title: Surface plasmon dynamics in arrays of subwavelength holes: the role of optical interband transitions.
abstract: Using femtosecond optical spectroscopy, we study the ultrafast dynamics of the surface plasmon polaritons in gold arrays of subwavelength holes. A large time dependent spectral broadening and shift of the surface plasmon resonances are reported. The experimental results are modeled by the diffraction of a transverse electromagnetic field through the nanostructure, taking into account both the electron dynamics near the interband transitions and the Drude-like conductivity of the metal. Our analysis, using either a theoretical or an experimentally determined dielectric function of gold, suggests that the losses propagation in plasmonic devices is strongly influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic electron scattering mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: IPCMS-GONLO, UMR 7504 CNRS/ULP, Strasbourg, France. halte@ipcms.u-strasbg.fr
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Halté
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benabbas
authors.forename: J-Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Bigot
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012031:Refractometry / Q000379:methods*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D006046:Gold