TY - GEN
T1 - Light-field control of electric current in metal-dielectric nano-circuits
AU - Schiffrin, Agustin
AU - Paasch-Colberg, Tim
AU - Gerster, Daniel
AU - Karpowicz, Nicholas
AU - Muhlbrandt, Sascha
AU - Reichert, Joachim
AU - Barth, Johannes V.
AU - Kienberger, Reinhard
AU - Ernstorfer, Ralph
AU - Krausz, Ferenc
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - The advent of intense few-cycle near infrared (NIR) laser pulses with stable and tunable carrier envelope phase (CEP) has enabled the control of electromagnetic fields with attosecond time precision [1]. Here we aim at exploiting these few-cycle NIR optical fields with well-defined CEP to generate and control the motion of charge carriers within heterogeneous nanoscaled solid state interfaces. We demonstrate the generation of directly measurable photocurrents in unbiased metal-dielectric-metal nanogaps, whose magnitude and directionality can be tuned with the laser CEP. This effect vanishes with the increase of the laser pulse duration. We claim that such phenomenon is the signature of optically induced electron tunneling at the heterogeneous interface, with subsequent acceleration of the charge carrier in the ultrashort laser field.
AB - The advent of intense few-cycle near infrared (NIR) laser pulses with stable and tunable carrier envelope phase (CEP) has enabled the control of electromagnetic fields with attosecond time precision [1]. Here we aim at exploiting these few-cycle NIR optical fields with well-defined CEP to generate and control the motion of charge carriers within heterogeneous nanoscaled solid state interfaces. We demonstrate the generation of directly measurable photocurrents in unbiased metal-dielectric-metal nanogaps, whose magnitude and directionality can be tuned with the laser CEP. This effect vanishes with the increase of the laser pulse duration. We claim that such phenomenon is the signature of optically induced electron tunneling at the heterogeneous interface, with subsequent acceleration of the charge carrier in the ultrashort laser field.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80052285491&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/CLEOE.2011.5943712
DO - 10.1109/CLEOE.2011.5943712
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:80052285491
SN - 9781457705335
T3 - 2011 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe and 12th European Quantum Electronics Conference, CLEO EUROPE/EQEC 2011
BT - 2011 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe and 12th European Quantum Electronics Conference, CLEO EUROPE/EQEC 2011
T2 - 2011 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe and 12th European Quantum Electronics Conference, CLEO EUROPE/EQEC 2011
Y2 - 22 May 2011 through 26 May 2011
ER -