Photoemission from metal nanoparticles

A.Brodsky and Yu.Gurevitch approach is discussed and generalized for photoemission from metal nano-particles taking into account the excitation of localized plasmon resonance (LPR) and changes of electromagnetic field (EMF) and conduction electron mass in the metal - environment interface. New result is the increase of photo-emission current several time respectively to the case of continues metal film due to increase of intensity of EMF near the surface of nanoparticles and also due to surface phenomena mentioned above. Results can be applied for development new photodetectors, photo energy converters (solar cells) and for more studies of photoemission from metal nanoparticles.Comment: Accepted for publication in Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk, http://ufn.ru/en/articles/accepted/35575/, Citation: Protsenko I E, Uskov A V "Photoemission from metal nanoparticles" Phys. Usp., accepte

On collective Rabi splitting in nanolasers and nano-LEDs

We analytically calculate the optical emission spectrum of nanolasers and nano-LEDs based on a model of many incoherently pumped two-level emitters in a cavity. At low pump rates we find two peaks in the spectrum for large coupling strengths and numbers of emitters. We interpret the double-peaked spectrum as a signature of collective Rabi splitting, and discuss the difference between the splitting of the spectrum and the existence of two eigenmodes. We show that an LED will never exhibit a split spectrum, even though it can have distinct eigenmodes. For systems where the splitting is possible we show that the two peaks merge into a single one when the pump rate is increased. Finally, we compute the linewidth of the systems, and discuss the influence of inter-emitter correlations on the lineshape

Transition absorption as a mechanism of surface photoelectron emission from metals

Transition absorption of electromagnetic field energy by an electron passing through a boundary between two media with different dielectric permittivities is considered both classically and quantum mechanically. It is shown that transition absorption can make a substantial contribution to the process of electron photoemission from metals due to the surface photoelectric effect.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Spontaneous hot-electron light emission from electron-fed optical antennas

Nanoscale electronics and photonics are among the most promising research areas providing functional nano-components for data transfer and signal processing. By adopting metal-based optical antennas as a disruptive technological vehicle, we demonstrate that these two device-generating technologies can be interfaced to create an electronically-driven self-emitting unit. This nanoscale plasmonic transmitter operates by injecting electrons in a contacted tunneling antenna feedgap. Under certain operating conditions, we show that the antenna enters a highly nonlinear regime in which the energy of the emitted photons exceeds the quantum limit imposed by the applied bias. We propose a model based upon the spontaneous emission of hot electrons that correctly reproduces the experimental findings. The electron-fed optical antennas described here are critical devices for interfacing electrons and photons, enabling thus the development of optical transceivers for on-chip wireless broadcasting of information at the nanoscale

Giant Photogalvanic Effect in Noncentrosymmetric Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Photoelectric properties of metamaterials containing non-centrosymmetric, similarly oriented metallic nanoparticles embedded in a homogeneous semiconductor matrix are theoretically studied. Due to the asymmetric shape of the nanoparticle boundary, photoelectron emission acquires a preferred direction, resulting in a photocurrent flow in that direction when nanoparticles are uniformly illuminated by a homogeneous plane wave. This effect is a direct analogy of the photogalvanic (or bulk photovoltaic) effect known to exist in media with non-centrosymmetric crystal structure, such as doped lithium niobate or bismuth ferrite, but is several orders of magnitude stronger. Termed the giant plasmonic photogalvanic effect, the reported phenomenon is valuable for characterizing photoemission and photoconductive properties of plasmonic nanostructures, and can find many uses for photodetection and photovoltaic applications.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Internal photoemission from plasmonic nanoparticles: comparison between surface and volume photoelectric effects

We study emission of photoelectrons from plasmonic nanoparticles into surrounding matrix. We consider two mechanisms of the photoelectric effect from nanoparticles - surface and volume ones, and use models of these two effects which allow us to obtain analytical results for the photoelectron emission rates from nanoparticle. Calculations have been done for the step potential at surface of spherical nanoparticle, and the simple model for the hot electron cooling have been used. We highlight the effect of the discontinuity of the dielectric permittivity at the nanoparticle boundary in the surface mechanism, which leads to substantial (by 5 times) increase of photoelectron emission rate from nanoparticle compared to the case when such discontinuity is absent. For plasmonic nanoparticle, a comparison of two mechanisms of the photoeffect was done for the first time and showed that surface photoeffect, at least, does not concede the volume one, which agrees with results for the flat metal surface first formulated by Tamm and Schubin in their pioneering development of quantum-mechanical theory of photoeffect in 1931. In accordance with our calculations, this predominance of the surface effect is a result of effective cooling of hot carriers, during their propagation from volume of the nanoparticle to its surface in the scenario of the volume mechanism. Taking into account both mechanisms is essential in development of devices based on the photoelectric effect and in usage of hot electrons from plasmonic nanoantenna.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, 61 reference

Oscillator laser model

A laser model is formulated in terms of quantum harmonic oscillators. Emitters in the low lasing states are usual harmonic oscillators, and emitters in the upper states are inverted harmonic oscillators. Diffusion coefficients, consistent with the model and necessary for solving quantum nonlinear laser equations analytically, are found. Photon number fluctuations of the lasing mode and fluctuations of the population of the lasing states are calculated. Collective Rabi splitting peaks are predicted in the intensity fluctuation spectra of the superradiant lasers. Population fluctuation mechanisms in superradiant lasers and lasers without superradiance are discussed and compared with each other.Comment: Preprint: 18 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Population fluctuation mechanism of the super-thermal photon statistic of LEDs with collective effects

We found that fluctuations in the number of emitters lead to a super-thermal photon statistics of small LEDs in a linear regime, with a strong emitter-field coupling and a bad cavity favorable for collective effects. A simple analytical expression for the second-order correlation function g_2 is found. g_2 increase up to g_2=6 in the two-level LED model is predicted. The super-thermal photon statistics is related to the population fluctuation increase of the spontaneous emission to the cavity mode.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Quantum fluctuations in the small Fabry-Perot interferometer

We consider the small, of the size of the order of the wavelength, interferometer with the main mode excited by a quantum field from a nano-LED or a laser. The input field is detuned from the interferometer mode with, on average, a few photons. We find the field and the photon number fluctuation spectra inside and outside the interferometer and identify the contributions of quantum and classical noise in the spectra. Structures of spectra are different for the field, the photon number fluctuations inside the interferometer; for the transmitted, and the reflected fields. We note asymmetries in spectra. Differences in the spectra are related to the colored (white) quantum noise inside (outside) the interferometer. We calculate the second-order time correlation functions; they oscillate and be negative under certain conditions. Results help the study, design, manufacture, and use small elements of quantum optical integrated circuits, such as delay lines and optical transistors.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure