Simultaneous observation of the quantization and the interference pattern of a plasmonic near-field

• Published in: Nature communications 2015-03, Vol.6 (1), p.6407-6407, Article 6407
• Main Authors: Piazza, L, Lummen, T.T.A., Quiñonez, E, Murooka, Y, Reed, B.W., Barwick, B, Carbone, F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/624/400/1021; 639/624/400/2797; 639/925/357/1016; 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7407

Surface plasmon polaritons can confine electromagnetic fields in subwavelength spaces and are of interest for photonics, optical data storage devices and biosensing applications. In analogy to photons, they exhibit wave–particle duality, whose different aspects have recently been observed in separate tailored experiments. Here we demonstrate the ability of ultrafast transmission electron microscopy to simultaneously image both the spatial interference and the quantization of such confined plasmonic fields. Our experiments are accomplished by spatiotemporally overlapping electron and light pulses on a single nanowire suspended on a graphene film. The resulting energy exchange between single electrons and the quanta of the photoinduced near-field is imaged synchronously with its spatial interference pattern. This methodology enables the control and visualization of plasmonic fields at the nanoscale, providing a promising tool for understanding the fundamental properties of confined electromagnetic fields and the development of advanced photonic circuits. Mapping the field of surface plasmon polaritons is important to understand their fundamental properties and behaviour. Here, the authors show that ultrafast transmission electron microscopy can simultaneously obtain the spatial interference and quantization of nanowire-confined plasmonic fields.