We theoretically investigate lasing action in plasmonic crystals incorporating optically pumped four-level gain media. By using detailed simulations based on a time-domain generalization of the finite-element method, we show that the excitation of dark plasmonic resonances (via the gain medium) enables accessing the optimal lasing characteristics of the considered class of systems. Moreover, our study reveals that, in general, arrays of nanowires feature lower lasing thresholds and larger slope efficiencies than those corresponding to periodic arrays of subwavelength apertures. These findings are of relevance for further engineering of active devices based on plasmonic crystals. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.91.041118 PACS number(s): 78.67. Pt, 73.20.Mf, 78.45.+h Coherent light generation at the nanoscale is one of the critical stepping stones for the ultimate control of the light fields. In this context, plasmonic structures have recently emerged as versatile platforms for achieving lasing action at length scales well below the diffraction limit [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Very recently, it has been demonstrated that plasmon-assisted lasing action is not restricted to single nanocavity systems, but can be also observed in structures supporting extended plasmonic resonances, such as periodic arrays of metallic nanoparticles [17] and periodic arrays of subwavelength apertures milled in a metallic film [18]. These works reported independently on the unique ability of the corresponding metallic periodic structure (plasmonic crystal) to collect all the lasing light produced at the nanoscale and emit it to the far field in the form of a collimated beam. Although in a closely related context a detailed study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of lasing in gain-enhanced plasmonic nano-fishnet structures has been reported [19], a general study that explores the lasing properties of plasmonic crystals from a unified perspective is-to our knowledge-still lacking. In this work we address this issue and present a fundamental theoretical analysis of the dynamics and steady-state characteristics of lasing action in plasmonic crystals consisting of periodic arrays of metallic nanowires and subwavelength apertures embedded in an optically pumped four-level gain medium.The insets of Figs. 1(a) and 1(b) render schematic views of the two model systems under study. For simplicity, we consider plasmonic crystals displaying one-dimensional periodicity along the x direction and continuous translational symmetry along the z direction (see the axes definition in the insets of Fig. 1). These structures support surface electromagnetic modes that resemble those decorating their two-dimensionally periodic counterparts [20] (this is particularly the case for thin-film plasmonic crystals, as the ones studied below). Therefore, the considered model systems are able to capture the fundamental physical phenomena governing the interaction of those surface modes with a four-level gain medium.The first analyzed configuration [in...