Plasmonic Nanolasers

This chapter reviews the recent progress on plasmonic nanolasers, and cover various aspects of nanolasers. It describes experimental demonstrations of these devices classified on the confinement method used for light amplification, including single particle, Fabry-Perot cavity, whispering gallery mode cavity, and metallic particle/hole array, followed by a summary of important parameters of nanolasers. Surface plasmons (SPs) or plasmonics are waves that exist at the interface between a conductor and a dielectric material. The properties of SP strongly depend on the metallic structure. SPs have two different properties in comparison with light waves. The mismatch momentum is needed to consider when using light for generating SPs. Plasmonic materials play an important role in a plasmonic cavity; therefore, choosing a suitable material is crucial for plasmonic lasing. Active materials with high optical gain are desired in a plasmonic laser because the optical losses of a plasmonic cavity are high. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Nikolay L. Kazanskiy.