Plasmonically induced magnetic field in graphene-coated nanowires

High-speed tunable optical absorber based on a coupled photonic crystal slab and monolayer graphene structure

Reconfigurable metasurfaces have been pursued intensively in recent years for the ability to modulate the light after fabrication. However, the optical performances of these devices are limited by the efficiency, actuation response speed and mechanical control for reconfigurability. In this paper, we propose a fast tunable optical absorber based on the critical coupling of resonance mode to absorptive medium and the plasma dispersion effect of free carriers in semiconductor. The tunable absorber structure includes a single-layer or bi-layer silicon photonic crystal slab (PCS) to induce a high-Q optical resonance, a monolayer graphene as the absorption material, and bottom reflector to remove transmission. By modulating the refractive index of PCS via the plasma dispersion of the free carrier, the critical coupling condition is shifted in spectrum, and the device acquires tuning capability between perfect absorption and total reflection of the incident monochromatic light beam. Simulation results show that, with silicon index change of 0.015, the tunable absorption of light can achieve the reflection/absorption switching, and full range of reflection phase control is feasible in the over coupling region. The proposed reconfigurable structure has potential applications in remote sensing, free-space communications, LiDAR, and imaging.

Graphene-Coated Nanowire Waveguides and Their Applications

In recent years, graphene-coated nanowires (GCNWs) have attracted considerable research interest due to the unprecedented optical properties of graphene in terahertz (THz) and mid-infrared bands. Graphene plasmons in GCNWs have become an attractive platform for nanoscale applications in subwavelength waveguides, polarizers, modulators, nonlinear devices, etc. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the surface conductivity of graphene, GCNW-based plasmon waveguides, and applications of GCNWs in optical devices, nonlinear optics, and other intriguing fields. In terms of nonlinear optical properties, the focus is on saturable absorption. We also discuss some limitations of the GCNWs. It is believed that the research of GCNWs in the field of nanophotonics will continue to deepen, thus laying a solid foundation for its practical application.

High-Performance Transmission of Surface Plasmons in Graphene-Covered Nanowire Pairs with Substrate

Graphene was recently proposed as a promising alternative to support surface plasmons with superior performances in the mid-infrared range. Here, we theoretically show that high-performance and low-loss transmission of graphene plasmons can be achieved by adding a silica substrate to the graphene-covered nanowire pairs. The effect of the substrate layer on mode properties has been intensively investigated by using the finite element method. Furthermore, the results show that inserting a low index material layer between the nanowire and substrate could compensate for the loss accompanied by the substrate, thus the mode properties could be adjusted to fulfill better performance. A reasonable propagation length of 15 μm and an ultra-small normalized mode area about ~10⁻⁴ could be obtained at 30 THz. The introduction of the substrate layer is crucial for practical fabrication, which provides additional freedom to tune the mode properties. The graphene-covered nanowire pairs with an extra substrate may inspire potential applications in tunable integrated nanophotonic devices.

Graphene-Coated Elliptical Nanowires for Low Loss Subwavelength Terahertz Transmission

Graphene has been recently proposed as a promising alternative to support surface plasmons with its superior performances in terahertz and mid-infrared range. Here, we propose a graphene-coated elliptical nanowire (GCENW) structure for subwavelength terahertz waveguiding. The mode properties and their dependence on frequency, nanowire size, permittivity and chemical potential of graphene are studied in detail by using a finite element method, they are also compared with the graphene-coated circular nanowires (GCCNWs). Results showed that the ratio of the long and short axes (b/a) of the elliptical nanowire had significant influence on mode properties, they also showed that a propagation length over 200 μm and a normalized mode area of approximately 10−4~10−3 could be obtained. Increasing b/a could simultaneously achieve both long propagation length and very small full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the focal spots. When b/a = 10, a pair of focal spots about 40 nm could be obtained. Results also showed that the GCENW had a better waveguiding performance when compared with the corresponding GCCNWs. The manipulation of Terahertz (THz) waves at a subwavelength scale using graphene plasmon (GP) may lead to applications in tunable THz components, imaging, and nanophotonics.

