On-chip single plasmon detection.
Surface plasmon polaritons (plasmons) have the potential to interface electronic and optical devices. They could prove extremely useful for integrated quantum information processing. Here we demonstrate on-chip electrical detection of single plasmons propagating along gold waveguides. The plasmons are excited using the single-photon emission of an optically emitting quantum dot. After propagating for several micrometers, the plasmons are coupled to a superconducting detector in the near-field. Correlation measurements prove that single plasmons are being detected.
Heeres
Reinier W
RW
Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5046, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands. r.w.heeres@tudelft.nl
Dorenbos
Sander N
SN
Koene
Benny
B
Solomon
Glenn S
GS
Kouwenhoven
Leo P
LP
Zwiller
Valery
V
D004581:Electronics; D004867:Equipment Design; D008422:Materials Testing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D045663:Quantum Dots; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013696:Temperature