Exact eigenmode formulation for wave propagation in open lossy systems

by Parry Yu Chen

at Quantum optics seminar

Thu, 04 May 2017, 15:30
Physics building (#54) room 207

Abstract

Wave propagation in open and or lossy resonators is increasingly topical for example in optics due to the prevalence of nanoplasmonic resonators that lose energy due to both radiation and material losses Normal mode or eigenmode expansion is a highly efficient method of calculating the scattering of fields generated by any configuration of point bulk or far field sources without repeated simulation However loss and open boundaries present many challenges for eigenmode methods This is true also of quantum scattering problems or any system described by a wave equation We present a simple practical formulation that overcomes all complexities and deficiencies of previous approaches Specifically our eigenmodes are obtained from a linear eigenvalue equation and do not exhibit non physical far field divergence The modes are complete with a discrete set capable of replacing a continuous set of radiation modes In most cases few modes are necessary facilitating both analytic calculations and unified insight Our method yields the Green s function and its variation over source and detector positions and orientations This is a fundamental electrodynamics quantity encapsulating the electromagnetic density of states In particular we consider nanoplasmonic systems as these can enhance light matter interaction and thus spontaneous emission rates by many orders of magnitude This has enabled spectroscopy of single molecules engineering of black body radiation for energy harvesting and potentially generating single photons for quantum computing Further applications include F rster energy transfer quantum friction and optical forces However enhancements are highly sensitive to the position and orientation of quantum emitters relative to the nanoparticle Thus the number of numerical simulations required to fully characterize nanoplasmonic geometries can be prohibitive motivating our eigenmode approach

Created on 29-04-2017 by Bar Lev, Yevgeny (ybarlev)
Updaded on 29-04-2017 by Bar Lev, Yevgeny (ybarlev)