Nonreciprocal plasmons in one-dimensional carbon nanostructures

Abstract

The directional control of light in miniaturized plasmonic waveguides holds appealing possibilities for emerging nanophotonic technologies, but is hindered by the intrinsic reciprocal optical response of conventional plasmonic materials. While the ability of graphene to sustain large electrical currents shows promise for nonreciprocal plasmonics, studies have been limited to extended samples characterized by linear electrical dispersion. Here, we theoretically explore quantum finite-size and nonlocal effects in the nonreciprocal response of mesoscale plasmonic waveguides comprised of drift-biased graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Using atomistic simulation methods based on tight-binding electronic states and self-consistent mean-field optical response, we reveal that a moderate electrical bias can significantly break reciprocity for propagation of guided plasmon modes in GNRs and CNTs exhibiting electronic band gaps. The excitation by a nearby point dipole emitter and subsequent propagation of guided plasmon modes can thus be actively controlled by the applied current, which can further be leveraged to mediate nonlocal interactions of multiple emitters. Our results establish graphene nanostructures as a promising atomically thin platform for nonreciprocal nanophotonics.