Optical gain, spontaneous and stimulated emission of surface plasmon polaritons in confined plasmonic waveguide

We develop a theoretical model to compute the local density of states in a confined plasmonic waveguide. Based on this model, we derive a simple formula with a clear physical interpretation for the lifetime modification of emitters embedded in the waveguide. The gain distribution within the active medium is then computed following the formalism developed in a recent work [Phys. Rev. B 78, 161401 (2008)], by taking rigorously into account the pump irradiance and emitters lifetime modifications in the system. We finally apply this formalism to describe gain-assisted propagation in a dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguide.

Differential method for modeling dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides

This paper demonstrates the efficiency of the differential method, a conventional grating theory, to investigate dielectric loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides (DLSPPWs), known to be a potential solution for optical interconnects. The method is used to obtain the mode effective indices (both real and imaginary parts) and the mode profiles. The results obtained with the differential method are found to be in good agreement with those provided by the effective index method or finite elements. The versatility of the differential method is demonstrated by considering complex configurations such as trapezoidal waveguides or DLSPPWs lying on a finite width metal stripe.