A general technique for synthesizing both planar and conformal beamforming metasurfaces is presented that utilizes full-wave modeling techniques and rapid optimization methods. The synthesized metasurfaces consist of a patterned metallic cladding supported by a finite-size grounded dielectric substrate. The metasurfaces are modeled using integral equations which accurately account for mutual coupling and the metasurface's finite dimensions. The synthesis technique consists of three phases: a direct solve phase to obtain an initial metasurface design with complex-valued impedances satisfying the desired far-field beam specifications, a subsequent optimization phase that converts the complex-valued impedances to purely reactive ones, and a final patterning phase to realize the purely reactive impedances as a patterned metallic cladding. The optimization phase introduces surface waves which facilitate passivity. The metasurface is optimized using gradient descent with a semi-analytic gradient obtained using the adjoint variable method. Three examples are presented: a low-profile directly-fed metasurface antenna with near perfect aperture efficiency, a scanned-beam reflectarray design with controlled sidelobes, and a conformal metasurface reflectarray. The far-field and near-field performance of the metasurfaces are verified and the bandwidth and loss tolerance of the metasurfaces are investigated.
This paper presents an end-to-end design method for the synthesis of dielectric metasurfaces with modulated thickness that are able to realize desired radiation patterns in the far-field with high precision. The method relies on integral equations and the Method of Moments to calculate the induced surface and volumetric current densities throughout the metasurface upon a given incident illumination. By avoiding homogenization of the dielectric layer and calculating directly the scattered fields through the Method of Moments, the near-field and far-field response of the metasurface can be accur…
Metasurfaces are subwavelength structured thin films consisting of arrays of units that allow the controls of polarization, phase and amplitude of light over a subwavelength thickness. The recent developments in topological photonics have greatly broadened the horizon in designing the metasurfaces for novel functional applications. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the research field of topological metasurfaces, firstly from the perspectives of passive and active in the classical regime, and then in the quantum regime. More specifically, we begin by examining the passive topologi…
We introduce a systematic approach to design all-passive subwavelength high performance metasurfaces that exhibit nonreciprocal properties and achieve wave-flow isolation. Moreover we build upon those findings and propose a new paradigm for a quasi-2D metasurface that mimic the nonreciprocal property of Faraday rotation without using any magnetic or electric biasing. We envision that the proposed approaches may serve as a building block for all-passive time-reversal symmetry breaking with potential applications for future nonreciprocal systems and devices.
The breaking of Lorentz reciprocity law is a non-trivial task, since it usually requires bulky magnets or complicated time-modulation dynamic techniques to be accomplished. In this work, we present a simple and compact design of a nonlinear bifacial dielectric metasurface to achieve strong self-induced passive nonreciprocal transmission without the use of external biases. The proposed design is ideal for free space optics applications, can operate under both incident polarizations, and require very low input excitation power to reach the nonreciprocal regime. It is composed of two passive sili…
We introduce a paradigm for accurate design of metasurfaces for intricate beam manipulation, implementing functionalities previously considered impossible to achieve with passive lossless elements. The key concept involves self-generation of auxiliary evanescent fields which facilitate the required local power conservation, without interfering with the device performance in the far field. We demonstrate our scheme by presenting exact reactive solutions to the challenging problems of reflectionless beam splitting and perfect reflection, verified via full wave simulations.
We present a semi-analytical formulation of the interaction between a given source field and a scalar Huygens metasurface (HMS), a recently introduced promising concept for wavefront manipulation based on a sheet of orthogonal electric and magnetic dipoles. Utilizing the equivalent surface impedance representation of these metasurfaces, we establish that an arbitrary source field can be converted into directive radiation via a passive lossless HMS if two physical conditions are met: local power conservation and local impedance equalization. Expressing the fields via their plane-wave spectrum a…
For passive, lossless impenetrable metasurfaces, a design technique for arbitrary beam control of receiving, guiding, and launching is presented. Arbitrary control is enabled by a custom surface wave in an orthogonal polarization such that its addition to the incident (input) and the desired scattered (output) fields is supported by a reactive surface impedance everywhere on the reflecting surface. Such a custom surface wave (SW) takes the form of an evanescent wave propagating along the surface with a spatially varying envelope. A growing SW appears when an illuminating beam is received. The …
We present a general theory for designing realistic omega-type bianisotropic metasurfaces (O-BMSs), unlocking their full potential for molding electromagnetic fields. These metasurfaces, characterized by electric surface impedance, magnetic surface admittance, and magnetoelectric coupling coefficient, were previously considered for wavefront manipulation. However, previous reports mainly considered plane-wave excitations, and implementations included cumbersome metallic features. In this work, we prove that any field transformation which locally conserves real power can be implemented via pass…
Imaginary Gauge Fields for One-Way Transparency and Absorption in a Passive Metasurface
New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Hong Kong（香港大学新cornerstone科学实验室）；School of Physics and Optoelectronics, South China University of Technology（华南理工大学物理与光电学院）；School of Engineering, University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学工程学院）；State Key Laboratory of Optical Quantum Materials, University of Hong Kong（香港大学光学量子材料国家重点实验室）；Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area（粤港澳大湾区量子科学中心）；Materials Innovation Institute for Life Sciences and Energy (MILES), HKU-SIRI, Shenzhen（深圳港大-深港研究院生命科学与能源材料创新研究所）；Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Hong Kong（香港大学电子电气工程系）
Electromagnetic metasurface design based on far-field constraints without the complete knowledge of the fields on both sides of the metasurface is typically a time consuming and iterative process, which relies heavily on heuristics and ad hoc methods. This paper proposes an end-to-end systematic and efficient approach where the designer inputs high-level far-field constraints such as nulls, sidelobe levels, and main beam level(s); and a 3-layer non-uniform passive, lossless, omega-type bianisotropic electromagnetic metasurface design to satisfy them is returned. The surface parameters to reali…
We introduce the concept and practical design of broadband, ultrathin cloaks based on non-Foster, negatively capacitive metasurfaces. By using properly tailored, active frequency-selective screens conformal to an object, within the realm of practical realization, is shown to enable drastically reduced scattering over a wide frequency range in the microwave regime, orders of magnitude broader than any available passive cloaking technology. The proposed active cloak may impact not only invisibility and camouflaging, but also practical antenna and sensing applications.
