In this work, we study the heat dissipated at metal surfaces by the electromagnetic field scattered by isolated subwavelength apertures in metal screens. In contrast to our 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 of a few tens of wavelengths. This behavior which occurs for noble metals at near infrared wavelengths is observed with nonintrusive thermoreflectance measurements and is analyzed with an analytical model which underlines the intricate role played by quasi-cylindrical waves in the phenomenon. Additionally, computational results reveal that the absorption plateau is an intrinsic property that occurs for a large variety of topologies, irrespective of aperture shapes.
Extraordinary transmission through subwavelength metallic apertures has been extensively studied and demonstrated. At resonance, the coupling between surface plasmons on both surfaces of the metallic film tunnels the photon from the one side to the other through the subwavelength aperture with small transmission efficiency based on the metals dielectric parameters and aperture geometrical dimensions. Here, we report a completely different form of extraordinary transmission, where the two subwavelength complementary apertures when coupled with an optical cavity induce about 100% extraordinary t…
Transmission through sub-wavelength apertures in perfect metals is expected to be strongly suppressed. However, by structural engineering of the apertures, we numerically demonstrate that the transmission of transverse electric waves through periodic arrays of subwavelength apertures in a thin metallic film can be significantly enhanced. Based on equivalent circuit theory analysis, periodic arrays of square structured subwavelength apertures are obtained with a 1900-fold transmission enhancement factor when the side length $a$ of the apertures is 10 times smaller than the wavelength ($a/λ=0.1$…
We report subwavelength-thick, polarization insensitive micro-lenses operating at telecom wavelength with focal spots as small as 0.57 wavelengths and measured focusing efficiency up to 82%. The lens design is based on high contrast transmitarrays that enable control of optical phase fronts with subwavelength spatial resolution. A rigorous method for ultra-thin lens design, and the trade-off between high efficiency and small spot size (or large numerical aperture) are discussed. The transmitarrays, composed of silicon nano-posts on glass, could be fabricated by high-throughput photo or nanoimp…
Spatial effects of interference and interaction of light modes in the subwavelength part of the near-field optical microscopy probe have been theoretically studied. It was found that the mode interference can lead to higher spatial compression of light (lambda = 500 nm in free space) within the transverse size of 25 nm inside the probe output aperture of 100 nm in diameter. The results principally demonstrate the possibility of increasing spatial resolution of the near-field optical microscopy technique.
We report the enhanced transmission of electromagnetic waves through a single subwavelength aperture by making use of the resonance behavior of a split ring resonator (SRR) at microwave frequencies. By placing a single SRR at the near-field of the aperture, strongly localized electromagnetic fields are effectively coupled to the aperture with a radius that is twenty times smaller than the resonance wavelength. We obtained 740-fold transmission enhancement by exciting the electric resonance of SRR. A different coupling mechanism, through the magnetic resonance of SRR, is also verified to yield …
We study, and illustrate with numerical calculations, transmission enhancement by subwavelength 2D slits due to the dominant role played by the excitation of the eigenmodes of plasmonic cylinders when they are placed at the aperture entrance; and also due to reinforced and highly localized energy in the slit as a consequence of the formation of a nanojet. We show that, providing the illumination is chosen such that an aperture transmitting eigenmode is generated, the phenomenon is independent of whether or not the slit alone produces extraordinary transmission; although in the former case this…
We present a novel theoretical approach for modeling the resonant properties of transmission through subwavelength apertures penetrating metal films. We show that cavity mode theory applies to an effective resonant cavity whose dimensions are determined by the aperture's geometry and the evanescent decay lengths of the associated diffracted waves. This method suggests a concrete physical mechanism for the enhanced transmission observed in periodic aperture arrays, namely it is the evanescently scattered light, localized in the near field of metal surface, which couples into the apertures. Furt…
This contribution reviews the studies on subwavelength aperture antennas in the optical regime, paying attention to both the fundamental investigations and the applications. Section 2 reports on the enhancement of light-matter interaction using three main types of aperture antennas: single subwavelength aperture, single aperture surrounded by shallow surface corrugations, and subwavelength aperture arrays. A large fraction of nanoaperture applications is devoted to the field of biophotonics to improve molecular sensing, which are reviewed in Section 3. Lastly, the applications towards nano-opt…
For a narrow slit structure backed by a conducting strip which is taken as a representative example of an aperture-body resonance (ABR) problem, the transmission resonance condition (i.e., condition for maximum power transmission) and the transmission width (i.e., normalized maximum transmitted power through the slit) are found to be the same as those for narrow slit coupling problem in a thick conducting screen, which is designated as a transmission-cavity resonance (TCR) problem. From a viewpoint of equivalent circuit representation for the transmission resonance condition and the funneling …
We use the finite-element method for simulating light transmission through a 2D-periodic array of rectangular apertures in a film of highly conductive material. We report results with a relative error of the transmissivity lower than 0.01%. This is an improvement of about one order of magnitude compared to previously reported results. Further, the influence of corner and edge roundings on light transmission through the subwavelength apertures is investigated.
We calculate, by means of fluctuational electrodynamics, the thermal emission of an aperture filled by vacuum or a material at temperature T. We show that thermal emission is very different whether the aperture size is large or small compared to the thermal wavelength. Subwavelength apertures filled with vacuum (subwavelength blackbody) have their thermal emission strongly decreased compared to classical blackbodies. A simple expression of their emissivity can be calculated and their total emittance scales as T 8 instead of T 4 for large apertures. Thermal emission of disk of materials with a …
Light transmission through circular subwavelength apertures in metallic films with surrounding nanostructures is investigated numerically. Numerical results are obtained with a frequency-domain finite-element method. Convergence of the obtained observables to very low levels of numerical error is demonstrated. Very good agreement to experimental results from the literature is reached, and the utility of the method is demonstrated in the investigation of the influence of geometrical parameters on enhanced transmission through the apertures.
We demonstrate experimentally and numerically that in fiber tips as they are used in NSOMs azimuthally polarized electrical fields (|E$_{\text{azi}}$|$^2$/|E$_{\text{tot}}$|$^2$ $\approx$ 55% $\pm $ 5% for 1.4μm tip aperture diameter and λ$_0$ = 1550nm), respectively subwavelength confined (FWHM $\approx$ 450nm $\approx$ λ$_0$/3.5) magnetic fields, are generated for a certain tip aperture diameter (d = 1.4μm). We attribute the generation of this field distribution in metal-coated fiber tips to symmetry breaking in the bend and subsequent plasmonic mode filtering in the truncated conical taper.
This commentary aims to expose the fallacy of claiming that a plasmonic silver film superlens is capable to image real subwavelength objects. This lens was proposed by the Berkeley's group who, in their misleading experiment, inappropriately regarded subwavelength apertures as the objects to be imaged whereas the main function of these apertures was to transform free space laser light into an evanescent field necessary for exciting the surface plasmon resonance phenomenon in silver. In addition, the apertures also determined the constrained effective area on the silver film where the phenomeno…
We investigate the transmission of focused beams through single subwavelength holes in a silver film. We use radially and azimuthally polarized light, respectively, to excite higher order waveguide modes as well as to match the radial symmetry of the aperture geometry. Remarkably, the transmission properties can be described by a classical waveguide model even for thicknesses of the silver film as thin as a quarter of a wavelength.
Integration of the next generation of photonic structures with electronic and optical on-chip components requires the development of effective methods for confining and controlling light in subwavelength volumes. Several techniques enabling light coupling to sub-wavelength objects have recently been proposed, including grating-, and composite-based solutions. However, experi-mental realization of these couplers involves complex fabrication with \sim 10nm resolution in three dimensions. One promising alternative to complex coupling structures involves materials with vanishingly small dielectric…
Resonant transmission of light is a surface-wave assisted phenomenon that enables funneling light through subwavelength apertures milled in otherwise opaque metallic screens. In this work, we introduce a deep learning approach to efficiently compute and design the optical response of a single subwavelength slit perforated in a metallic screen and surrounded by periodic arrangements of indentations. First, we show that a semi-analytical framework based on a coupled-mode theory formalism is a robust and efficient method to generate the large training datasets required in the proposed approach. S…
We present plasmonic Bragg reflectors for increasing the extraordinary optical transmission through periodic arrays of subwavelength apertures in a metal film. The increase in transmission arises by preventing loss at the edges of the array. The plasmonic Bragg reflectors have periodicity of half the usual array's periodicity. Nano-hole arrays flanked thus by reflectors exchibited double the transmission as compared to the arrays without reflectors. These structures may also be used to isolate devices in plasmonic integrated circuits.
We analyze, by means of numerical simulations, transmission enhancements through sub- wavelength slits due to the presence of sets of plasmonic nanocylinders, placed near the exit of these apertures. Further, we extend this study to photonic crystals of dipolar plasmonic particles in front of an array of extraordinarily transmitting slits practiced in a metallic slab.
Subwavelength aperture arrays in thin metal films can enable enhanced transmission of light and matter (atom) waves. The phenomenon relies on resonant excitation and interference of the plasmon or matter waves on the metal surface. We show a new mechanism that could provide a great resonant and nonresonant transmission enhancement of the light or de Broglie particle waves passed through the apertures not by the surface waves, but by the constructive interference of diffracted waves (beams generated by the apertures) at the detector placed in the far-field zone. In contrast to other models, the…
Near-field imaging with terahertz (THz) waves is emerging as a powerful technique for fundamental research in photonics and across physical and life sciences. Spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit can be achieved by collecting THz waves from an object through a small aperture placed in the near-field. However, light transmission through a sub-wavelength size aperture is fundamentally limited by the wave nature of light. Here, we conceive a novel architecture that exploits inherently strong evanescent THz field arising within the aperture to mitigate the problem of vanishing transmiss…
Diffraction is a fundamental property of light propagation. Owing to this phenomenon,light diffracts out in all directions when it passes through a subwavelength slit.This imposes a fundamental limit on the transverse size of a light beam at a given distance from the aperture. We show that a subwavelength-sized beam propagating without diffractive broadening can be produced in free space by the constructive interference of multiple beams of a Fresnel source of the respective high-refraction-index waveguide. Moreover, it is shown that such a source can be constructed not only for continuous wav…
One-dimensional light harvesting structures illuminated by a conventional lens are studied in this paper. Our theoretical study shows that high transmission efficiencies are obtained when the structure is placed near the focal plane of the lens. The considered structure is a finite slit-groove array (SGA) with a given number of grooves that are symmetrically distributed with respect to a central slit. The SGA is nano-patterned on an opaque metallic film. It is found that a total transmittance of 80% is achieved even for a single slit when (i) Fabry-Perot like modes are excited inside the slit …
Recently, we have showed a mechanism that could provide a great transmission enhancement of the light waves passed through subwavelength aperture arrays in thin metal films not by the plasmon-polariton waves, but by the constructive interference of diffracted waves (beams generated by the apertures) at the detector placed in the far-field zone. We now present a quantum reformulation of the model. The Hamiltonian describing the interference-induced enhancement of the intensity and energy of a multimode quantum optical field is derived. Such a field can be produced, for instance, by a subwavelen…
The extra energy, negative energy and annihilation of energy by the subwavelength conservative systems that have a wave nature of light or matter (quantum) objects are predicted. The creating and destroying of energy break the energy conservation law in any subwavelength physical system. The paradoxical phenomenon is demonstrated in the context of extraordinary transmission of light and matter through subwavelength apertures [T.W. Ebbesen et al., Nature (London) 391, 667 (1998) and E. Moreno et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 170406 (2005)].
We introduce the first conceptual design of a free-space thin-sheet isolator with unlimited aperture and the possibility of a broadband omnidirectional rejection of the backward propagating light. The proposed design involves a multilayered resonant cavity incorporating subwavelength magnetic layers, dichroic nanolayers, and an optional metallic nanolayer. The cavity resonance enhances the Faraday rotation produced by the subwavelength magnetic layers, while providing nearly total absorption of the backward-propagating light by the dichroic nanolayers. The latter is a necessary and the most ch…
In this letter, we study the scattering of light by a single subwavelength slit in a metal screen. In contrast to previous theoretical works, we provide a microscopic description of the scattering process by emphasizing the generation of surface plasmons at the slit apertures. The analysis is supported by a rigorous formalism based on a normal-mode-decomposition technique and by a semi-analytical model which provides accurate formulae for the plasmonic generation strengths. The generation is shown to be fairly efficient for metals with a low conductivity, like gold in the visible regime. Verif…
The generality of the Bethe's two dipole model for light diffraction through a subwavelength aperture in a conducting plane is studied in the radiation zone for coated conical fiber tips as those used in near field scanning optical microscopy. In order to describe the angular radiated power of the tip theoretically, we present a simple, analytical model for small apertures (radius < 40 nm) based on a multipole expansion. Our model is able to reproduce the available experimental results. It proves relatively insensitive to cone angle and aperture radius and contains, as a first approximation, t…
Interaction between metal surface waves and periodic geometry of subwavelength structures is at the core of the recent but crucial renewal of interest in plasmonics. One of the most intriguing points is the observation of abnormal strong transmission through these periodic structures, which can exceed by orders of magnitude the classical transmission given by the filling factor of the plate. The actual paradigm is that this abnormal transmission arises from the periodicity, and then that such high transmission should disappear in random geometries. Here, we show that extra energy can be couple…
For dielectric multilayered metamaterials, the effective-parameter representation is known to be insensitive to geometrical features occurring at deeply subwavelength scales. However, recent studies on periodic and aperiodically ordered geometries have shown the existence of certain critical parameter regimes where this conventional wisdom is upended, as the optical response of finite-size samples may depart considerably from the predictions of standard effective-medium theory. In these regimes, characterized by a mixed evanescent/propagating light transport, different classes of spatial (dis)…
Efficient manipulation of light with sound in subwavelength-sized volumes is important for applications in photonics, phononics and biophysics, but remains elusive. We theoretically demonstrate the control of light with MHz-range ultrasound in a subwavelength, 300 nm wide water-filled hole with a 100 nm radius air bubble. Ultrasound-driven pulsations of the bubble modulate the effective refractive index of the hole aperture, which gives rise to spectral tuning of light transmission through the hole. This control mechanism opens up novel opportunities for tuneable acousto-optic and optomechanic…
The general reflection and refraction laws at the metasurface with the abrupt phase shift were derived by two different methods of Fermat's principle and the boundary conditions respectively. It is found that one or two critical angles for total internal reflection exist when a light hits on the optical sparse material from the optical denser material, and one such a critical angle exists when light spreads from the optical sparse material to the optical denser material. Anomalous reflection and refraction, such as, negative reflection and negative refraction may occur when a light passes thro…
The backward scattering of TM-polarized light by a two-side-open subwavelength slit in a metal film is analyzed. We show that the reflection coefficient versus wavelength possesses a Fabry-Perot-like dependence that is similar to the anomalous behavior of transmission reported in the study [Y. Takakura, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{86}, 5601 (2001)]. The open slit totally reflects the light at the near-to-resonance wavelengths. In addition, we show that the interference of incident and resonantly backward-scattered light produces in the near-field diffraction zone a spatially localized wave whose …
Light diffraction through a subwavelength aperture located at the apex of a metallic screen with conical geometry is investigated theoretically. A method based on a multipole field expansion is developed to solve Maxwell's equations analytically using boundary conditions adapted both for the conical geometry and for the finite conductivity of a real metal. The topological properties of the diffracted field are discussed in detail and compared to those of the field diffracted through a small aperture in a flat screen, i. e. the Bethe problem. The model is applied to coated, conically tapered op…
We theoretically investigate second harmonic generation that originates from the nonlinear, magnetic Lorentz force term from single and multiple apertures carved on thick, opaque metal substrates. The linear transmission properties of apertures on metal substrates have been previously studied in the context of the extraordinary transmission of light. The transmission process is driven by a number of physical mechanisms, whose characteristics and relative importance depend on the thickness of the metallic substrate, slit size, and slit separation. In this work we show that a combination of cavi…
A method is presented for generation of a subwavelength (0.43 lambda) longitudinally polarized beam, which propagates without divergence over lengths of about 4 lambda in free space. This is achieved by controlling the amplitude, phase and polarization property of the Bessel-Gaussian field on the aperture of a high numerical aperture focusing lens.
High-quality flat optical elements require efficient light deflection to large angles and over a wide wavelength spectrum. Although phase gradient metasurfaces achieve this by continuously adding phase shifts in the range of 0 to 2π to the electric field with subwavelength-sized scatterers, their performance is limited by the spatial resolution of phase modulation at the interface. Here, we introduce a new class of metasurfaces based on a general formulation, where the phase shifts cover less than the full 0-2π range, offering significant advantages. More specifically, this approach allows the…
Perfect lensing using negative refractive index materials and radiationless electromagnetic interference both provide extreme subwavelength focusing by "amplifying" evanescent wave components that are usually lost. This paper provides a relation between the achievable focus spot size, the amplification available and the focal length. This may be considered as a revised version of Abbe's diffraction limit for focusing systems that have evanescent wave amplification. It is useful in comparing the amplification achieved in various subwavelength focusing implementations, as well as determining whe…
Wave Vortices Around Oscillating Subwavelength Holes: Water-Wave Observation
Fudan University（复旦大学）；Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC)（圣塞巴斯蒂安国际物理中心）；IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science（伊克尔巴斯基克，巴斯克科学基金会）；RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing, RIKEN（理研量子计算中心，理研）；University of Michigan（密歇根大学）
Far-field imaging beyond the diffraction limit is a long sought-after goal in various imaging applications, which requires usually an array of antennas or mechanical scanning. Here, we present an alternative and novel concept for this challenging problem: a single radar system consisting of a spatial-temporal resonant aperture antenna (referred to as the slavery antenna) and a broadband horn antenna (termed the master antenna). We theoretically demonstrate that such resonant aperture antenna is responsible for converting parts of the evanescent waves into propagating waves, and delivering them…
We present a concrete picture of spoof surface plasmons (SSPs) combined with cavity resonance to clarify the basic mechanism underlying extraordinary light transmission through metal films with subwavelength slits or holes. This picture may indicate a general mechanism of metallic nanostructure optics: When light is incident on a non-planar conducting surface, the free electrons cannot move homogeneously in response to the incident electric field, i.e., their movement can be impeded at the rough parts, forming inhomogeneous charge distributions. The oscillating charges/dipoles then emit photon…
In this paper, we describe the implementation of leakage radiation microscopy (LRM) to probe the chirality of plasmonic nanostructures. We demonstrate experimentally spin-driven directional coupling as well as vortex generation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) by nanostructures built with T-shaped and $Λ$- shaped apertures. Using this far-field method, quantitative inspections, including directivity and extinction ratio measurements, are achieved via polarization analysis in both image and Fourier planes. To support our experimental findings, we develop an analytical model based on a multi…
Periodic arrays of noble metal nanoparticles are emblematic nanostructures in photonics. Their ability to sustain localized surface plasmon resonances has been used throughout the years to demonstrate a variety of passive and active functionalities such as enhanced luminescence in dipolar media and LEDs as well as higher responsivities in photoconductive detectors. Here, we show that additional magnetic resonances, associated with inductive current loops between the nanoparticles and accessible with transverse electric waves, emerge in the limit of dense arrays with subwavelength periods. More…
Light polarization is a key aspect of modern optics. Current methods for polarization control utilize birefringence and dichroism of anisotropic materials or of arrays of anisotropically shaped nanostructures. Based on collective optical effects, the resulting components remain much larger than the wavelength of light, which limits design strategies. Here, we present a travelling-wave plasmonic antenna that overcomes this limit using a gold-coated helical nanowire non-radiatively fed with a dipolar aperture nanoantenna. Our non-resonant hybrid nanoantenna enables tightly confined circularly po…
Robust topological edge modes may evolve into complex-frequency modes when a physical system becomes non-Hermitian. We show that, while having negligible forward optical extinction cross section, a conjugate pair of such complex topological edge modes in a non-Hermitian $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric system can give rise to an anomalous sideway scattering when they are simultaneously excited by a plane wave. We propose a realization of such scattering state in a linear array of subwavelength resonators coated with gain media. The prediction is based on an analytical two-band model and verified by ri…
Subwavelength aperture arrays in thin metal films enable enhanced transmission of light and matter waves [for example, see T.W. Ebbesen et al., Nature (London) 391, 667 (1998) and E. Moreno et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 170406 (2005)]. The phenomenon relies on resonant excitation of the surface electron or matter waves. We show another mechanism that provides a great transmission enhancement not by coupling to the surface waves but by the interference of diffracted evanescent waves in the far-field zone. Verification of the mechanism is presented by comparison with recently published data.
Reflecting light to a pre-determined non-specular direction is an important ability of metasurfaces, which is the basis for a wide range of applications (e.g., beam steering/splitting and imaging). However, anomalous reflection with 100% efficiency has not been achieved at optical frequencies in conventional metasurfaces, due to losses and/or insufficient nonlocal control of light waves. Here, we propose a new type of all-dielectric quasi-three-dimensional subwavelength structures, consisting of multilayer films and specifically designed meta-gratings, to achieve perfect anomalous reflections …
An electrically tunable terahertz (THz) plasmonic device is designed and fabricated using liquid metals (eutectic gallium indium EGaIn) and shape memory alloy wires (Flexinol). The liquid metal is injected into the voids of a poly(dimethyl) siloxane (PDMS) microfluidic mold forming a periodic array of subwavelength apertures, while the wires are inserted into the elastomer below the metal plane. When a DC voltage is applied to the wires, they contract via Joule heating, reducing the aperture periodicity and blue-shifting the transmission resonances of the device. When the voltage is removed, t…
Metasurfaces composed of subwavelength unit cells usually require a large number of unit cells which leads to complicated design and optimization. Aggressive discretization in a metasurface can significantly reduce the number of unit cells within a period, resulting in lower requirement for phase and/or surface impedance coverage. Additionally, the enlarged unit cells will encounter negligible mutual couplings when combined together, hence making straightforward the process of metasurface design. These advantages combine to allow the design of a novel class of metasurfaces which support the hi…
Plasmonics is based on surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes which can be laterally confined below the diffraction limit, thereby enabling ultracompact optical components. In order to exploit this potential, the fundamental bottleneck of poor light-SPP coupling must be overcome. In established SPP sources (using prism, grating} or nanodefect coupling) incident light is a source of noise for the SPP, unless the illumination occurs away from the region of interest, increasing the system size and weakening the SPP intensity. Back-side illumination of subwavelength apertures in optically thick met…
High-efficiency broadband active metasurfaces via reversible metal electrodeposition
Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学普里茨克分子工程学院）；Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University（西北大学电气与计算机工程系）；Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University（杜克大学托马斯·洛德机械工程和材料科学系）
