Quantum Plasmonic Circuits

Interactions between light and matter can be dramatically modified by concentrating light into a small volume for a long period of time. Gaining control over such interaction is critical for realizing many schemes for classical and quantum information processing, including optical and quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and metrology and sensing. Plasmonic structures are capable of confining light to nanometer scales far below the diffraction limit, thereby providing a promising route for strong coupling between light and matter, as well as miniaturization of photonic circuits. At the same time, however, the performance of plasmonic circuits is limited by losses and poor collection efficiency, presenting unique challenges that need to be overcome for quantum plasmonic circuits to become a reality. In this paper, we survey recent progress in controlling emission from quantum emitters using plasmonic structures, as well as efforts to engineer surface plasmon propagation and design plasmonic circuits using these elements.