Third-order nonlinear optical response in quantum dot–metal nanoparticle hybrid structures

Abstract

Third-order nonlinear optical response of a semiconductor quantum dot, modulated by the metal nanoparticle (MNP), has been studied by using the effective mass and the rotating wave approximation. Considering multiple effects in the local and nonlocal optical response of the MNP, the dependence of the dispersion and the absorption on the size of the hybrid system are investigated in detail. By controlling the geometrical parameters of the hybrid structure and the direction of the electric field polarization, a significant enhancement of the nonlinear response is shown. The enhancement factor is nearly two orders of the magnitude, which is consistent with the experiment. Compared to the results obtained with the local effect, the center frequency shows blueshift obviously in the case of the nonlocal effect. In particular, the presence of the MNP leads to a strong absorption band appearance, which promises applications in the field of light transmission and the optical switching.