Control of Surface Plasmon-Polaritons in Magnetoelectric Heterostructures

The paper is devoted to the investigation of the surface plasmon polaritons in metal-dielectric heterostructures containing materials with magnetoelectric properties. The analysis of various possible configurations shows that the magnetoelectric effect influences the plasmonic surface wave polarization, localization, and dispersion. The essential case of Cr
₂
O
₃
as a magnetoelectric dielectric is described in detail, revealing the switching between different regimes of magnetoelectric impact on plasmon-polaritons. Plasmonic heterostructures with magnetoelectric constituents can be used as a polarizationand dispersion-sensitive instrument to reveal the magnetoelectric coupling. Apart from that, the spinflop effect provides an efficient tool for control of the far-field optical response of plasmonic structures by the external magnetic field.