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Plasmonic Radiation from Spin‐Momentum Locking
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Plasmonic Radiation from Spin‐Momentum Locking

Yu‐Lu Lei, Juan‐Feng Zhu, Zi‐Wen Zhang, Ji‐Tao Yang, Feng Zhang, Hong‐Sheng Chen, Chao‐Hai Du and Juanfeng Zhu
Advanced science, Vol.11(40), pp.e2406089-n/a
01/10/2024
PMID: 39222373

Abstract

chirality free‐electron radiation spin‐momentum locking spoof surface plasmons
Chiral light emission plays a key role in sensing, tomography, quantum communication, among others. Whereas, achieving highly pure, tunable chirality emission across a broad spectrum currently presents significant challenges. Free‐electron radiation emerges as a promising solution to surpass these barriers, especially in hard‐to‐reach regimes. Here, chiral free‐electron radiation is presented by exploiting the spin‐momentum locking (SML) property of spoof surface plasmons (SSPs). When the phase velocity of free electrons matches that of the SSPs, the SSPs can be excited. By implementing wavenumber compensation through perturbations, the confined SSPs are transformed into free‐space free‐electron radiation. Owing to the law of angular momentum conservation, this process converts the transverse spin angular momentum of SSPs into the longitudinal spin angular momentum of free‐electron radiation during the process, producing pure, tunable, and chiral free‐electron radiation across a broad spectrum. This method achieves an optimal degree of circular polarization approaching −1. The innovative methodology can be adapted to SML‐enabled guided states or silicon photonics platforms, offering new avenues for achieving chiral emission. This study presents a novel method for chiral free‐electron radiation by leveraging spin‐momentum locking (SML) in spoof surface plasmons (SSPs). Through phase‐matching, moving electrons excite SSPs along the modified structure, thus diffracted into Smith‐Purcell radiation (SPR). This approach yields tunable chiral SPR with extensive polarization control and frequency tunability, representing a significant advancement toward achieving near‐unity chiral radiation.
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https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202406089View
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