Experimental study of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of silver nanowires and the spatio-temporal control of the propagation of excited plasmons

• Applicant: Dr. Barbara Wild
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2010 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 170845890

Surface Plasmons are propagating electromagnetic surface modes confined at a metal-dielectric interface due to the resonant interaction of the electromagnetic wave with the free electron gas of the metal. In this research program Surface Plasmons in silver nanowires will be studied. Nanowires with a length greater than 1 μm can support Fabry-Perot modes. Such modes of an individual nanowire will be investigated by total-internal reflectivity spectroscopy.The full amplitude and phase of the Plasmon modes excited by ultrashort optical pulses will be characterized using spectral interferometry. This detailed information will make it possible to optimize the pulse shape, using learning algorithms to provide complex waveforms in order to obtain a full spatio-temporal control of the Plasmon modes.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Norbert Scherer