Quantum Plasmonics

Our superconducting nanowire detectors have also found a use as single plasmon detectors, we have demonstrated direct single plasmon detection using superconducting nanowires. This possiblity to directly detect single plasmons opens exciting possiblities where emitters, waveguides and detectors are all integrated on a chip. This ‘dark optics’ allows for a massive scaling down of quantum optics experiments and will also enable novel non-linear optics experiments making use of the very high electric field intensities at the single plasmon level.