title: Normal modes for plasmonic nanolasers with dispersive and inhomogeneous media.
abstract: We derive the quasi-orthogonality condition of optical modes in a dispersive and inhomogeneous medium. This condition leads to the proper normalization rule of the optical field in a general linear medium with inhomogeneity. The derived rule also provides a physically meaningful method in estimating the magnitude of the field-enhanced spontaneous and stimulated emission rates, for example, in a microcavity or nanocavity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Shu-Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shun Lien
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Chuang