Ultrafast Plasmonics

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPP), propagating electromagnetic modes that are bound to a metal-dielectric interface, are considered as one of the key ingredients of nano-photonic devices. In particular, plasmonic waveguides offer the promising perspective to confine light on a subwavelength scale. Different waveguiding schemes have been proposed and successfully realized in the recent past. Examples include metallic nanowires and nanogrooves, coupled metallic nanodots or dielectric ridges on top of a metal surface.

The first part of my presentation will introduce these concepts and show state-of-the-art fabrication capabilities including advances in focussed ion beam lithography utilizing Helium, Neon, Gallium ions on the one hand and organic-plasmonic hybrids on the other hand.

In the second part, I will demonstrate concepts of monitoring SPP propagation in those waveguides. With regard to high-speed applications, well-founded means for the development of SPP-based devices rely on a comprehensive knowledge of the spatio-temporal characteristics of ultrashort SPP pulses and their modifications during formation and propagation. I will put special emphasis on leakage radiation spectroscopy and interferometric time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy.