Emitters as probes of a complex plasmo-photonic mode

Abstract

We report on the experimental observation of an asymmetric wavelength-dependence of the emission rate enhancement in a two-dimensional plasmo-photonic crystal. This feature strongly contrasts with the traditional Lorentzian line shape exhibited at a resonance by the Purcell factor. The unusual dispersive behavior is shown to be reproducible for different combinations of emitters and structures measured in different geometries. It is further retrieved from finite-difference time-domain simulations and is dominantly attributed to the fact that a hybridized mode, resulting from the coupling of a Bragg mode and a surface plasmon polariton mode, is coupled to the emitters. Further studies of the emission detuning by hybrid plasmonic–photonic structures are expected to benefit many related fields and notably sensing and bio-sensing technologies.