The possibility of making an object invisible for detectors has become a topic of considerable interest over the past decades. Most of the studies so far focused on reducing the visibility by reshaping the electromagnetic scattering in the spatial domain. In fact, by manipulating the electromagnetic scattering in the time domain, the visibility of an object can also be reduced. Importantly, unlike previous studies on phase-switched screens and time-varying metasurfaces, where the effect is narrow band due to the dispersive resonance, for microwave frequency range, we introduce a broadband switchable metasurface integrated with p-i-n diodes. The reflection phase of the metasurface can be changed by approximately π over a fractional bandwidth of 76%. By modulating the metasurface quasirandomly in the time domain, the incident narrow-band signal is spread into a white-noiselike spectrum upon reflection, creating a spectral camouflage. The broadband feature of the proposed time-varying metasurface can provide practical insight for various applications, including radar stealth and ultrawide-band wireless communication.
A systematic numerical framework based on Integral Equations and Generalized Sheet Transition Conditions (IE-GSTCs) is presented in 2D to synthesize closed metasurface holograms and skins for creating electromagnetic illusions of specified objects and as a special case, to camouflaging them against their backgrounds. The versatile hologram surface is modeled using a zero-thickness sheet model of a generalized metasurface expressed in terms of its surface susceptibilities, which is further integrated into the GSTCs and the IE current-field propagation operators. To estimate the effectiveness of…
Electromagnetic waves carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have found many applications. This work reports a broadband millimeter wave OAM generator applying a dielectric metasurface with high-refractive-index dielectric elements distributed on a low-refractive-index substrate. Proper adjustment of the dimensions of the dielectric elements can make a broadband OAM generator from 53 to 70 GHz. OAM generators with different mode numbers are designed and validated by simulation. Such structures can find potential applications in high-capacity communications and imaging.
Metasurfaces impart phase discontinuities on impinging electromagnetic waves that are typically limited to 0-2$π$. Here, we show that they can break free from this limitation and supply arbitrarily-large phase modulation over ultra-wide bandwidths. This is achieved by implementing multiple, properly-arranged resonances in the electric and magnetic sheet admittivities. We demonstrate metasurfaces that can perfectly reflect a broadband pulse imparting a prescribed group delay without distorting the pulse shape, opening new possibilities for temporal control and dispersion engineering across deep…
We theoretically and experimentally propose two designs of broadband low-frequency acoustic metasurface absorbers (Sample I/Sample II) for the frequency ranges of 458Hz~968Hz and 231Hz~491Hz (larger than 1 octave), with absorption larger than 0.8, and having the ultra-thin thickness of 5.2cm and 10.4cm respectively (λ/15 for the lowest working frequency and λ/7.5 for the highest frequency). The designed supercell consists of 16 different unit cells corresponding to 16 eigen frequencies for resonant absorptions. The coupling of multiple resonances leads to broadband absorption effect in the ful…
In this work, we theoretically and experimentally study the conversion from a circularly polarized plane electromagnetic wave into a linearly polarized transmitted one using anisotropic self-complementary metasurfaces. For this purpose, a metasurface design operable at sub-terahertz frequencies is proposed and investigated in the range of 230-540 GHz. The metasurface is composed of alternating complementary rectangular patches and apertures patterned in an aluminum layer deposited on a thin polypropylene film. The term \textit{self-complementary} implies that the pattern is invariant with resp…
While elastic metasurfaces offer a remarkable and very effective approach to the subwalength control of stress waves, their use in practical applications is severely hindered by intrinsically narrow band performance. This work introduces the concept of intentional nonlocality as a fundamental mechanism to design passive elastic metasurfaces capable of an exceptionally broadband operating range. The nonlocal behavior is achieved by exploiting nonlocal forces, conceptually akin to long-range interactions in nonlocal material microstructures, between subsets of resonant unit cells forming the met…
Ventilation barriers allowing simultaneous sound blocking and free airflow passage are of great challenge but necessary for particular scenarios calling for sound-proofing ventilation. Previous works based on local resonance or Fano-like interference serve a narrow working range around the resonant or destructive-interference frequency. Efforts made on broadband designs show a limited bandwidth typically smaller than half an octave. Here, we theoretically design an ultra-broadband ventilation barrier via hybridizing dissipation and interference. Confirmed by experiments, the synergistic effect…
In this paper, a broadband tunable polarization converter based on graphene metasurfaces is proposed. This polarization converter works in the terahertz (THz) frequency region, using the advantage of graphene characteristics to have a tunable frequency response. The designed graphene-shaped periodic structure on top of the substrate is utilized to convert the incident wave polarization to the desired target in a flexible operational band in the THz frequencies. The polarization conversion ratio is more than 0.85 in a wide range of frequencies in the THz band from 4.86 to 8.42 THz (the fraction…
