Localized surface plasmons (LSPs) are coherent collective oscillations of conduction band electrons in metal nanoparticles, and they offer unprecedented control of light at sub diffraction-limited length scales. Recent experiments report observations of quantum interference between plasmon resonances, inviting descriptions of plasmon-photon interaction using methods from quantum optics. Here we model the interaction between a silver and gold sphere and show that the system's inherent asymmetry induces a Fano resonance. The one and two photon dynamics of the resulting sub- and super-radiant modes are modeled with a Heisenberg-Langevin approach, and we show that the heterodimer system supports observable, beat frequency interference at a far-field detector, known as quantum beats. This represents a correspondence between "V" systems of atomic-optics and the familiar heterodimer system of plasmonics, elucidating a fundamental connection between the two fields.

Single photon interactions with localized surface plasmons: Exploiting fano resonances to generate quantum beats

249th National Meeting (2015)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.