Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Abstract-Electromagnetic Saturation of Angstrom-Sized Quantum Barriers at Terahertz Frequencies


Young-Mi Bahk, Bong Joo Kang, Yong Seung Kim, Joon-Yeon Kim, Won Tae Kim, Tae Yun Kim, Taehee Kang, Jiyeah Rhie, Sanghoon Han, Cheol-Hwan Park, Fabian Rotermund, and Dai-Sik Kim
Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 125501 – Published 16 September 2015
Metal-graphene-metal hybrid structures allow angstrom-scale van der Waals gaps, across which electron tunneling occurs. We squeeze terahertz electromagnetic waves through these λ/10000000 gaps, accompanied by giant field enhancements. Unprecedented transmission reduction of 97% is achieved with the transient voltage across the gap saturating at 5 V. Electron tunneling facilitated by the transient electric field strongly modifies the gap index, starting a self-limiting process related to the barrier height. Our work enables greater interplay between classical optics and quantum tunneling, and provides optical indices to the van der Waals gaps.
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure

No comments: