Optical resonance in a narrow slit in a thick metallic screen

Controlled Dispersion and Transmission-Absorption of Optical Energy through Scaled Metallic Plate Structures

The dispersive feature of metals at higher frequencies has opened up a plethora of applications in plasmonics. Besides, Extraordinary Optical Transmission (EOT) reported by Ebbesen et al. in the late 90's has sparked particular interest among the scientific community through the unprecedented and singular way to steer and enhance optical energies. The purpose of the present paper is to shed light on the effect of the scaling parameter over the whole structure, to cover the range from the near-infrared to the visible, on the transmission and the absorption properties. We further bring specific attention to the dispersive properties, easily extractable from the resonance frequency of the drilled tiny slits within the structure. A perfect matching between the analytical Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA), and the numerical Finite Elements Method (FEM) to describe the underlying mechanisms is obtained.

Nano-Diamond-Enhanced Integrated Response of a Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing is a real-time detection technique for measuring biomolecular interactions on gold surfaces. This study presents a novel approach using nano-diamonds (NDs) on a gold nano-slit array to obtain an extraordinary transmission (EOT) spectrum for SPR biosensing. We used anti-bovine serum albumin (anti-BSA) to bind NDs for chemical attachment to a gold nano-slit array. The covalently bound NDs shifted the EOT response depending on their concentration. The number of ND-labeled molecules attached to the gold nano-slit array was quantified from the change in the EOT spectrum. The concentration of anti-BSA in the 35 nm ND solution sample was much lower than that in the anti-BSA-only sample (approximately 1/100). With the help of 35 nm NDs, we were able to use a lower concentration of analyte in this system and obtained better signal responses. The responses of anti-BSA-linked NDs had approximately a 10-fold signal enhancement compared to anti-BSA alone. This approach has the advantage of a simple setup and microscale detection area, which makes it suitable for applications in biochip technology.

Funneling of Oblique Incident Light through Subwavelength Metallic Slits

Light funneling determines how enhanced energy flows into subwavelength slits. In contrast to the previous research on oblique incident light, this study reveals that light funneling in the slits can be highly asymmetric, even at small angles. This mechanism is explained by polarized fields and charges, which are induced using Poynting vectors. It is shown that when light is obliquely incident to the slits perforated in a perfect electric conductor, asymmetrical fields and charges accumulate at the upper apex corners of the left (right) sides. When light is incident from the left (right) side, more (less) induced fields and charges accumulate in the left (right) slit corner so that the funneling width, area, and energy flow at the left (right) side increases (decreases).

SPP standing waves within plasmonic nanocavities

Surface plasmons usually take two forms: surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) and localized surface plasmons (LSP). Recent experiments demonstrate an interesting plasmon mode within plasmonic gaps, showing distinct characters from the two usual forms. In this investigation, by introducing a fundamental concept of SPP standing wave and an analytical model, we reveal the nature of the recently reported plasmon modes. The analytical model includes SPP propagating and SPP reflection within a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) cavity, which is rechecked and supplemented by numerical simulations. We systematically analyze SPP standing waves within various nanocavities. During the discussion, some unusual phenomena have been explained. For example, the hot spot of a nanodimer could be off-tip, depending on the order of standing wave mode; and that a nanocube on metal film can be viewed as a nanocube dimer with the same separation. And many other interesting phenomena have been discussed, such as dark mode of SPP standing wave and extraordinary optical transmission. The study gives a comprehensive understanding of SPP standing waves, and may promote the applications of cavity plasmons in ultrasensitive bio-sensings.

Resolving the subwavelength width of nanoslits by full-Stokes polarization analysis of scattered light

Due to the diffraction limit, subwavelength nanoslits (whose width is strictly smaller than λ/2) are hard to resolve by optical microscopy. Here, we overcome the diffraction limit by measuring the full Stokes parameters of the scattered field of the subwavelength nanoslits with varying width under the illumination of a linearly-polarized laser with a 45° polarization orientation angle. Because of the depolarization effect arising from the different phase delay and amplitude transmittance for TM polarization (perpendicular to the long axis of slit) and TE polarization (parallel to the long axis of slit), the state of polarization (SOP) of the scattered light strongly depends on the slit width for subwavelength nanoslits. After correcting for residual background light, the nanoslit width measured by the SOP of scattered light is consistent with the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurement. The simulation and experiment in this work demonstrate a new far-field optical technique to determine the width of subwavelength nanoslits by studying the SOP of the scattered light.

Ultra-low threshold lasing through phase front engineering via a metallic circular aperture

Semiconductor lasers with extremely low threshold power require a combination of small volume active region with high-quality-factor cavities. For ridge lasers with highly reflective coatings, an ultra-low threshold demands significantly suppressing the diffraction loss at the facets of the laser. Here, we demonstrate that introducing a subwavelength aperture in the metallic highly reflective coating of a laser can correct the phase front, thereby counter-intuitively enhancing both its modal reflectivity and transmissivity at the same time. Theoretical and experimental results manifest a decreasing in the mirror loss by over 40% and an increasing in the transmissivity by 10⁴. Implementing this method on a small-cavity quantum cascade laser, room-temperature continuous-wave lasing operation at 4.5 μm wavelength with an electrical consumption power of only 143 mW is achieved. Our work suggests possibilities for future portable applications and can be implemented in a broad range of optoelectronic systems.

Low threshold lasing is widely required, especially for portable systems. Here the authors design a circular subwavelength metallic aperture in a QCL to shape its phase front and control diffraction losses, which in turn allows a lower threshold dissipation power, enabling the fabrication of shorter cavities.

Universal Behavior of the Scattering Matrix Near Thresholds in Photonics

Scattering thresholds and their associated spectral square root branch points are ubiquitous in photonics. In this Letter, we show that the scattering matrix has a simple universal behavior near scattering thresholds. We use unitarity, reciprocity, and time-reversal symmetry to construct a two-parameter model for a two-port scattering matrix near a threshold. We demonstrate this universal behavior in three different optical systems, namely, a photonic crystal slab, a planar dielectric interface, and a junction between metallic waveguides of different widths.

Refractive index sensor based on a Tamm Fabry-Perot hybrid resonance

A highly sensitive refractive index sensor is proposed by using the resonant coupling of a Tamm state to a Fabry-Perot resonance in slits periodically pierced in a metal film. This new hybrid resonance exists at the interface between a dielectric Bragg mirror and a subwavelength metal grating. Contrary to a classic Tamm plasmon, it is sensitive to the ambient media refractive index due to its confinement inside the grating slits. The proposed sensor output can be either the reflected intensity or preferably the wavelength, and its sensitivity and figure of merit are numerically investigated with the help of rigorous coupled wave analysis. The sensitivity of the studied sensor is 87 nm/RIU for a refractive index range from 1.25 to 1.38, and, at the expense of the resolution, it can reach up to 160 nm/RIU for a grating duty cycle of 50%. The figure of merit is around ${{7.5}}\;{{\rm{RIU}}^{- 1}}$ with a large measuring range. The index sensor performances and operating resonance wavelength can be modified by adjusting the grating geometric parameters (height and duty cycle). The possibility to achieve wavelength modulation in any spectral range makes the proposed grating Tamm structure an attractive candidate to design refractive index sensors and photonic components in the infrared and terahertz domains.

Boundary-layer effects on electromagnetic and acoustic extraordinary transmission through narrow slits

We study the problem of resonant extraordinary transmission of electromagnetic and acoustic waves through subwavelength slits in an infinite plate, whose thickness is close to a half-multiple of the wavelength. We build on the matched-asymptotics analysis of Holley & Schnitzer (2019 Wave Motion 91, 102381 (doi:10.1016/j.wavemoti.2019.102381)), who considered a single-slit system assuming an idealized formulation where dissipation is neglected and the electromagnetic and acoustic problems are analogous. We here extend that theory to include thin dissipative boundary layers associated with finite conductivity of the plate in the electromagnetic problem and viscous and thermal effects in the acoustic problem, considering both single-slit and slit-array configurations. By considering a distinguished boundary-layer scaling where dissipative and diffractive effects are comparable, we develop accurate analytical approximations that are generally valid near resonance; the electromagnetic-acoustic analogy is preserved up to a single parameter that is provided explicitly for both scenarios. The theory is shown to be in excellent agreement with GHz-microwave and kHz-acoustic experiments in the literature.

Sharp resonances in terahertz free-standing three-dimensional metallic woven meshes

Free-standing structures that do not require any holder or substrate show high levels of flexibility and stretchability and hence are well-suited for THz applications. In this work, a free-standing three-dimensional metallic woven mesh is experimentally and numerically investigated at terahertz frequencies. Such mesh fabricated by weaving techniques exhibits sharp Fano-like resonances, which has not been found in previous studies. Investigation results indicate that the high Q resonances originate from the bending effect in bent wires, which can be termed as Wood's anomalies. The resonance field longitudinally covers the input and output end faces of the woven mesh, thereby obtaining a large field volume. These properties in this kind of meshes are well suited for wave manipulation and biomolecular sensing in the terahertz regime.

Absorption enhancement in all-semiconductor plasmonic cavity integrated THz quantum well infrared photodetectors

The light coupling properties of all-semiconductor plasmonic cavity integrated THz quantum well infrared photodetectors were studied for absorption enhancement of the quantum wells. The all-semiconductor plasmonic cavity is constructed by heavily doped GaAs with a plasmonic behavior in the THz regime. The plasmonic behavior of GaAs was thoroughly studied by taking into account the carrier density dependent effective mass of electrons. An optimal doping level for GaAs to be the most metallic is selected since the plasma frequency of the doped GaAs varies nonmonotonically with the carrier density. By tuning the absorption competition between the quantum wells and the doped GaAs meanwhile keeping the system at a critical coupling status, the absorptance of the quantum wells is prominently enhanced by 13.2 times compared to that in a standard device. The all-semiconductor plasmonic cavity integrated quantum well photodetectors can be polarization sensitive (polarization extinction ratio > 900) when the plasmonic cavity is shaped into an anisotropic form. The good tolerance of the incident angle is favored for wide-field infrared detection. The GaAs plasmonic cavities are demonstrated to be effective when integrated at a pixel level, indicating a good compatibility with focal plane arrays.

Transforming terahertz plasmonics within subwavelength hole arrays into enhanced terahertz mission via Smith-Purcell effect

We illustrate the transformation of terahertz plasmonics within an array of rectangular sub-wavelength holes (RSHs) into coherent and enhanced terahertz emission via Smith-Purcell effect. The radiative plasmonic modes within each RSH of the array are successively excited by an free-electron beam, which then generate coherent radiation by constructive interference. Compared with the case without taking plasmonics into consideration, the radiation field intensity is enhanced by more than an order of magnitude, affording a promising way of developing high-power terahertz radiation. We perform detailed analysis of the plasmonic modes within the RSH by using the dielectric waveguide theory, and the results are verified by numerical simulations. The influences of the RSH parameters on the radiation properties are revealed and discussed.

Terahertz and infrared nonlocality and field saturation in extreme-scale nanoslits

With advances in nanofabrication techniques, extreme-scale nanophotonic devices with critical gap dimensions of just 1-2 nm have been realized. The plasmonic response in these extreme-scale gaps is significantly affected by nonlocal electrodynamics, quenching field enhancement and blue-shifting the resonance with respect to a purely local behavior. The extreme mismatch in lengthscales, ranging from millimeter-long wavelengths to atomic-scale charge distributions, poses a daunting computational challenge. In this paper, we perform computations of a single nanoslit using the hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin method to solve Maxwell's equations augmented with the hydrodynamic model for the conduction-band electrons in noble metals. This method enables the efficient simulation of the slit while accounting for the nonlocal interactions between electrons and the incident light. We study the impact of gap width, film thickness and electron motion model on the plasmon resonances of the slit for two different frequency regimes: (1) terahertz frequencies, which lead to 1000-fold field amplitude enhancements that saturate as the gap shrinks; and (2) the near- and mid-infrared regime, where we show that narrow gaps and thick films cluster Fabry-Pérot (FP) resonances towards lower frequencies, derive a dispersion relation for the first FP resonance, in addition to observing that nonlocality boosts transmittance and reduces enhancement.

Analysis of Propagation Characteristics along an Array of Silver Nanorods Using Dielectric Constants from Experimental Data and the Drude-Lorentz Model

In this study, the Fourier series expansion method (FSEM) was employed to calculate the complex propagation constants of plasma structures consisting of infinitely long, silver nanorod arrays in the range of 180–1900 nm, and the characteristics of the complex propagation constant were analyzed in depth. According to the results of FSEM using dielectric constants from Johnson experimental data, a multi-mode frequency band appears in the propagation stage, which can be adopted to achieve a multi-mode communication, multi-mode transceiver, integrated filter with single multi-mode combination. In the meantime, the comparison between the three sets of results with only single mode transmission of the generalized multipole technique (GMT) using dielectric constants from Johnson experimental data, FSEM using dielectric constants from Palik experimental data, and FSEM using dielectric function from Drude–Lorentz model suggested that the results of the four sets of complex propagation constants were well consistent with each other. Furthermore, a finite array of only 40 silver nanorods was studied, and the ability of guided waves when a finite array is excited by a plane wave at a specific wavelength was explored. According to different guiding abilities—propagation, attenuation, and cut off, it can be applied to waveguides, sensor, filters, etc.

Nanoantenna enhanced terahertz interaction of biomolecules

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a non-invasive, non-contact and label-free technique for biological and chemical sensing as THz-spectra are less energetic and lie in the characteristic vibration frequency regime of proteins and DNA molecules. However, THz-TDS is less sensitive for the detection of micro-organisms of size equal to or less than λ/100 (where, λ is the wavelength of the incident THz wave), and molecules in extremely low concentration solutions (like, a few femtomolar). After successful high-throughput fabrication of nanostructures, nanoantennas were found to be indispensable in enhancing the sensitivity of conventional THz-TDS. These nanostructures lead to strong THz field enhancement when in resonance with the absorption spectrum of absorptive molecules, causing significant changes in the magnitude of the transmission spectrum, therefore, enhancing the sensitivity and allowing the detection of molecules and biomaterials in extremely low concentration solutions. Herein, we review the recent developments in ultra-sensitive and selective nanogap biosensors. We have also provided an in-depth review of various high-throughput nanofabrication techniques. We also discussed the physics behind the field enhancements in the sub-skin depth as well as sub-nanometer sized nanogaps. We introduce finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation tools to study THz biomolecular interactions. Finally, we provide a comprehensive account of nanoantenna enhanced sensing of viruses (like, H1N1) and biomolecules such as artificial sweeteners which are addictive and carcinogenic.

Spectral and temporal modulations of femtosecond SPP wave packets induced by resonant transmission/reflection interactions with metal-insulator-metal nanocavities

To study the dynamical optical interactions of nano-scaled metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures in temporal-frequency domain, femtosecond surface plasmon polariton (SPP) wave packets propagate over a surface with a MIM structure. The resonance nature of the SPP-cavity interaction is reflected as strong modulations in the spectra of transmitted and reflected SPP wavepackets, which show peaks and valleys, respectively, corresponding to the MIM cavity's eigenmode. These features indicate that the MIM structure acts as a Fabry-Pérot etalon-type spectrum filter. With appropriate tuning of the resonance frequency of the cavity, one can extract a wave packet with a narrower time duration and temporally shifted intensity peak.

Analytical analysis of spectral sensitivity of plasmon resonances in a nanocavity

Metallic nanocavities exhibit extremely high spectral sensitivity to geometrical variations and are promising for sensing applications. Here, the sensitivity of a cubic dimer cavity, to picometer gap variation, is analysed in a model, which takes into account the phase shift of scattering at the boundaries and the quantum tunnelling effect in the small gap limit. The resonance wavelengths are expressed in terms of the plasmon frequency, the medium dielectric function, and the geometry of the gap. The sensitivity of the resonance wavelength to the gap width variation is found to be as high as 1 nm pm-1. While the resonance wavelengths depend on the materials' dielectric functions, the sensitivity is found to scale universally as a function of gap distance. In the sub-nanometer regime, electron tunnelling across the gap starts to suppress the plasmonic field, setting the limit of sensitivity of such a dimer cavity. The results given by the analytical model are complemented by numerical simulations using Comsol. Our model reveals the origin and universal behaviours of the sensitivity of the cavity plasmon and provides guidance for the design of new sensitive rulers at the picometer scale.

Long-distance shift of ultrasonic beam using a thin plate with periodic gratings

We achieved the shift of ultrasonic beam over a long distance by guided waves through a brass plate with two groups of periodical gratings on the surface. Using Schlieren imaging, we experimentally observed the propagation of ultrasonic waves through this structure. In addition, simulations were performed using the finite-element method. Both the experimental and simulation results revealed that the shift of ultrasonic beam can be realized in this structure. We further investigated the effect of the shift distance and the size of the gratings on the shift efficiency, and discussed the mechanism. The proposed structure has potential applications in non-destructive evaluation.

Threshold-less and focused Cherenkov radiations using sheet electron-beams to drive sub-wavelength hole arrays

Cherenkov radiation (CR) was one of the most famous discoveries in the last century and still has broad applications in modern physics. Recently, threshold-less and reversed CRs have attracted even more attention thanks to their unique characteristics and application prospects. Here we illustrated a threshold-less CR in vacuo by using a sheet free-electron beam (FEB) to excite an oblique-lined sub-wavelength hole array. It is achieved by setting the effective velocity of emitters-resonant modes successively excited by the sheet FEB-to be greater than the speed of light in vacuo. By letting the sub-wavelength holes line up along a designed curve, we further demonstrated a focused CR with radiation being convergent to specific focusing spots, which can be located at any designed positions in space, achieving backward (reversed) as well as forward (normal) CRs in effect. This focused CR does not have the conventional Cherenkov cone, and its intensity at the focusing spot is greatly enhanced. These newly revealed threshold-less and focused CRs may lead to broad interest and attractive applications, especially for developing integrated and focused light sources in the terahertz region.

Deep-subwavelength control of acoustic waves in an ultra-compact metasurface lens

Space-coiling acoustic metasurfaces have been largely exploited and shown their outstanding wave manipulation capacity. However, they are complex in realization and cannot directly manipulate acoustic near-fields by controlling the effective path length. Here, we propose a comprehensive paradigm for acoustic metasurfaces to extend the wave manipulations to both far- and near-fields and markedly reduce the implementation complexity with a simple structure, which consists of an array of deep-subwavelength-spaced slits perforated in a thin plate. A semi-analytical approach for such a design is established using a microscopic coupled-wave model, which reveals that the acoustic diffractive pattern at every slit exit is the sum of the initial transmission and the secondary scatterings of the coupled fields from other slits. For proof-of-concept, we examine two metasurface lenses for sound focusing within and beyond the diffraction limit. This work provides a feasible strategy for creating ultra-compact acoustic components with versatile potentials.

Here, the authors propose an acoustic metasurface design to extend the wave manipulations to both far- and near-fields while reducing the complexity with a simple structure, which consists of an array of deep-subwavelength-spaced slits perforated in a thin plate.

Bandwidth broadening of a graphene-based circular polarization converter by phase compensation

We present a broadband tunable circular polarization converter composed of a single graphene sheet patterned with butterfly-shaped holes, a dielectric spacer, and a 7-layer graphene ground plane. It can convert a linearly polarized wave into a circularly polarized wave in reflection mode. The polarization converter can be dynamically tuned by varying the Fermi energy of the single graphene sheet. Furthermore, the 7-layer graphene acting as a ground plane can modulate the phase of its reflected wave by controlling the Femi energy, which provides constructive interference condition at the surface of the single graphene sheet in a broad bandwidth and therefore significantly broadens the tunable bandwidth of the proposed polarization converter.

Extraordinary optical transmission through a rectangular hole filled with extreme uniaxial metamaterials

This Letter presents a theory of extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) through a rectangular hole filled with the extreme uniaxial metamaterials with infinite longitudinal components of permittivity (ϵ_z) and permeability (μ_z). We demonstrate theoretically and numerically that a number of high-order transverse electromagnetic (TEM) modes can be supported by such a structure, and that, more interestingly, their normalized transmittance can be remarkably enhanced due to the Fabry-Perot resonance effect. A set of illustrative examples has been provided to demonstrate that such an EOT property could be explored for the purpose of subwavelength-resolution imaging.

Terahertz polarization spectroscopy in the near-field zone of a sub-wavelength-scale metal slit

Time-domain spectroscopy is used to probe the polarization dependence of the terahertz-frequency absorption of α-lactose molecules in the near-field vicinity of a sub-wavelength-scale metal slit. The experimental result finds that the 0.53-THz absorption of this material has an unexpected polarization dependence, strongly coupled to the slit orientation; in particular, the electric wave in parallel polarization exhibits even complete vanishing of the otherwise resonant strong absorption. The physics behind this phenomena may be explained based on the Bethe's sub-wavelength diffraction: the electric field that is measured in the far field, but diffracted from a sub-wavelength-scale metal aperture, originates from solely magnetic dipole radiation and not from the electric dipole radiation, thus showing no electrically-coupled material response.

Lambertian thermal emitter based on plasmonic enhanced absorption

In this paper, a narrow band thermal emission at 10 μm is demonstrated using a one dimensional metasurface. The proposed metasurface structure provides magnetic resonance mode that enhances the phonon absorption of SiO₂. The proposed metasurface thermal emitter shows a Lambertian distribution. Additionally, 5.8-folds enhancement of emissivity is achieved by optimizing the cavity thickness of the metasurfaces. This type of thermal emitter will be useful for IR sensing applications.

A facile grating approach towards broadband, wide-angle and high-efficiency holographic metasurfaces

We analytically show that an incident light can be almost completely diffracted into the -1(st) order in wide-angle and broadband by suitably designed thin metallic nano-gratings with simple rectangular cross sections. Such extraordinary optical diffraction results from the excitation of localized cavity modes and exists even when the grating period is modulated in a broad range. By modulating the period with binary holography techniques, we can shape an incident wave into arbitrary wavefronts with near-unity conversion efficiencies. To show the efficacy of this approach, we demonstrate three reflection-type metasurfaces for achieving near-complete conversions from a Gaussian beam into a focused beam, Bessel beam, and vortex beam, respectively, with the complete suppression of the undesired specular reflection. Our findings provide a facile approach to build arbitrary wavefront-shaping metasurfaces with wide-angle, broadband, and high efficiency performance.

Enhanced nonresonant light transmission through subwavelength slits in metal

We analytically describe light transmission through a single subwavelength slit in a thin perfect electric conductor screen for the incident polarization being perpendicular to the slit, and derive simple, yet accurate, expressions for the average electric field in the slit and the transmission efficiency. The analytic results are consistent with full-wave numerical calculations and demonstrate that slits of widths ∼100  nm in real metals may feature nonresonant (i.e., broadband) field enhancements of ∼100 and transmission efficiency of ∼10 at infrared or terahertz frequencies, with the associated metasurface-like array of slits becoming transparent to the incident light.

Full controlling of Fano resonances in metal-slit superlattice

Controlling of the lineshape of Fano resonance attracts much attention recently due to its wide capabilities for lasing, biosensing, slow-light applications and so on. However, the controllable Fano resonance always requires stringent alignment of complex symmetry-breaking structures and thus the manipulation could only be performed with limited degrees of freedom and narrow tuning range. Furthermore, there is no report so far on independent controlling of both the bright and dark modes in a single structure. Here, we semi-analytically show that the spectral position and linewidth of both the bright and dark modes can be tuned independently and/or simultaneously in a simple and symmetric metal-slit superlattice, and thus allowing for a free and continuous controlling of the lineshape of both the single and multiple Fano resonances. The independent controlling scheme is applicable for an extremely large electromagnetic spectrum range from optical to microwave frequencies, which is demonstrated by the numerical simulations with real metal and a microwave experiment. Our findings may provide convenient and flexible strategies for future tunable electromagnetic devices.

Impact of the slit geometry on the performance of wire-grid polarisers

Wire-grid polarisers are versatile and scalable components which can be engineered to achieve small sizes and extremely high extinction ratios. Yet the measured performances are always significantly below the predicted values obtained from numerical simulations. Here we report on a detailed comparison between theoretical and experimental performances. We show that the discrepancy can be explained by the true shape of the plasmonic structures. Taking into account the fabrication details, a new optimisation model enables us to achieve excellent agreement with the observed response and to re-optimise the grating parameters to ensure experimental extinction ratios well above 1,000 at 850 nm.

Metafocusing by a Metaspiral Plasmonic Lens

We designed and realized a metasurface (manipulating the local geometry) spiral (manipulating the global geometry) plasmonic lens, which fundamentally overcomes the multiple efficiency and functionality challenges of conventional in-plane plasmonic lenses. The combination of spirality and metasurface achieves much more efficient and uniform linear-polarization-independent plasmonic focusing. As for functionality, under matched circularly polarized illumination the lens directs all of the power coupled to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) into the focal spot, while the orthogonal polarization excites only diverging SPPs that do not penetrate the interior of the lens, achieving 2 orders of magnitude intensity contrast throughout the entire area of the lens. This optimal functional focusing is clearly demonstrated by near-field optical microscopy measurements that are in excellent agreement with simulations and are supported by a detailed theoretical interpretation of the underlying mechanisms. Our results advance the field of plasmonics toward functional detection and the employment of SPPs in smart pixels, near-field microscopy, lithography, and particle manipulation.

Acoustic transmission enhancement through a soft interlayer with a reactance boundary

Research has shown that acoustic transmission enhancement (ATE) can occur in stiff materials with high acoustic impedance that include a soft interlayer with low acoustic impedance inserted between them without any opening (i.e., without any links between the two stiff materials). Previously, ATE was induced either by coupling acoustic surface waves or Love waves with the Fabry-Perot resonant modes inside the apertures or by the locally resonant modes of the structure. However, in this article ATE is achieved using wave-vector redistribution induced by a reactance boundary. An optimal boundary was designed to adjust the wave vector in the propagation direction, decreasing reflection caused by impedance differences. The role of boundary conditions on ATE was also clarified.

Modulated light transmission through a subwavelength slit at early stage

We simulate the early dynamics of enhanced light transmission through a subwavelength metallic slit and find that the amplitude of the transmitted light can be modulated. To understand this novel phenomenon and underlying physics, we develop a new analytical model. The field of each light period is considered as an individual unit. Each field is partially transmitted through the slit as the first subunit. The portion reflected from the exit interface travels a round trip in the slit and then partially exits again as the second subunit. There may be a gap in time between these two subunits. This process repeats so as to produce a subunit train, which is verified by the simulation of an incident sinusoidal pulse of one light period. When the wave units are continuous, the superposition of the trains produces the observed light. While the round-trip time is an integer multiple of the light period, the modulation period is the same. Besides academic importance, this study may be applicable to photonics with short laser pulses.

Total broadband transmission of microwaves through a subwavelength aperture by localized E-field coupling of split-ring resonators

Resonance coupling of two resonators with the same resonant frequency is a highly efficient energy transfer approach in physics. Here we report total broadband transmission of microwaves through a metallic subwavelength aperture using the coupled resonances of the strongly localized electric fields at the gaps of two split-ring resonators (SRRs) placed on either side of the aperture. At the center frequency of the broad band, the phase difference between the two localized time-varying electric fields is 90°, which is consistent with the critical coupling state that is a sufficient condition for the two-resonator system to realize total transmission if the resonators are assumed to be lossless.

Field enhancement and saturation of millimeter waves inside a metallic nanogap

This paper investigates the millimeter electromagnetic waves passing through a metal nanogap. Based upon the study of a perfect electrical conductor model, we show that the electric field enhancement inside the gap saturates as the gap size approaches zero, and the ultimate enhancement strength is inversely proportional to the thickness of the metal film. In addition, no significant enhancement can be gained by decreasing the gap size further if the aspect ratio between the dimensions of the underlying geometric structure exceeds approximately 100.

Super-transmission from a finite subwavelength arrangement of slits in a metal film

A theory is presented for the transmission of transverse magnetic waves through a finite number of subwavelength slits in metal film. While a single slit achieves the single channel limit on resonance, multiple slits show super-transmission exceeding the single channel limit. The phenomenon of super-transmission is revealed as a result of cross-coupling of modes and confirmed by simulations. The influence of finite permittivity in the IR and microwave regime is included by perturbative corrections to the theory. The theory agrees quantitatively with past experiments and finite-difference time-domain simulations. By considering two or more modes in the slit region, our theory provides an approach to the analysis of cross-coupling among slits, which allows for super-transmission and features of a Fano resonance.

