Open AccessSubwavelength topological structures resulting from surface two-plasmon resonance by femtosecond laser exposure solid surface
Author(s) -
Haiying Song,
Shibing Liu,
Haiyun Liu,
Yang Wang,
Tao Chen,
Xiangming Dong
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.24.012151
Subject(s) - femtosecond , materials science , laser , optics , surface plasmon , plasmon , surface plasmon polariton , fluence , surface plasmon resonance , ultrashort pulse , ripple , wavelength , physics , optoelectronics , nanoparticle , nanotechnology , quantum mechanics , voltage
We present that surface two-plasmon resonance (STPR) in electron plasma sheet produced by a femtosecond laser irradiating a solid surface is the self-formation mechanism of periodic subwavelength ripple structures. Peaks of overdense electrons, formed by resonant two-plasmon wave mode, pull bound ions out of the metal surface. Thus, the wave pattern of STPR is "carved" on the surface by Coulomb ablation (removal) due to periodic distributed strong electrostatic field produced by charge separation. To confirm the STPR model, we have performed analogical carving experiments by two femtosecond laser beams with perpendicular polarizations and time delay. The results explicitly show that two wave patterns of STPR generated by each beam are independently created in the pulse exposure area of a target surface, which is like the traditional "layer-carving" technique by comparison with the structured topological features. The time-scale of ablation dynamics and the electron temperature in ultrafast interaction are also verified by a time-resolved spectroscopy experiment and numerical simulation, respectively. The present model can self-consistently explain the formation of subwavelength ripple structures even with spatial periods shorter than half of the laser wavelength, shedding light on the understanding of ultrafast laser-solid interaction.