We report the design, fabrication and characterization of ultralight highly emissive metaphotonic structures with record-low mass/area that emit thermal radiation efficiently over a broad spectral (2 to 35 microns) and angular (0-60 degrees) range. The structures comprise one to three pairs of alternating nanometer-scale metallic and dielectric layers, and have measured effective 300 K hemispherical emissivities of 0.7 to 0.9. To our knowledge, these structures, which are all subwavelength in thickness are the lightest reported metasurfaces with comparable infrared emissivity. The superior opt…
Recently, a special class of Huygens' surfaces has been proposed which are capable of manipulation of transmitted wavefronts while exhibiting high transparency over a broad range of frequencies. In this work we propose and study a new meta-atom for achieving broadband transparency of Huygens' surfaces based on two mutually shifted split-ring resonators. The resonators were carefully optimized using a new developed analytical model so that their electric and magnetic responses was balanced to achieve unidirectional scattering of the incident field. Moreover, their mutual shift canceled their in…
This paper presents the concept of spread-spectrum selective camouflaging based on time-modulated metasurface. The spectrum spreading is realized by switching the metasurface between the reflective states of a PEC mirror and a PMC mirror, using an array of microstrip patches connected to the ground via diode switches, according to a periodic pseudo-random noise sequence. As the spectrum spreading induces a drastic reduction of the power spectral density of the signal, the level of the scattered wave falls below the noise floor of the interrogating radar, and the object covered by the metasurfa…
This paper proposes a flexible broadband linear polarization converter based on metasurface operating at microwave band. In order to achieve bandwidth extension property, long and short metallic arc wires, as well as the metallic disks placed over a ground plane, are combined into the polarizer, which can generate three neighboring resonances. Due to the combination of the first two resonances and optimized size and thickness of the unit cell, the polarization converter can have a weak incident angle dependence. Both simulated and measured results confirm that the average polarization conversi…
We propose to use logarithmic spiral resonators for efficient absorption of microwaves. By combining their scale invariant geometries and Fabry-Perot-type resonances stemming from the fundamental TM mode, we realize a microwave metasurface with broadband absorption performance. The metasurface comprises logarithmic spiral resonators backed with a metallic surface and it can absorb >95% of incident microwave energy within the frequency range of 6 GHz - 37 GHz. We discuss the physics underlying the broadband absorption and the crucial role of vortex energy flow. The study opens a new direction o…
Metasurfaces, the ultrathin media with extraordinary wavefront modulation ability, have shown versatile potential in manipulating waves. However, existing acoustic metasurfaces are limited by their narrow-band frequency-dependent capability, which severely hinders their real-world applications that usually require customized dispersion. To address this bottlenecking challenge, we report ultra-broadband achromatic metasurfaces that are capable of delivering arbitrary and frequency-independent wave properties by bottom-up topology optimization. We successively demonstrate three ultra-broadband f…
We demonstrate the broadband operation of a switchable terahertz quarter-wave plate achieved with an active metasurface employing vanadium dioxide. For this purpose, we utilize anisotropically deformed checkerboard structures, which present broadband characteristics compatible with deep modulation. Moreover, the metasurface is integrated with a current injection circuit to achieve state switching; this injection circuit can also be employed to monitor the electric state of vanadium dioxide. We estimate the Stokes parameters derived from the experimental transmission spectra of the fabricated m…
Meta-optics based on optically-resonant dielectric nanostructures is a rapidly developing research field with many potential applications. Halide perovskite metasurfaces emerged recently as a novel platform for meta-optics, and they offer unique opportunities for control of light in optoelectronic devices. Here we employ the generalized Kerker conditions to overlap electric and magnetic Mie resonances in each meta-atom of MAPbBr3 perovskite metasurface and demonstrate broadband suppression of reflection down to 4%. We reveal also that metasurface nanostructuring is also beneficial for the enha…
A broadband sound absorption attained by a deep-subwavelength structure is of great interest to the noise control community especially for extremely low frequencies (20-100 Hz) in room acoustics. Coupling multiple different resonant unit cells has been an effective strategy to achieve a broadband sound absorption. In this paper, we report on an analytical, numerical and experimental study of a low-frequency broadband (50-63 Hz, one third octave band), high absorption (average absorption coefficient around 93%), near-omnidirectional (0°-75°) acoustic metasurface absorber composed of 4 coupled u…
Dynamically switchable half-/quarter-wave plates have recently been the focus in the terahertz regime. Conventional design philosophy leads to multilayer metamaterials or narrowband metasurfaces. Here we propose a novel design philosophy and a VO2-metal hybrid metasurface for achieving broadband dynamically switchable half-/quarter-wave plate (HWP/QWP) based on the transition from the overdamped to the underdamped resonance. Results show that, by varying the VO2 conductivity by three orders of magnitude, the proposed metasurface's function can be switched between an HWP with polarization conve…
