Coherent control of low loss surface polaritons

Abstract

We propose fast all-optical control of surface polaritons (SPs) by placing an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) medium at an interface between two materials. EIT provides longitudinal compression and a slow group velocity while matching properties of the two materials at the interface provides strong transverse confinement. In particular we show that an EIT medium near the interface between a dielectric and a negative-index metamaterial can establish tight longitudinal and transverse confinement plus extreme slowing of SPs, in both transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations, while simultaneously avoiding losses.