Topology of plasmon-polariton vortices on an adaptive mirror

Abstract

TM modes of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) can be excited on the surface of the metal layer of an adaptive mirror by an incident bulk electromagnetic wave. A part of the energy of the electromagnetic wave is involved in the excitation of SPP modes. E-modes of SPP are excited at reflection of TM modes from the boundaries of deformed regions on the adaptive mirror surface. The superposition of TM and E modes leads to generation of SPP vortices at singular points of the interference field. The topology of the SPP vortices changes depending on the curvature of the boundaries of deformed regions on the adaptive mirror surface. In this case, SPP vortices appear and disappear in the components of the Poynting vector, and the screw dislocations emerge at the mirror-reflected wavefront at the singular points of the field. Generation of SPP vortices on the metal mirror surface should be taken into account when calculating the wavefront correction parameters in adaptive systems.