Ultrasonic lens based on a subwavelength slit surrounded by grooves

The lensing capabilities of a single subwavelength slit surrounded by a finite array of grooves milled into a brass plate is presented. The modulation of the beam intensity of this ultrasonic lens can be adjusted by varying the groove depth. Numerical simulations as well as experimental validations at 290 kHz are shown. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations. This system is believed to have potential applications for medical ultrasound fields such as tomography and therapy.

Anomalous light absorption around subwavelength apertures in metal films

In this Letter, we study the heat dissipated at metal surfaces by the electromagnetic field scattered by isolated subwavelength apertures in metal screens. In contrast to the common belief that the intensity of waves created by local sources should decrease with the distance from the sources, we reveal that the dissipated heat at the surface remains constant over a broad spatial interval. This behavior that occurs for noble metals at near infrared wavelengths is observed with nonintrusive thermoreflectance measurements and is explained with an analytical model, which underlines the intricate role played by quasicylindrical waves in the phenomenon. Additionally, we show that, by monitoring the phase of the quasicylindrical waves, the total heat dissipated at the metal surface can be rendered substantially smaller than the heat dissipated by the launched plasmon. This interesting property offers an alternative to amplification for overcoming the loss issue in miniaturized plasmonic devices.

Plasmon resonances in a stacked pair of graphene ribbon arrays with a lateral displacement

We find that a stacked pair of graphene ribbon arrays with a lateral displacement can excite plasmon waveguide mode in the gap between ribbons, as well as surface plasmon mode on graphene ribbon surface. When the resonance wavelengthes of plasmon waveguide mode and surface plasmon mode are close to each other, there is a strong electromagnetic interaction between the two modes, and then they contribute together to transmission dip. The plasmon waveguide mode resonance can be manipulated by the lateral displacement and longitudinal interval between arrays due to their influence on the manner and strength of electromagnetic coupling between two arrays. The findings expand our understanding of electromagnetic resonances in graphene-ribbon array structure and may affect further engineering of nanoplasmonic devices and metamaterials.

Dynamic beam steering from a subwavelength slit by selective excitation of guided modes

Dynamic control of the direction of radiation of the light emanating from a subwavelength slit carved out of a thin metal film is experimentally demonstrated. This is achieved by selective excitation of the individual guided modes in the slit by setting the phase of three coherent laser beams. By changing the voltage across a piezoelement, we obtain unprecedented directional steering, without relying on any mechanical alignment of optical elements. The angular range over which this maximum can be swept is determined by the intensity setting of one of the incident beams. Through simulations, we show that this method can also be applied to steer the radiation from a square hole in two independent directions. Our method can be applied to create a directional nanoemitter which can selectively address one or more detectors, or as an optical switch in photonic circuits.

Enhanced light-matter interaction at nanoscale by utilizing high-aspect-ratio metallic gratings

We report the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of high-aspect-ratio metallic gratings integrated with nanoscale semiconductor structures, which enable efficient light-matter interaction at the nanoscale over interaction lengths as long as two times of the effective optical wavelength. The efficient light-matter interaction at the nanoscale is enabled by excitation of the guided modes of subwavelength slab waveguides formed by the high-aspect-ratio metallic gratings. By controlling the height of the high-aspect-ratio gratings, the wavelength of the guided modes through the nanoscale semiconductor structures is determined.

Young's experiment with a double slit of sub-wavelength dimensions

We report that the interference pattern of Young's double-slit experiment changes as a function of polarization in the sub-wavelength diffraction regime. Experiments carried out with terahertz time-domain spectroscopy reveal that diffracted waves from sub-wavelength-scale slits exhibit either positive or negative phase shift with respect to Gouy phase depending on the polarization. Theoretical explanation based on the induction of electric current and magnetic dipole in the vicinity of the slits shows an excellent agreement with the experimental results.

The role of propagating modes in silver nanowire arrays for transparent electrodes

Silver nanowires have been shown to demonstrate enhanced transmission and promising potential for next-generation transparent electrodes. In this paper, we systematically investigated the electrical and optical properties of 1D and 2D silver nanowire arrays as a function of diameter and pitch and compared their performance to that of silver thin films. Silver nanowires were found to exhibit enhanced transmission over thin films due to propagating resonance modes between nanowires. We evaluated the angular dependence and dispersion relation of these propagating modes and demonstrate that larger nanowire diameters and pitches are favored for achieving higher solar transmission at a particular sheet resistance. Silver nanowires may achieve achieve solar transmission > 90% with sheet resistances of a few Ω/sq and figure of merit σdc/σop > 1000.

