Title: Young’s double-slit interference enabled by surface plasmon polaritons: a review 

Author(s): Luo, XG (Luo, Xiangang); Pu, MB (Pu, Mingbo); Li, X (Li, Xiong); Guo, YH (Guo, Yinghui); Ma, XL (Ma, Xiaoliang) 

Source: JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS  Volume: 53  Issue: 5  Article Number: 053001  DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/ab50cd  Published: JAN 30 2020   

Abstract: Over the last 200 years, the double-slit interference experiments with photons and electrons have made significant contributions to the development of modern optics and physics. Besides the demonstration of the wave nature of fundamental particles, this so-called most beautiful experiment in physics also provides a universal tool to investigate the complex physics of light?matter interaction in structures. In this paper, we give a review of Young?s double-slit interference for photons, electrons, and especially for the collective excitation of photons and electrons, i.e. surface plasmon polaritons. It is shown that, besides various exotic quantum behaviors, the coupling of photons and electrons may also introduce many other new effects to the interference processes. These experiments not only reveal the basic properties of surface plasmons and other optical excitations involving both photons and electrons, but also provide helpful guidance for the design of functional optical devices that break the fundamental limitations, such as the diffraction limit and the inevitable restrictions set by the laws of reflection and refraction. 

ISSN: 0022-3727 

eISSN: 1361-6463