Modification of Kerr nonlinearity in a four-level quantum system near a plasmonic nanostructure

We present a theoretical study for the Kerr nonlinearity of a four-level double-V-type quantum system near a two-dimensional array of metal-coated dielectric nanospheres. In the quantum system under study one V-type transition is influenced by the interaction with surface plasmons while the other V-type transition interacts with free-space vacuum. The quantum system interacts with a linearly polarized weak laser field that couples the lowest state with the upper states in the free-space transitions. We show that the Kerr nonlinearity is strongly influenced by the presence of the plasmonic nanostructure and is particularly sensitive to the distance between the quantum system and the plasmonic nanostructure.