Feature
Plasmonics: The Rise of Quantum Effects
The emerging discipline of quantum plasmonics, which promises new applications and approaches in quantum information systems, formed the topic of a recent OSA Incubator Meeting.
Phil Saunders/spacechannel.org
Plasmons—wavelike excitations of oscillating charge density—arise in metals such as gold and silver and can create intense local fields. Plasmons can occur in the bulk, at a surface or at an interface between the metal and a dielectric or air. They can be excited by passing charges or, more important, by optical and IR fields in structured materials, such as metal waveguides, gratings and nanoparticles, just as radio waves drive current in an antenna.
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