We present an asymmetric bifacial graphene metasurface to realize tunable and broadband coherent perfect absorption (CPA) at terahertz (THz) frequencies. The proposed design is composed of two dissimilar graphene square patch metasurfaces stacked over an ultrathin dielectric substrate. Nonlinear CPA performance without resorting to optical nonlinearities and amplification are demonstrated based on wave interference phenomena taking place along and inside this subwavelength structure. Broadband asymmetric reflection from opposite directions is obtained in the case of single wave illumination. T…
A circularly polarized leaky-wave antenna capable of frequency scanning is proposed in this paper. The main objective is to achieve high gain and polarization purity without the need for a complex feed network. The antenna consists of two independent modules: (1) Anisotropic modulated metasurface antenna (MoMetA) for generating vertically polarized radiation with an operational scanning range of 19 to 47 degrees in elevation; (2) Wide-band polarization converter with high angular stability and capable of converting vertically linear polarization into circular polarization (CP). Aperture field …
Broadband electrochromism from visible to infrared wavelengths is attractive for applications like smart windows, thermal-camouflage, and temperature control. In this work, the broadband electrochromic properties of Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) and its suitability for infrared-camouflage and thermoregulation are investigated. Upon Li+ intercalation, LTO changes from a wide band-gap semiconductor to a metal, causing LTO nanoparticles on metal to transition from a super-broadband optical reflector to a solar absorber and thermal emitter. Large tunabilities of 0.74, 0.68 and 0.30 are observed for the solar re…
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…
Metamaterials and metasurfaces operating in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) offer a promising route towards next-generation photodetectors and devices for solar energy harvesting. While numerous metamaterials and metasurfaces using metals and semiconductors have been demonstrated, semimetals-based metasurfaces in the vis-NIR range are notably missing. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a broadband metasurface superabsorber based on large area, semimetallic, van der Waals PtSe2 thin films in agreement with electromagnetic simulations. Our results show that PtSe2 is an ultrathin and scalabl…
We report the characterization of an achromatic focusing metasurface at oblique incident angles. We show that in addition to the inherent off-axis aberrations that occurs due to the hyperbolic phase profile of the metasurface, the focusing performance is significantly degraded due to the meta-atoms' angular dispersion. To obtain insights into how the angular and spectral bandwidth of meta-atoms relate to the metasurface focusing performance, point-dipole models are used which incorporate different aspect's of the meta-atoms' angular response. It is emphasized that despite the meta-atoms being …
Resonant optical phased arrays are a promising way to reach fully reconfigurable metasurfaces in the optical and NIR regimes with low energy consumption, low footprint and high reliability. Continuously tunable resonant structures suffer from inherent drawbacks such as low phase range, amplitude-phase correlation or extreme sensitivity that makes precise control at the individual element level very challenging. In order to bypass these issues, we use 1-bit (binary) control for beam steering for an innovative nano-resonator antenna and explore the theoretical capabilities of such phased arrays.…
We propose the optical trapping of Rayleigh particles using tailored anisotropic and hyperbolic metasurfaces illuminated with a linearly polarized Gaussian beam. This platform permits to engineer optical traps at the beam axis with a response governed by nonconservative and giant recoil forces coming from the directional excitation of ultra-confined surface plasmons during the light scattering process. Compared to optical traps set over bulk metals, the proposed traps are broadband in the sense that can be set with beams oscillating at any frequency within the wide range in which the metasurfa…
Field-driven nonlinear metasurface: self-adaptive transition between high-selectivity transmission and broadband shielding
College of Electronic Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology（国防科技大学电子科学学院）；Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University（空军工程大学空天防御学院）
We present a hybrid device platform for creating an electrically reconfigurable metasurface formed by the integration of plasmonic nanostructures with phase-change material germanium antimony telluride (GST). By changing the phase of GST from amorphous to crystalline through Joule heating, a large range of responses from the metasurface can be achieved. Furthermore, by using the intermediate phases of GST, the metasurface can interact with the incident light in both over-coupling and under-coupling regimes, leading to an inherently broadband response. Through a detailed investigation of the na…
Vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have been widely applied in various electromagnetic, optical, and quantum systems. A tailored OAM spectrum composed of several specific modes as expected holds a promise for expanding the degrees of freedom of the systems. However, such a broadband high-purity tailored spectrum is difficult to be achieved by the present devices, where the broadband amplitude manipulation has not been explored yet. In this work, inspired by the envelope-modulation theory, an elegant and universal way to manipulate the OAM spectrum in wide bandwidth is propose…
A finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation of broadband electromagnetic metasurfaces based on direct in- corporation of Generalized Sheet Transition Conditions (GSTCs) inside a conventional Yee-cell region has been proposed, for arbitrary wave excitations. This is achieved by inserting a zero thickness metasurface inside bulk nodes of the Yee-cell region, giving rise to three distinct cell configurations - Symmetric Cell (SC), Asymmetric Cell (AC) and Tight Asymmetric Cell (TAC). In addition, the metasurface is modelled using electric and magnetic surface susceptibilities exhibiting a b…
We present an all-dielectric metadevice platform realized by combining an inverse electromagnetic design computational method with additive manufacturing. As opposed to conventional flat metasurface based devices that are composed of resonant building blocks resulting in narrow band operation, our design approach creates non-resonant, extremely broadband metadevices. We propose and demonstrate high-efficiency (transmission > 60%), using thin all-dielectric metadevices that are capable of polarization splitting, beam bending, and focusing. Experimental demonstrations are performed at millimeter…
Vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum are extensively studied owing to its potential to expand channel capacity of microwave and optical communication. By utilizing the Pancharatnam-Berry phase concept, an ultra-wideband single layer metasurface is proposed to realize the conversion from incident plane waves to reflected vortex beams covering a considerable bandwidth from 6.75 to 21.85 GHz . An equivalent circuit model combined with broadband phase shift network is developed to effectively design the meta-atoms in metasurface. It is the first time to design wideband metasurfaces with …
Spectral imagers, the classic example being the color camera, are ubiquitous in everyday life. However, most such imagers rely on filter arrays that absorb light outside each spectral channel, yielding ~1/N efficiency for an N-channel imager. This is especially undesirable in thermal infrared (IR) wavelengths, where sensor detectivities are low, as well as in highly compact systems with small entrance pupils. Diffractive optics or interferometers can enable efficient spectral imagers, but such systems are too bulky for certain applications. We propose an efficient and compact thermal infrared …
The energy consumption of buildings is increasing at a rapid pace due to urbanization, while net-zero energy buildings powered by renewable sources offer a green and sustainable solution. However, the limited rooftop space available on skyscrapers and multi-story buildings poses a challenge for large-scale integration of solar photovoltaic modules. Conventional photovoltaics solutions such as silicon solar panels block the visible light from entering the building rending them unfeasible to cover all building surfaces. Here, we demonstrate a novel dielectric metasurface (based-on silicon nitrid…
We introduce an overlapping-domain approach to large-area metasurface design, in which each simulated domain consists of a unit cell and overlapping regions from the neighboring cells plus PML absorbers. We show that our approach generates greatly improved metalens quality compared to designs produced using a locally periodic approximation, thanks to $\sim 10\times$ better accuracy with similar computational cost. We use the new approach with topology optimization to design large-area ($200λ$) high-NA (0.71) multichrome and broadband achromatic lenses with high focusing efficiency ($\sim 50\%$…
Modulation of metasurfaces in time gives rise to several exotic space-time scattering phenomena by violating the reciprocity and generation of higher-order frequency harmonics. We introduce a new design paradigm for time-modulated metasurfaces, offering electrically tunable engineering of the generated frequency harmonics and their emerging wavefronts by controlling the phase delay in modulation. It is demonstrated that the light acquires a dispersionless phase shift regardless of incident angle and polarization, upon undergoing frequency conversion in a time-modulated metasurface which is lin…
Implementation of ultra-broadband optical null media via space-folding
Key Lab of Advanced Transducers and Intelligent Control System, Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronics, Taiyuan University of Technology（先进换能器与智能控制系统教育部及山西省重点实验室，物理与光电学院，太原理工大学）
Metasurfaces (MSs) have been utilized to manipulate different properties of electromagnetic waves. By combining local control over the wave amplitude, phase, and polarization into a single tunable structure, a multi-functional and reconfigurable metasurface can be realized, capable of full control over incident radiation. Here, we experimentally validate a multi-functional metasurface architecture for the microwave regime, where in principle variable loads are connected behind the backplane to reconfigurably shape the complex surface impedance. As a proof-of-concept step, we fabricate several …
Metasurface holography, the reconstruction of holographic images by modulating the spatial amplitude and phase of light using metasurfaces, has emerged as a next-generation display technology. However, conventional fabrication techniques used to realize metaholograms are limited by their small patterning areas, high manufacturing costs, and low throughput, which hinder their practical use. Herein, we demonstrate a high efficiency hologram using a one-step nanomanufacturing method with a titanium dioxide nanoparticle-embedded-resin, allowing for high-throughput and low-cost fabrication. At a si…
