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Extreme-ultraviolet light generation in plasmonic nanostructures

Nature Physics volume 9, pages 304–309 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Strong-field phenomena in optical nanostructures have enabled the integration of nanophotonics, plasmonics and attosecond spectroscopy. For example, tremendous excitement was sparked by reports of nanostructure-enhanced high-harmonic generation. However, there is growing tension between the great promise held by extreme-ultraviolet and attosecond-pulse generation on the nanoscale, and the lack of successful implementations. Here, we address this problem in a study of highly nonlinear optical processes in gas-exposed bow-tie nanoantennas. We find multiphoton- and strong-field-induced atomic excitation and ionization resulting in extreme-ultraviolet fluorescence, as well as third- and fifth-harmonic generation intrinsic to the nanostructures. Identifying the intensity-dependent spectral fingerprint of atomic fluorescence, we gauge local plasmonic fields. Whereas intensities sufficient for high-harmonic generation are indeed achieved in the near-field, the nanoscopic volume is found to prohibit an efficient conversion. Our results illustrate opportunities and challenges in highly nonlinear plasmonics and its extension to the extreme ultraviolet.

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Figure 1: Diagrams of the set-up and generation schemes.
Figure 2: Nanostructure-enhanced emission spectra.
Figure 3: Durability measurements.
Figure 4: Intensity-dependent reference measurements.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Y. Liu and K. R. Siefermann for their helpful participation in preparatory studies, D. R. Solli and G. Herink for fruitful discussions, P. Simon, E. Lugovoy and V. Radisch for technical support and equipment, and Venteon Femtosecond Laser Technologies for providing a laser oscillator for initial experiments. Financial support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG-ZUK 45/1 and SFB 755) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Materials Physics and Courant Research Center Nano-Spectroscopy and X-Ray Imaging, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

    M. Sivis, M. Duwe & C. Ropers

  2. Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification, University of Leipzig, 04318 Leipzig, Germany

    B. Abel

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  1. M. Sivis
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Contributions

M.S., B.A. and C.R. conceived and designed the experiment. M.S. and M.D. prepared the nanostructures and conducted the experiments. M.S., M.D. and C.R. analysed the measured data. M.S. and C.R. wrote the manuscript, with contributions from M.D. and B.A. All authors were involved in intensive discussions at all stages of the study.

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Correspondence to C. Ropers.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Sivis, M., Duwe, M., Abel, B. et al. Extreme-ultraviolet light generation in plasmonic nanostructures. Nature Phys 9, 304–309 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2590

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