title: Quantum statistics of surface plasmon polaritons in metallic stripe waveguides.
abstract: Heralded single surface plasmon polaritons are excited using photons generated via spontaneous parametric down conversion. The mean excitation rates, intensity correlations, and Fock state populations are studied. The observed dependence of the second-order coherence in our experiment is consistent with a linear uncorrelated Markovian environment in the quantum regime. Our results provide important information about the effect of loss for assessing the potential of plasmonic waveguides for future nanophotonic circuitry in the quantum regime.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Solid State Group, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Martino
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sonnefraud
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kéna-Cohen
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tame
authors.forename: Şahin K
authors.initials: ŞK
authors.lastname: Özdemir
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Stefan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maier