All-Optically Reconfigurable Plasmonic Metagrating for Ultrafast Diffraction Management

Hot-electron dynamics taking place in nanostructured materials upon irradiation with Is-laser pulses has been the subject of intensive research, leading to the emerging field of ultrafast nanophotonics. However, the most common description of nonlinear interaction with ultrashort laser pulses assumes a homogeneous spatial distribution for the photogenerated carriers. Here we theoretically show that the inhomogeneous evolution of the hot carriers at the nanoscale can disclose unprecedented opportunities for ultrafast diffraction management. In particular, we design a highly symmetric plasmonic metagrating capable of a transient symmetry breaking driven by hot electrons. The subsequent power imbalance between symmetrical diffraction orders is calculated to exceed 20% under moderate (similar to 2 mJ/cm(2)) laser fluence. Our theoretical investigation also indicates that the recovery time of the symmetric configuration can be controlled by tuning the geometry of the metaatom, and can be as fast as 2 ps for electrically connected configurations.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the hot-electron dynamics in nanostructured materials upon irradiation with Is-laser pulses and explores the opportunities for ultrafast diffraction management through the inhomogeneous evolution of hot carriers. The design of a highly symmetric plasmonic metagrating capable of transient symmetry breaking and the control of recovery time for symmetric configurations are discussed in detail.