Implementation of PT symmetric devices using plasmonics: principle and applications

Henri Benisty (1) , Aloyse Degiron (2) , Anatole Lupu (2) , André de Lustrac (2) , Sébastien Chenais (3) , Sébastien Forget (3) , Mondher Besbes (1) , Grégory Barbillon (1) , Aurélien Bruyant (4) , Sylvain Blaize (4) , Gilles Lerondel (4)

1 Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique / Naphel
2 IEF - Institut d'électronique fondamentale
3 LPL - Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers
4 LNIO - Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d'Instrumentation Optique

The so-called PT symmetric devices, which feature ε(−x)=ε(x) * associated with parity-time symmetry, incorporate both gain and loss and can present a singular eigenvalue behaviour around a critical transition point. The scheme, typically based on co-directional coupled waveguides, is here transposed to the case of variable gain on one arm with fixed losses on the other arm. In this configuration, the scheme exploits the full potential of plasmonics by making a beneficial use of their losses to attain a critical regime that makes switching possible with much lowered gain excursions. Practical implementations are discussed based on existing attempts to elaborate coupled waveguide in plasmonics, and based also on the recently proposed hybrid plasmonics waveguide structure with a small low-index gap, the PIROW (Plasmonic Inverse-Rib Optical Waveguide).

Keywords: Photonic integrated circuits; Coupled waveguides; Integrated optics; Optical switching devices; Plasmonics; Systems with special symmetry

Domains: Optics [physics.optics]

Henri Benisty, Aloyse Degiron, Anatole Lupu, André de Lustrac, Sébastien Chenais, et al.. Implementation of PT symmetric devices using plasmonics: principle and applications. Optics Express, 2011, 19 (19), pp.18004-18019. ⟨10.1364/OE.19.018004⟩. ⟨hal-00683875⟩