Electric Spaser in the Extreme Quantum Limit

Dabing Li, Mark I. Stockman

Published 2012-11-02, updated 2013-01-31Version 2

We consider theoretically the spaser excited electrically via a nanowire with ballistic quantum conductance. We show that in the extreme quantum regime, i.e., for a single conductance-quantum nanowire, the spaser with the core made of common plasmonic metals, such as silver and gold, is fundamentally possible. For ballistic nanowires with multiple-quanta or non-quantized conductance, the performance of the spaser is enhanced in comparison with the extreme quantum limit. The electrically-pumped spaser is promising as an optical source, nanoamplifier, and digital logic device for optoelectronic information processing with speed ~100 GHz to ~100 THz.