We present the design for an absorbing metamaterial (MM) with near unity absorbance A(omega). Our structure consists of two MM resonators that couple separately to electric and magnetic fields so as to absorb all incident radiation within a single unit cell layer. We fabricate, characterize, and analyze a MM absorber with a slightly lower predicted A(omega) of 96%. Unlike conventional absorbers, our MM consists solely of metallic elements. The substrate can therefore be optimized for other parameters of interest. We experimentally demonstrate a peak A(omega) greater than 88% at 11.5 GHz.

Perfect metamaterial absorber.

Electronic circuits provide us with the ability to control the transport and storage of electrons. However, the performance of electronic circuits is now becoming rather limited when digital information needs to be sent from one point to another. Photonics offers an effective solution to this problem by implementing optical communication systems based on optical fibers and photonic circuits. Unfortunately, the micrometer-scale bulky components of photonics have limited the integration of these components into electronic chips, which are now measured in nanometers. Surface plasmon-based circuits, which merge electronics and photonics at the nanoscale, may offer a solution to this size-compatibility problem. Here we review the current status and future prospects of plasmonics in various applications including plasmonic chips, light generation, and nanolithography.

/pdf/plasmonics-merging-photonics-and-electronics-at-nanoscale-3vxc7s7v4s.pdf

Plasmonics: merging photonics and electronics at nanoscale dimensions.

Collective electronic excitations at metal surfaces are well known to play a key role in a wide spectrum of science, ranging from physics and materials science to biology. Here we focus on a theoretical description of the many-body dynamical electronic response of solids, which underlines the existence of various collective electronic excitations at metal surfaces, such as the conventional surface plasmon, multipole plasmons and the recently predicted acoustic surface plasmon. We also review existing calculations, experimental measurements and applications.

/pdf/theory-of-surface-plasmons-and-surface-plasmon-polaritons-42vs95dnoa.pdf

Theory of surface plasmons and surface-plasmon polaritons

Quantum plasmonics is a rapidly growing field of research that involves the study of the quantum properties of light and its interaction with matter at the nanoscale Here, surface plasmons - electromagnetic excitations coupled to electron charge density waves on metal-dielectric interfaces or localized on metallic nanostructures - enable the confinement of light to scales far below that of conventional optics In this article we review recent progress in the experimental and theoretical investigation of the quantum properties of surface plasmons, their role in controlling light-matter interactions at the quantum level and potential applications Quantum plasmonics opens up a new frontier in the study of the fundamental physics of surface plasmons and the realization of quantum-controlled devices, including single-photon sources, transistors and ultra-compact circuitry at the nanoscale

Quantum Plasmonics

This review provides a perspective on the recent developments in the transmission of light through subwavelength apertures in metal films. The main focus is on the phenomenon of extraordinary optical transmission in periodic hole arrays, discovered over a decade ago. It is shown that surface electromagnetic modes play a key role in the emergence of the resonant transmission. These modes are also shown to be at the root of both the enhanced transmission and beaming of light found in single apertures surrounded by periodic corrugations. This review describes both the theoretical and experimental aspects of the subject. For clarity, the physical mechanisms operating in the different structures considered are analyzed within a common theoretical framework. Several applications based on the transmission properties of subwavelength apertures are also addressed.

http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/47904/1/Light%20passing.pdf

Light passing through subwavelength apertures

We investigate the magnetic resonance of split-ring resonators (SRR) experimentally and numerically. The dependence of the geometrical parameters on the magnetic resonance frequency of SRR is studied. We further investigate the effect of lumped capacitors integrated to the SRR on the magnetic resonance frequency for tunable SRR designs. Different resonator structures are shown to exhibit magnetic resonances at various frequencies depending on the number of rings and splits used in the resonators.

/pdf/investigation-of-magnetic-resonances-for-different-split-3ay3wb7hdf.pdf

Investigation of magnetic resonances for different split-ring resonator parameters and designs

An optical parametric oscillator in the telecom wavelength range is realized in a diamond system consisting of a ring resonator coupled to a diamond waveguide. Threshold powers as low as 20 mW are measured and up to 20 new wavelengths are generated from a single-frequency pump laser. Despite progress towards integrated diamond photonics1,2,3,4, studies of optical nonlinearities in diamond have been limited to Raman scattering in bulk samples5. Diamond nonlinear photonics, however, could enable efficient, in situ frequency conversion of single photons emitted by diamond's colour centres6,7, as well as stable and high-power frequency microcombs8 operating at new wavelengths. Both of these applications depend crucially on efficient four-wave mixing processes enabled by diamond's third-order nonlinearity. Here, we have realized a diamond nonlinear photonics platform by demonstrating optical parametric oscillation via four-wave mixing using single-crystal ultrahigh-quality-factor (1 × 106) diamond ring resonators operating at telecom wavelengths. Threshold powers as low as 20 mW are measured, and up to 20 new wavelengths are generated from a single-frequency pump laser. We also report the first measurement of the nonlinear refractive index due to the third-order nonlinearity in diamond at telecom wavelengths.

Diamond nonlinear photonics

Directly embedding single nitrogen–vacancy centres into ordered arrays of plasmonic nanostructures can enhance their radiative emission rate and thus give greater scalability over previous bottom-up approaches for the realization of on-chip quantum networks.

/pdf/enhanced-single-photon-emission-from-a-diamond-silver-2rc7fz49ye.pdf

Enhanced single-photon emission from a diamond–silver aperture

Negative-index metamaterials are candidates for imaging objects with sizes smaller than a half-wavelength. The authors report an impedance-matched, low loss negative-index metamaterial superlens that is capable of resolving subwavelength features of a point source with a 0.13λ resolution, which is the highest resolution achieved by a negative-index metamaterial. By separating two point sources with a distance of λ∕8, they were able to detect two distinct peaks on the image plane. They also showed that the metamaterial based structure has a flat lens behavior.

/pdf/subwavelength-resolution-with-a-negative-index-metamaterial-3j0mdjj6on.pdf

Subwavelength resolution with a negative-index metamaterial superlens

The existence of a left-handed (LH) transmission band in a bulk composite metamaterial (CMM) around $100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GHz}$ is demonstrated experimentally. The CMM consists of stacked planar glass layers on which periodic patterns of micron-scale metallic wires and split-ring resonators are fabricated. The LH nature of the CMM band is proved by comparing the transmission spectra of individual CMM components. Theoretical investigation of the CMM by transmission simulations and an inversion scheme for the retrieval of the effective permeability and permittivity functions supports the existence of LH behavior.

/pdf/experimental-demonstration-of-a-left-handed-metamaterial-4knikftap9.pdf

Irfan Bulu

Papers

Investigation of magnetic resonances for different split-ring resonator parameters and designs

Diamond nonlinear photonics

Enhanced single-photon emission from a diamond–silver aperture

Subwavelength resolution with a negative-index metamaterial superlens

Experimental demonstration of a left-handed metamaterial operating at 100 GHz