Active loaded plasmonic antennas at terahertz frequencies: Optical control of their capacitive-inductive coupling

We demonstrate the photogeneration of loaded dipole plasmonic antennas resonating at THz frequencies. This is achieved by the patterned optical illumination of a semiconductor surface using a spatial light modulator. Our experimental results indicate the existence of capacitive and inductive coupling of localized surface plasmon polaritons. By varying the load in the antenna gap we are able to switch between both coupling regimes. Furthermore, we determine experimentally the effective impedance of the antenna load and verify that this load can be effectively expressed as a LC resonance formed by a THz inductor and capacitor connected in a parallel circuit configuration. These findings are theoretically supported by full electrodynamic calculations and by simple concepts of lumped circuit theory. Our results open new possibilities for the design of active THz circuits for optoelectronic devices.