Transverse magnetic supermodes in plasmonic optical fibers excited by radially polarized light.

The overlap integrals method, with a fully vectorial formulation, is used to model the selective excitation of the TM mode in a few-mode optical fiber with a radially polarized donut beam, and its coupling to guided modes having a plasmonic character (supermodes). The analyses were performed on a waveguide formed as a step-index few-mode optical fiber coated with a thin gold film, at an operating wavelength of 1310 nm. The waveguide was found to support modes having optical fiber, circular metallic waveguide, and surface plasmon characteristics, depending on geometrical and material parameters. Three purely bound transverse magnetic (radially polarized) supermodes were identified: Two symmetric, labeled sTM and sTM modes, and one asymmetric, labeled a mode, where symmetry pertains to the transverse electric field distribution over the gold film. The effective mode indices of the supermodes were studied as a function of the thickness of the gold film and its proximity to the fiber core. Considerations for the selective excitation of the sTM mode are discussed along with its possible applications. The transmittance of the supermodes is found to be robust even at sharp waveguide transitions. The results predict that effective excitation of TM supermodes with strong plasmonic character, without significant coupling losses, can be achieved by exciting the fiber with a radially polarized donut beam.