Optical properties of ensembles of realistic quantum emitters coupled to plasmonic systems are studied by using adequate models that can take into account full atomic geometry. In particular, the coherent effects such as forming “dark states,” optical pumping, coherent Raman scattering, and the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) are revisited in the presence of metallic nanoparticles. It is shown that the dark states are still formed but they have more complicated structure, and the optical pumping and the STIRAP cannot be employed in the vicinity of plasmonic nanostructures. Also, there is a huge difference in the behavior of the local atomic polarization and the atomic polarization averaged over an ensemble of atoms homogeneously spread near nanoparticles. The average polarization is strictly related to the polarization induced by the external field, while the local polarization can be very different from the one induced by the external field. This is important for the excitation of single molecules, e.g., different components of scattering from single molecules can be used for their efficient detection.

• Received 27 January 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.93.043405