Theoretical realization of robust broadband transparency in ultrathin seamless nanostructures by dual blackbodies for near infrared light

We propose a counter-intuitive mechanism of constructing an ultrathin broadband transparent device with two perfect blackbodies. By introducing hybridization of plasmon modes, resonant modes with different symmetries coexist in this system. A broadband transmission spectrum in the near infrared regime is achieved through controlling their coupling strengths, which is governed by the thickness of high refractive index layer. Meanwhile, the transparency bandwidth is found to be tunable in a large range by varying the geometric dimension. More significantly, from the point view of applications, the proposed method of achieving broadband transparency can perfectly tolerate the misalignment and asymmetry of periodic nanoparticles on the top and bottom, which is empowered by the unique dual of coupling-in and coupling-out processes within the pair of blackbodies. Moreover, roughness has little influence on its transmission performance. According to the coupled mode theory, the distinguished transmittance performance is physically interpreted by the radiative decay rate of the entire system. In addition to the feature of uniquely robust broadband transparency, such a ultrathin seamless nanostructure (in the presence of a uniform silver layer) also provides polarization-independent and angle-independent operations. Therefore, it may power up a wide spectrum of exciting applications in thin film protection, touch screen techniques, absorber-emitter transformation, etc.

Ultrasonic transmission through multiple-sublattice subwavelength holes arrays

The ultrasonic transmission through plates perforated with 2 × 2 or 3 × 3 square array of subwavelength holes per unit cell are studied by numerical simulations. Calculations are obtained by means of a theoretical model under the rigid-solid assumption. It is demonstrated that when the inter-hole distance within the unit cell is reduced, new transmission dips appear resulting from Wood anomalies that have influence on the second and the third order Fabry-Perot peak. When the inter-hole distance within the unit cell is reduced, the transmission spectrum of the multiple-sublattice holes arrays tends to the transmission spectrum of a plate perforated with only one hole in the unit cell.

From electromagnetically induced transparency to superscattering with a single structure: a coupled-mode theory for doubly resonant structures

We observe from simulations that a doubly resonant structure can exhibit spectral behavior analogous to electromagnetically induced transparency, as well as superscattering, depending on the excitation. We develop a coupled-mode theory that explains this behavior in terms of the orthogonality of the radiation patterns of the eigenmodes. These results provide insight in the general electromagnetic properties of photonic nanostructures and metamaterials.

Efficient apertureless scanning probes using patterned plasmonic surfaces

We present a novel concept to design apertureless plasmonic probes for near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) with enhanced optical power throughput and near-field enhancement. Specifically, we combine unidirectional surface plasmon polariton (SPP) generation along the tip lateral walls with nanofocusing of SPPs through adiabatic propagation towards an apertureless tip. Three key design parameters are considered: the nanoslit width, the pitch period of nanogrooves for unidirectional plasmonic excitation and the pyramidal geometry of the NSOM probe for SPP focusing. Optimal design parameters are obtained with 2D analysis and two realistic probe geometries with patterned plasmonic surfaces are proposed using the optimized designs. The electromagnetic properties of the designed probes are characterized in the near-field and compared to those of a conventional single-aperture probe with same pyramidal shape. The optimized probes feature FWHM around 150nm, comparable with conventional NSOM designs, but over 3 orders of magnitude larger field enhancement, without degrading its spatial resolution. Our ideas effectively combine the resolution of apertureless probes with throughput levels much larger than those available even in aperture-based devices.

Nonlinear response of GaAs gratings in the extraordinary transmission regime

We theoretically describe a way to enhance harmonic generation from subwavelength slits milled on semiconductor substrates in strongly absorptive regimes. The metal-like response typical of semiconductors, like GaAs and GaP, triggers enhanced transmission and nonlinear optical phenomena in the deep UV range. We numerically study correlations between linear and nonlinear responses and their intricacies in infinite arrays, and highlight differences between nonlinear surface and magnetic sources, and intrinsic χ((2)) and χ((3)) contributions to harmonic generation. The results show promising efficiencies at wavelengths below 120 nm, and reveal coupling of TE and TM polarizations for pump and harmonic signals. A downconversion process that can regenerate pump photons with polarization orthogonal to the incident pump is also discussed.

A subwavelength slit as a quarter-wave retarder

We have experimentally studied the polarization-dependent transmission properties of a nanoslit in a gold film as a function of its width. The slit exhibits strong birefringence and dichroism. We find, surprisingly, that the transmission of the polarization parallel to the slit only disappears when the slit is much narrower than half a wavelength, while the transmission of the perpendicular component is reduced by the excitation of surface plasmons. We exploit the slit's dichroism and birefringence to realize a quarter-wave retarder.

Influence of film thickness on the optical transmission through subwavelength single slits in metallic thin films

Silver and gold films with thicknesses in the range of 120-450 nm were evaporated onto glass substrates. A sequence of slits with widths varying between 70 and 270 nm was milled in the films using a focused gallium ion beam. We have undertaken high-resolution measurements of the optical transmission through the single slits with 488.0 nm (for Ag) and 632.8 nm (for Au) laser sources aligned to the optical axis of a microscope. Based on the present experimental results, it was possible to observe that (1) the slit transmission is notably affected by the film thickness, which presents a damped oscillatory behavior as the thickness is augmented, and (2) the transmission increases linearly with increasing slit width for a fixed film thickness.