Surface plasmon polaritons scattering by subwavelength silicon wires

TL;DR

This paper investigates how surface plasmon polaritons scatter from subwavelength silicon wires, revealing size-dependent effects on transmission and forces that could be useful for sensing applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of particle size and shape on plasmon scattering and forces, highlighting the role of whispering gallery and standing-wave modes.

Findings

Transmission and forces are highly sensitive to particle size.

Coupling to inter-cavity modes significantly alters scattering.

Potential for sensing applications based on size-dependent effects.

Abstract

Surface plasmon polaritons scattering from 2D subwavelength silicon wires is investigated using finite difference time domain method. It is shown that coupling an incident surface plasmon polariton to inter-cavity modes of the particle can dramatically changes transmitted fields and plasmon induced forces. In particular, both transmission and optical forces are highly sensitive to the particle size that is related to the excitation of whispering gallery modes or standing-wave modes depending on the particle shape and size. This features might have potential sensing applications.