Surface plasmon polariton

Condensed matter physics
States of matter
Phase phenomena
Electronic phases
Electronic phenomena
Magnetic phases
Quasiparticles
Soft matter
Scientists

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic waves that travel along a metal–dielectric or metal–air interface, practically in the infrared or visible-frequency. The term "surface plasmon polariton" explains that the wave involves both charge motion in the metal ("surface plasmon") and electromagnetic waves in the air or dielectric ("polariton").[1]

They are a type of surface wave, guided along the interface in much the same way that light can be guided by an optical fiber. SPPs have a shorter wavelength than light in vacuum at the same frequency (photons).[2] Hence, SPPs can have a higher momentum and local field intensity.[2] Perpendicular to the interface, they have subwavelength-scale confinement. An SPP will propagate along the interface until its energy is lost either to absorption in the metal or scattering into other directions (such as into free space).

Application of SPPs enables subwavelength optics in microscopy and photolithography beyond the diffraction limit. It also enables the first steady-state micro-mechanical measurement of a fundamental property of light itself: the momentum of a photon in a dielectric medium. Other applications are photonic data storage, light generation, and bio-photonics.[2][3][4][5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nano-enhance-spp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference nist-plasmo-mm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference berkely-grin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference w-barnes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nanoplasmonics was invoked but never defined (see the help page).