Light-emitting waveguide-plasmon polaritons

TL;DR

This paper reports the experimental creation of light-emitting hybrid waveguide-plasmon polaritons through strong coupling between optical waveguides and metallic nanoantennas, revealing unique properties and potential for enhanced light emission.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid waveguide-plasmon polariton system and analyzes its properties using a classical coupled oscillator model, demonstrating strong light emission enhancement.

Findings

Strong coupling creates hybrid polaritons with tunable properties.

Near zero detuning, the structure is nearly transparent but exhibits strong local field enhancements.

Light emission is significantly enhanced at specific energies and momenta.

Abstract

We demonstrate the generation of light in an optical waveguide strongly coupled to a periodic array of metallic nanoantennas. This coupling gives rise to hybrid waveguide-plasmon polaritons (WPPs), which undergo a transmutation from plasmon to waveguide mode and viceversa as the eigenfrequency detuning of the bare states transits through zero. Near zero detuning, the structure is nearly transparent in the far-field but sustains strong local field enhancements inside the waveguide. Consequently, light-emitting WPPs are strongly enhanced at energies and in-plane momenta for which WPPs minimize light extinction. We elucidate the unusual properties of these polaritons through a classical model of coupled harmonic oscillators.