexist. We analyze the influence of pump intensity and polarization and explore methods for mode control.