Tailored Dispersion of Spectro‐Temporal Dynamics in Hot‐Carrier Plasmonics

Abstract

Ultrafast optical switching in plasmonic platforms relies on the third‐order Kerr nonlinearity, which is tightly linked to the dynamics of hot carriers in nanostructured metals. Although extensively utilized, a fundamental understanding on the dependence of the switching dynamics upon optical resonances has often been overlooked. Here, all‐optical control of resonance bands in a hybrid photonic‐plasmonic crystal is employed as an empowering technique for probing the resonance‐dependent switching dynamics upon hot carrier formation. Differential optical transmission measurements reveal an enhanced switching performance near the anti‐crossing point arising from strong coupling between local and nonlocal resonance modes. Furthermore, entangled with hot‐carrier dynamics, the nonlinear correspondence between optical resonances and refractive index change results in tailorable dispersion of recovery speeds which can notably deviate from the characteristic lifetime of hot carriers. The comprehensive understanding provides new protocols for optically characterizing hot‐carrier dynamics and optimizing resonance‐based all‐optical switches for operations across the visible spectrum.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 19, 2023
Source ID
10.1002/advs.202205434

Entities

People

  • Andrew S. Kim
  • Anjan Goswami
  • Kyu‐tae Lee
  • Lakshmi Raju
  • Mohammad Taghinejad
  • Wenshan Cai

Organizations

  • Georgia Tech
  • National Science Foundation
  • Office of Naval Research

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Nanoscale Plasmonic Nanotechnology
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics