Measuring shot noise can reveal the magnitude of the effective charge of carriers. Shot shot noise in La2-xSrxCuO4/La2CuO4/La2-xSrxCuO4 tunnel junctions is enhanced above the single-charge expectation at temperatures and voltages above the supeconducting scale, implying pairing of carriers at energies without superconductivity. This work, led by Panpan Zhou, was reported in Nature..
Gratings allow light to excite propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes. When these SPPs reach a tunneling nanogap, they can induce hot electron tunneling, detected via open-circuit voltage. Local junction symmetry matters, as SPPs propagating in one direction can lead to hot electrons flowing the opposite direction. This work, led by Charlotte Evans, was reported in J. Phys. Chem. C..
We can detect propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) electrically throught their heating of the metal. Remotely launching these SPPs gets optical energy to a nanoscale constriction while minimizing the local temperature increase (by 60x compared to direct illumination of the constriction). This work, led by Ms. Charlotte Evans, was reported in Nano Lett..