Plasmonics in Atomically Thin Materials

TL;DR

This paper provides an analytical framework for understanding and utilizing plasmons in atomically thin materials like graphene and noble metals for advanced light modulation and quantum nanophotonics applications.

Contribution

It introduces a simple analytical model for the optical response of atomically thin plasmonic structures, enabling design of tunable and strongly coupled quantum optical devices.

Findings

Plasmons in one-atom-thick noble-metal layers can achieve tunable optical absorption.

Strong coupling with quantum emitters is possible using these thin plasmonic layers.

The methods are applicable to materials like silver, gold, and graphene.

Abstract

The observation and electrical manipulation of infrared surface plasmons in graphene have triggered a search for similar photonic capabilities in other atomically thin materials that enable electrical modulation of light at visible and near-infrared frequencies, as well as strong interaction with optical quantum emitters. Here, we present a simple analytical description of the optical response of such kinds of structures, which we exploit to investigate their application to light modulation and quantum optics. Specifically, we show that plasmons in one-atom-thick noble-metal layers can be used both to produce complete tunable optical absorption and to reach the strong-coupling regime in the interaction with neighboring quantum emitters. Our methods are applicable to any plasmon-supporting thin materials, and in particular, we provide parameters that allow us to readily calculate the response of silver, gold, and graphene islands. Besides their interest for nanoscale electro-optics, the present study emphasizes the great potential of these structures for the design of quantum nanophotonics devices.