Interacting quantum plasmons in metal-dielectric structures

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive quantum framework for describing surface plasmons in metal-dielectric structures, accounting for dispersion and losses, enabling advanced studies of plasmonic interactions with quantum emitters and light.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum approach that combines macroscopic and canonical descriptions, accurately modeling plasmon interactions in arbitrarily shaped, sub-diffraction structures.

Findings

Derived a canonical Hamiltonian and commutation relations for plasmon modes.

Developed a bosonic mode description with linear dispersion for interacting plasmons.

Framework accounts for optical dispersion and losses, enabling non-Markovian effects analysis.

Abstract

We develop a consistent quantum description of surface plasmons interacting with quantum emitters and external electromagnetic field. Within the framework of macroscopic electrodynamics in dispersive and absorptive medium, we derive, in the Markov approximation, the canonical Hamiltonian, commutation relations, and coupling parameters for the plasmon modes in metal-dielectric structures of an arbitrary shape whose characteristic size is well below the diffraction limit. We then develop a new quantum approach bridging the macroscopic and canonical schemes which describes the interacting plasmons in terms of bosonic modes with linear dispersion whose coupling to the electromagnetic field and quantum emitters is mediated by the classical plasmons. By accurately accounting for medium optical dispersion and losses in the interactions of surface plasmons with light and localized electron excitations, this approach can serve as a framework for studying non-Markovian effects in plasmonics.