LAUSR

Integrating plasmonic nanowires into optical fibers yields hybrid fibers with nanophotonic elements, but so far the inevitable imperfections along the nanowires have prevented plasmon propagation over practical distances. This study reveals that the long-range surface plasmon of a gold nanowire inside a step-index fiber does $n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t$ suffer from significant scattering losses, thanks to a self-recovery mechanism provided by the surrounding fiber core. The ultrafast nonlinearity of gold in the near infrared is measured over propagation distances of more than 1 cm. This advance points to improved fiber-based plasmonics for nanoscale nonlinear light sources.