Strong resonant light scattering by individual spherical Si nanoparticles is experimentally demonstrated, revealing pronounced resonances associated with the excitation of magnetic and electric modes in these nanoparticles. It is shown that the low-frequency resonance corresponds to the magnetic dipole excitation. Due to high permittivity, the magnetic dipole resonance is observed in the visible spectral range for Si nanoparticles with diameters of ∼200 nm, thereby opening a way to the realization of isotropic optical metamaterials with strong magnetic responses in the visible region.

Demonstration of Magnetic Dipole Resonances of Dielectric Nanospheres in the Visible Region

Mie resonance-based dielectric metamaterials

Periodic structures of spherical silicon particles are analyzed using the coupled-dipole equations for studying optical response features and local electromagnetic fields. The model takes into account the electric and magnetic dipole moments of the particles embedded in a homogeneous dielectric medium. Particles with radius of 65 nm and larger are considered. It is shown that, due to the large permittivity of silicon, the first two Mie resonances are located in the region of visible light, where the absorption is small and the extinction is basically determined by scattering. The main contribution is given by the induced magnetic and electric dipoles of the particles. Thus, in contrast to metal particle arrays, here is a possibility to combine separately either the electric or magnetic dipole resonances of individual particles with the structural features. As a result, extinction spectra can have additional narrow resonant peaks connected with multiple light scattering by the magnetic dipoles and displaying a Fano-type resonant profile. Reflection and transmission properties of the Si particle arrays are investigated and the conditions of low light reflection and transmission by the particle arrays are discussed, as well as the applicability of the dipole approach. It is shown that the light transmission of finite-size arrays of Si particles can be significantly suppressed at the conditions of the particle magnetic dipole resonance. It is demonstrated that, using resonant conditions, one can separately control the enhancements of local electric and magnetic fields in the structures.

Optical response features of Si-nanoparticle arrays

High-permittivity dielectric particles with resonant magnetic properties are being explored as constitutive elements of new metamaterials and devices. Magnetic properties of low-loss dielectric nanoparticles in the visible or infrared are not expected due to intrinsic low refractive index of optical media in these regimes. Here we analyze the dipolar electric and magnetic response of lossless dielectric spheres made of moderate permittivity materials. For low material refractive index (≲ 3) there are no sharp resonances due to strong overlapping between different multipole contributions. However, we find that Silicon particles with index of refraction ∼ 3.5 and radius ∼ 200nm present strong electric and magnetic dipolar resonances in telecom and near-infrared frequencies, (i.e. at wavelengths ≈ 1.2 – 2μm) without spectral overlap with quadrupolar and higher order resonances. The light scattered by these Si particles can then be perfectly described by dipolar electric and magnetic fields.

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Strong magnetic response of submicron Silicon particles in the infrared

We present the first experimental demonstration of zero backscattering from nanoparticles at optical frequencies as originally discussed by Kerker et al. [ Kerker , M. ; Wang , D. ; Giles , C. J. Opt. Soc. A 1983 , 73 , 765 ]. GaAs pillars were fabricated on a fused silica substrate and the spectrum of the backscattered radiation was measured in the wavelength range 600-1000 nm. Suppression of backscattering occurred at ~725 nm, agreeing with calculations based on the discrete dipole approximation. Particles with zero backscattering provide new functionality for metamaterials and optical antennas.

https://www.photonics.ethz.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/Papers/person13a-1.pdf

Demonstration of Zero Optical Backscattering from Single Nanoparticles

A possible realization of isotropic artificial backward-wave materials is theoretically analyzed. An improved mixing rule for the effective permittivity of a composite material consisting of two sets of resonant dielectric spheres in a homogeneous background is presented. The equations are validated using the Mie theory and numerical simulations. The effect of a statistical distribution of sphere sizes on the increase of losses in the operating frequency band is discussed and some examples are shown.

Modeling of isotropic backward-wave materials composed of resonant spheres

Various metamaterials, very actively studied in recent years, usually consist of metal inclusions of complex shapes periodically arranged in space. If the period of the lattice and the dimensions of the inclusions are small compared with the wavelength, the material is usually considered as an effectively homogeneous medium characterized by effective material parameters (permittivity and permeability). The shape and dimensions of inclusions define the electromagnetic response, which may be rather exotic (negative material parameters, for example) and resonant response. Modelling of typical metamaterial samples with effective material parameters is a non-trivial task, where one has to face several complications as compared with the "usual" materials. These complications as well as various possible approaches to effective medium modelling will be discussed in this review presentation.

I. Kolmakov

Papers

Modeling of isotropic backward-wave materials composed of resonant spheres

Approaches to the Homogenization of Periodical Metamaterials