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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 20, Iss. 17 — Aug. 13, 2012
  • pp: 19297–19304

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 20 > Issue 17 > Page 19297

Beaming circularly polarized photons from quantum dots coupled with plasmonic spiral antenna

Guanghao Rui, Weibin Chen, Don C. Abeysinghe, Robert L. Nelson, and Qiwen Zhan  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 20, Issue 17, pp. 19297-19304 (2012)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.20.019297


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Abstract

Coupling nanoscale emitters via optical antennas enables comprehensive control of photon emission in terms of intensity, directivity and polarization. In this work we report highly directional emission of circularly polarized photons from quantum dots coupled to a spiral optical antenna. The structural chirality of the spiral antenna imprints spin state to the emitted photons. Experimental results reveal that a circular polarization extinction ratio of 10 is obtainable. Furthermore, increasing the number of turns of the spiral gives rise to higher antenna gain and directivity, leading to higher field intensity and narrower angular width of emission pattern in the far field. For a five-turn Archimedes’ spiral antenna, field intensity increase up to 70-fold simultaneously with antenna directivity of 11.7 dB has been measured in the experiment. The highly directional circularly polarized photon emission from such optically coupled spiral antenna may find important applications in single molecule sensing, quantum optics information processing and integrated photonic circuits as a nanoscale spin photon source.

© 2012 OSA

OCIS Codes
(240.6680) Optics at surfaces : Surface plasmons
(260.5430) Physical optics : Polarization
(350.5610) Other areas of optics : Radiation

ToC Category:
Optics at Surfaces

History
Original Manuscript: June 21, 2012
Revised Manuscript: July 26, 2012
Manuscript Accepted: August 3, 2012
Published: August 8, 2012

Citation
Guanghao Rui, Weibin Chen, Don C. Abeysinghe, Robert L. Nelson, and Qiwen Zhan, "Beaming circularly polarized photons from quantum dots coupled with plasmonic spiral antenna," Opt. Express 20, 19297-19304 (2012)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-20-17-19297


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