Quantum Plasmons in Double Layer Systems

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum theoretical framework for plasmons in double layer systems, revealing virtual and entangled modes, especially in the ultrastrong coupling regime, and explores how to access and detect these quantum states.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum description of plasmons in double layer structures, highlighting entanglement and virtual modes, with potential methods for experimental detection.

Findings

Presence of virtual plasmons as quantum fluctuations

Entanglement of modes with opposite momenta

Potential to access entangled plasmons by manipulating layer conductivity

Abstract

Plasmons are fundamental excitations of metals which can be described in terms of electron dynamics, or in terms of the electromagnetic fields associated with them. In this work we develop a quantum description of plasmons in a double layer structure, treating them as confined electromagnetic modes of the structure. The structure of the resulting bosonic Hamiltonian indicates the presence of virtual plasmons of the individual layers which appear as quantum fluctuations in the ground state. For momenta smaller than the inverse separation between layers, these modes are in the ultrastrong coupling regime. Coherence terms in the Hamiltonian indicate that modes with equal and opposite momenta are entangled. We consider how in principle these entangled modes might be accessed, by analyzing a situation in which the conductivity of one of the two layers suddenly drops to zero. The resulting density matrix has a large entanglement entropy at small momenta, and modes at $\pm \mathbf{q}$ that are inseparable. More practical routes to releasing and detecting entangled plasmons from this system are considered.