Pulse nonlinear optical switching in plasmonic structures

Abstract

We study switching operation in a plasmonic coupler using fs-pulses. Simulations using the finite difference time-domain method (FDTD) are carried out showing how the output changes as the pulse energy increases raising from zero to a maximum. Both cases of neglecting and realistic losses are considered in order to compare. The work is intended to explore the use of pulses for all-optical signal processing in a potentially interesting system for integrated photonics at the nanometric scale.