Theory of molecular excitation and relaxation near a plasmonic device

Gérard Colas Des Francs (1) , Christian Girard (2) , Thierry Laroche (2) , Gaëtan Lévêque (3) , Olivier C. Martin (3)

1 ICB - Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne
2 CEMES - Centre d'élaboration de matériaux et d'études structurales
3 EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

The new optical concepts currently developed in the research field of plasmonics can have significant practical applications for integrated optical device miniaturization as well as for molecular sensing applications. Particularly, these new devices can offer interesting opportunities for optical addressing of quantum systems. In this article, we develop a realistic model able to explore the various functionalities of a plasmon device connected to a single fluorescing molecule. We show that this theoretical method provides a useful framework to understand how quantum and plasmonic entities interact in a small area. Thus, the fluorescence signal evolution from excitation control to relaxation control depending on the incident light power is clearly observed.

Domains: Micro and nanotechnologies/Microelectronics

Gérard Colas Des Francs, Christian Girard, Thierry Laroche, Gaëtan Lévêque, Olivier C. Martin. Theory of molecular excitation and relaxation near a plasmonic device. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1998-2015), 2007, 127 (3), pp.034701. ⟨10.1063/1.2748753⟩. ⟨hal-00489089⟩