Ultrafast dynamics of surface plasmon nanolasers with quantum coherence and external plasmonic feedback

TL;DR

This paper explores the ultrafast dynamics of surface plasmon nanolasers (spasers) with external feedback, revealing their potential for ultrafast sensing and imaging due to their rapid relaxation and quantum coherence effects.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of how external plasmonic feedback influences spaser dynamics and demonstrates the role of quantum coherence in enhancing feedback sensitivity.

Findings

Spasers are sensitive to external feedback like conventional lasers.

Quantum coherence increases the sensitivity of spasers to feedback.

Spasers exhibit faster relaxation dynamics suitable for ultrafast applications.

Abstract

Spasers have been theoretically predicted and experimentally observed and promise to deliver new exciting nanophotonic and biomedical applications. Here we theoretically investigate ultrafast dynamical properties of spasers with external plasmonic feedback. We consider a spaser both as a nanoscale source and detector of plasmons which could be used to design novel nano-imaging and sensing techniques. We show that, as with conventional lasers, spasers are sensitive to external feedback. However, unlike the lasers, spasers have faster relaxation dynamics which could be used to develop new ultrasensitive near field imaging techniques. We investigate the dependence of spaser relaxation oscillations on feedback parameters and show that quantum coherence can be used to increase the sensitivity to feedback.