Abstract-Terahertz quantum plasmonics of nano-slot antennas in nonlinear regime.

Kim JY, Kang BJ, Park J, Bahk YM, Kim WT, Rhie J, Jeon H, Rotermund F, Kim DS.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26372787

Quantum tunneling in plasmonic nanostructures has presented an interesting aspect of incorporating quantum mechanics into classical optics. However, the study has been limited to the sub-nanometer gap regime. Here, we newly extend quantum plasmonics to gap widths well over 1 nm by taking advantage of the low-frequency terahertz regime. Enhanced electric fields of up to 5 V/nm induce tunneling of electrons in different arrays of ring-shaped nano-slot antennas of gap widths from 1.5 nm to 10 nm, which lead to a significant nonlinear transmission decrease. These observations are consistent with theoretical calculations considering terahertz-funneling-induced electron tunneling across the gap.