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Direct generation of terahertz surface plasmon polaritons on a wire using electron bunches

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
;  [1]
  1. Eindhoven University of Technology, Coherence and Quantum Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands)
We propose to generate terahertz surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a metal wire by launching electron bunches onto a tapered end of the wire. To show the potential of this method, we solve Maxwell's equations for the appropriate boundary conditions. The metal wire tip is modeled by a perfectly conducting semi-infinite cone. It is shown that the SPPs can be recovered from the idealized fields by well-known perturbation techniques. The emitted radiation is strongly concentrated into a narrow solid angle near the cone boundary for cones with a small opening angle. We calculate that, using currently available technology, subpicosecond SPPs with peak electric fields of the order of MV/cm on a 1 mm diameter wire can be obtained.
OSTI ID:
21192437
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 78; ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English