Coherent amplification and inversion less lasing of surface plasmon polaritons in a negative index metamaterial with a resonant atomic medium.

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) lasing requires population inversion, it is inefficient and possesses poor spectral properties. We develop an inversion-less concept for a quantum plasmonic waveguide that exploits unidirectional superradiant SPP (SSPP) emission of radiation to produce intense coherent surface plasmon beams. Our scheme includes a resonantly driven cold atomic medium in a lossless dielectric situated above an ultra-low loss negative index metamaterial (NIMM) layer. We propose generating unidirectional superradiant radiation of the plasmonic field within an atomic medium and a NIMM layer interface and achieve amplified SPPs by introducing phase-match between the superradiant SPP wave and coupled laser fields. We also establish a parametric resonance between the weak modulated plasmonic field and the collective oscillations of the atomic ensemble, thereby suppressing decoherence of the stably amplified directional polaritonic mode. Our method incorporates the quantum gain of the atomic medium to obtain sufficient conditions for coherent amplification of superradiant SPP waves, and we explore this method to quantum dynamics of the atomic medium being coupled with the weak polaritonic waves. Our waveguide configuration acts as a surface plasmon laser and quantum plasmonic transistor and opens prospects for designing controllable nano-scale lasers for quantum and nano-photonic applications.

Nonlinear frequency conversions via weak surface polaritonic wave breaking in a hybrid plasmonic waveguide.

Material design and input field properties limit high-harmonic excitation efficiency of surface-plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in a nanoscopic device. We remedy these limitations by developing a concept for a plasmonic waveguide that exploits spatiotemporal control of a weak surface polaritonic field to create efficient four-wave mixing (FWM) and periodic phase singularities. Our configuration comprises four-level double Λ-type atomic medium (4Λ As) doped in a lossless dielectric situated above a negative-index metamaterial (NIMM) layer. We report the coherent excitation and propagation of the multiple surface polaritonic shock waves (SWs) and establish the highly efficient frequency combs by surface polaritonic wave (SPW) breaking. Consequently, multiple FWM and periodic plasmonic phase singularity patterns generate through nonlinear self-defocusing control commensurate with the plasmonic noise within the atomic electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) window. Our work introduces SW formation within the subwavelength scale and generates efficient nonlinear frequency conversion, thereby opening prospects for designing fast optical modulators and nonlinear plasmonic gates.