Nano Lett. 13, 4779–4784 (2013)

An important goal in nanophotonics is to realize more densely integrated optoelectronic circuits and devices by routing information between different locations using tightly confined light. Although much is known about dissipative losses, radiation leakage from the sharp bends in such applications requires further investigation. Now, David Solis Jr. and colleagues from Rice University in Texas, USA, have investigated light propagation along linear chains of spaced 54-nm-diameter silver particles. They were able to image propagation in the far field using a fluorescence technique that permanently records the near field of the plasmons by bleaching fluorophores coated onto the waveguide. Interestingly, when the team introduced a 90° bend into the linear chain of particles, the propagation distance of 633-nm light along the chain was 7.8 μm, which, within the uncertainty of the measurements, is the same as that in a straight waveguide.