Plasmon-emitter interactions at the nanoscale.

Gonçalves, P A D; Christensen, Thomas; Rivera, Nicholas; Jauho, Antti-Pekka; Mortensen, N Asger; Soljačić, Marin · Nat Commun · 2020

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Plasmon-emitter interactions are of central importance in modern nanoplasmonics and are generally maximal at short emitter-surface separations. However, when the separation falls below 10-20 nm, the classical theory deteriorates progressively due to its neglect of quantum effects such as nonlocality, electronic spill-out, and Landau damping. Here we show how this neglect can be remedied in a unified theoretical treatment of mesoscopic electrodynamics incorporating Feibelman [Formula: see text]-parameters. Our approach incorporates nonclassical resonance shifts and surface-enabled Landau damping-a nonlocal damping effect-which have a dramatic impact on the amplitude and spectral distribution of plasmon-emitter interactions. We consider a broad array of plasmon-emitter interactions ranging from dipolar and multipolar spontaneous emission enhancement, to plasmon-assisted energy transfer and enhancement of two-photon transitions. The formalism gives a complete account of both plasmons and plasmon-emitter interactions at the nanoscale, constituting a simple yet rigorous platform to include nonclassical effects in plasmon-enabled nanophotonic phenomena.