Quantization of electromagnetic modes and angular momentum on plasmonic nanowires

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum theory for surface plasmons on nanowires, revealing they carry both orbital and spin angular momentum, which is important for nanoplasmonic interactions and quantum optical circuits.

Contribution

It introduces a canonical quantization approach to analyze surface plasmon polaritons on nanowires, including their angular momentum properties, advancing understanding in nanoplasmonics.

Findings

SPPs on nanowires carry both orbital and spin angular momentum.

The theory aligns with experimental observations on plasmonic nanowire waveguides.

Results support future applications in quantum information and nano-optics.

Abstract

Quantum theory of surface plasmons is very important for studying the interactions between light and different metal nanostructures in nanoplasmonics. In this work, using the canonical quantization method, the SPPs on nanowires and their orbital and spin angular momentum are investigated. The results show that the SPPs on nanowire carry both orbital and spin momentum during propagation. Later, the result is applied on the plasmonic nanowire waveguide to show the agreement of the theory. The study is helpful for the nano wire based plasmonic interactions and the quantum information based optical circuit in the future.