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Viscoelastic optical nonlocality of low-loss epsilon-near-zero nanofilms

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [5];  [5];  [4];  [4]
  1. Univ. of Padova (Italy)
  2. US Army AMRDEC, Redstone Arsenal, AL (United STates)
  3. Univ. of Brescia (Italy)
  4. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  5. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)

Optical nonlocalities are elusive and hardly observable in traditional plasmonic materials like noble and alkali metals. Here we report experimental observation of viscoelastic nonlocalities in the infrared optical response of epsilon-near-zero nanofilms made of low-loss doped cadmium-oxide. The nonlocality is detectable thanks to the low damping rate of conduction electrons and the virtual absence of interband transitions at infrared wavelengths. We describe the motion of conduction electrons using a hydrodynamic model for a viscoelastic fluid, and find excellent agreement with experimental results. The electrons’ elasticity blue-shifts the infrared plasmonic resonance associated with the main epsilon-near-zero mode, and triggers the onset of higher-order resonances due to the excitation of electron-pressure modes above the bulk plasma frequency. We also provide evidence of the existence of nonlocal damping, i.e., viscosity, in the motion of optically-excited conduction electrons using a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry data and predictions based on the viscoelastic hydrodynamic model.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1469653
Report Number(s):
SAND2017--9205J; PII: 27655
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 8; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (10)

Theory of Optical Nonlocality in Polar Dielectrics text January 2019
Study of second and third harmonic generation from an indium tin oxide nanolayer: influence of nonlocal effects and hot electrons preprint January 2019
Laplacian-Level Quantum Hydrodynamic Theory for Plasmonics text January 2020
Free electron nonlinearities in heavily doped semiconductors plasmonics text January 2020
Modeling and observation of mid-infrared nonlocality in effective epsilon-near-zero ultranarrow coaxial apertures journal October 2019
Nonlinear optical effects in epsilon-near-zero media journal June 2019
Quantum hydrodynamics for plasmas— Quo vadis ? journal September 2019
Study of second and third harmonic generation from an indium tin oxide nanolayer: Influence of nonlocal effects and hot electrons journal January 2020
Hydrodynamic acoustic plasmon resonances in semiconductor nanowires and their dimers journal January 2019
Hydrodynamic acoustic plasmon resonances in semiconductor nanowires and their dimers text January 2019

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