Two-Dimensional Drexhage Experiment for Electric- and Magnetic-Dipole Sources on Plasmonic Interfaces

Fifty years ago, Drexhage et al. showed how photon emission from an electric dipole can be modified by a nearby mirror. Here, we study the two-dimensional analog for surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). We print Eu^{3+}-doped nanoparticles, which act as both electric- and magnetic-dipole sources of SPPs, near plasmonic reflectors on flat Ag films. We measure modified SPP radiation patterns and emission rates as a function of reflector distance and source symmetry. The results, which agree with an analytical self-interference model, provide simple strategies to control SPP radiation in plasmonic devices.