Second-order surface optical nonlinear response of plasmonic tip axially excited via ultrafast vector beams

Abstract

Abstract We present the second-order surface optical nonlinear response of a plasmonic tip under axial excitation of ultrafast vector beams. Theoretical calculations show that the tip has an optimized nanofocusing characteristic under axial excitation of the radial vector beam (RVB), and the electric-field intensity enhancement factor is higher than that of linear polarization beam (LPB) and azimuthal vector beam (AVB) excitations. In the experiment, the second harmonic spectra are clearly measured under three excitation beams. The intensity of the second harmonic obtained via RVB excitation is one order of magnitude higher than that of LPB and AVB excitations.