Graphene-coated nanowire dimers for deep subwavelength waveguiding in mid-infrared range

In this paper, we show that the graphene-coated nanowire dimers could enable outstanding waveguiding performance in the mid-infrared range. The propagating properties of the fundamental graphene plasmon mode and their dependence on the nanowire radius, gap distance, nanowire permittivity and chemical potential of graphene are revealed in detail and compared with the graphene-coated circular nanowire. By improving the geometric parameters and the surface conductivity of graphene, the propagation length could reach about 9 μm, which is larger than that of the graphene-coated circular nanowire plasmon mode. Meanwhile, the effective mode area is only 10^-4A₀, which is one order of magnitude smaller than that of the graphene-coated circular nanowire plasmon mode. Theoretically, the propagation length could be further enhanced by increasing the chemical potential. Besides, the proposed graphene-coated nanowire dimers show quite good fabrication tolerance. The manipulation of mid-infrared waves at the deep subwavelength scale using graphene plasmons may offer potential applications in tunable integrated nanophotonic devices and infrared sensing.

Plasmon mediated inverse Faraday effect in a graphene-dielectric-metal structure

This Letter shows the features of inverse Faraday effect (IFE) in a graphene-dielectric-metal (GDM) structure. The constants of propagation and attenuation of the surface plasmon-polariton modes are calculated. The effective magnetic field induced by surface plasmon modes in the dielectric due to the IFE is estimated to reach above 1 tesla. The possibility to control the distribution of the magnetic field by chemical potential of graphene is shown. The concept of strain-driven control of the IFE in the structure has been proposed and investigated.

Graphene plasmonics for surface enhancement near-infrared absorptivity

Monolayer graphene has poor absorption in the near-infrared region. Its layer is only as thick as a single atom so it cannot have a high absorptivity. In this paper, in order to form a hybrid system, the absorption characteristics of monolayer graphene covering a metal/dielectric/metal substrate has been theoretically analyzed. The magnetic polaritons in the metal/dielectric couple with the plasmonic resonance in the graphene to dramatically enhance the graphene absorptivity. This study analyzes the factors that enhance the absorptivity, including the geometric parameters and the relative positions of the graphene. The local electromagnetic field and the power dissipation density are illustrated to explain the underlying mechanisms further. These numerical results can provide potential application in the field of optical detection and optoelectronic devices.

Plasmonic band structures in doped graphene tubes

We present theoretically the transport of plasmonic waves in doped graphene tube, which is made by rolling planar graphene sheet into a cylinder and periodic doping is applied on it. It is shown that periodic modulation of the Fermi level along the tube can open gaps in the dispersion relations of graphene plasmons and eventually create plasmonic band structures. The propagation of graphene plasmons is forbidden within the bandgaps; while within the band, the plasmonic waves present axially-extended field distributions and propagate along the tubes, yet well confined around the curved graphene surface. Furthermore, the bandgaps, propagation constants and propagation lengths of the modes in plasmonic band structures are significantly tuned by varying the Fermi level of graphene, which provides active controls over the plasmonic waves. Our proposed structures here may provide an approach to dynamically control the plasmonic waves in graphene-based subwavelength waveguides.

Giant Faraday Rotation of High-Order Plasmonic Modes in Graphene-Covered Nanowires

Plasmonic Faraday rotation in nanowires manifests itself in the rotation of the spatial intensity distribution of high-order surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes around the nanowire axis. Here we predict theoretically the giant Faraday rotation for SPPs propagating on graphene-coated magneto-optically active nanowires. Upon the reversal of the external magnetic field pointing along the nanowire axis some high-order plasmonic modes may be rotated by up to ∼100° on the length scale of about 500 nm at mid-infrared frequencies. Tuning the carrier concentration in graphene by chemical doping or gate voltage allows for controlling SPP-properties and notably the rotation angle of high-order azimuthal modes. Our results open the door to novel plasmonic applications ranging from nanowire-based Faraday isolators to the magnetic control in quantum-optical applications.