We report room temperature plasmonic nanolasers with low threshold on the order of 10 kW cm-2 corresponding to a pump density in the range of modern laser diodes. We systematically study their key parameters, including physical size, threshold, power consumption and lifetime and analyze these to determine a set of laws which suggest that plasmonic lasers can be more compact, faster with lower power consumption than photonic nanolasers when the cavity size approaches or surpasses the diffraction limit. Our study clarifies the long-standing debate over the viability of metal confinement and feedback strategies in laser technology and identifies situations where plasmonic lasers can have clear practical advantage.

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Renmin Ma, "Unusual scaling laws for plasmonic nanolasers (Conference Presentation)," Proc. SPIE 10921, Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XXIII, 109211I (Presented at SPIE OPTO: February 07, 2019; Published: 4 March 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2513802.6009881831001.