title: Spatial modulation of light transmission through a single microcavity by coupling of photosynthetic complex excitations to surface plasmons.
abstract: Molecule-plasmon interactions have been shown to have a definite role in light propagation through optical microcavities due to strong coupling between molecular excitations and surface plasmons. This coupling can lead to macroscopic extended coherent states exhibiting increment in temporal and spatial coherency and a large Rabi splitting. Here, we demonstrate spatial modulation of light transmission through a single microcavity patterned on a free-standing Au film, strongly coupled to one of the most efficient energy transfer photosynthetic proteins in nature, photosystem I. Here we observe a clear correlation between the appearance of spatial modulation of light and molecular photon absorption, accompanied by a 13-fold enhancement in light transmission and the emergence of a distinct electromagnetic standing wave pattern in the cavity. This study provides the path for engineering various types of bio-photonic devices based on the vast diversity of biological molecules in nature.
authors.affiliation: 1] University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel [2] Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Itai
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carmeli
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.
authors.forename: Moshik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Omri
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Heifler
authors.affiliation: University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Yigal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lilach
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.
authors.forename: Zeev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zalevsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1604, USA.
authors.forename: Vladimiro
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mujica
authors.affiliation: 1] University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel [2] Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Shachar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Richter