Mechanical frequency and amplitude modulation of a quantum cascade laser integrated with a plasmonic nanoantenna.

Surface plasmons (SPs) can be generated at the interface between two materials having opposite signs of dielectric susceptibility. [ 1 ] This principle has recently been exploited in many applications, ranging from enhanced optical transmission (EOT), [ 2 ] which can be used for enhanced photodetection, [ 3 ] biosensing, [ 4 ] optical trapping of small particles [ 5 ] and bacteria, [ 6 ] and even detection of the optical gradient force. [ 7 ]