Showing papers by "Yuri S. Kivshar published in 2016"

Optically resonant dielectric nanostructures

Abstract: The resonant modes of plasmonic nanoparticle structures made of gold or silver endow them with an ability to manipulate light at the nanoscale. However, owing to the high light losses caused by metals at optical wavelengths, only a small fraction of plasmonics applications have been realized. Kuznetsov et al. review how high-index dielectric nanoparticles can offer a substitute for these metals, providing a highly flexible and low-loss route to the manipulation of light at the nanoscale. Science , this issue p. [10.1126/science.aag2472][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aag2472

Invited article: Broadband highly-efficient dielectric metadevices for polarization control

Abstract: Metadevices based on dielectric nanostructured surfaces with both electric and magnetic Mie-type resonances have resulted in the best efficiency to date for functional flat optics with only one disadvantage: a narrow operational bandwidth Here we experimentally demonstrate broadband transparent all-dielectric metasurfaces for highly efficient polarization manipulation We utilize the generalized Huygens principle, with a superposition of the scattering contributions from several electric and magnetic multipolar modes of the constituent meta-atoms, to achieve destructive interference in reflection over a large spectral bandwidth By employing this novel concept, we demonstrate reflectionless (∼90% transmission) half-wave plates, quarter-wave plates, and vector beam q-plates that can operate across multiple telecom bands with ∼99% polarization conversion efficiency

Multipolar nonlinear nanophotonics

Abstract: Nonlinear nanophotonics is a rapidly developing field of research with many potential applications for the design of nonlinear nanoantennas, light sources, nanolasers, and ultrafast miniature metadevices. A tight confinement of the local electromagnetic fields in resonant photonic nanostructures can boost nonlinear optical effects, thus offering versatile opportunities for the subwavelength control of light. To achieve the desired functionalities, it is essential to gain flexible control over the near- and far-field properties of nanostructures. To engineer nonlinear scattering from resonant nanoscale elements, both modal and multipolar control of the nonlinear response are widely exploited for enhancing the near-field interaction and optimizing the radiation directionality. Motivated by the recent progress of all-dielectric nanophotonics, where the electric and magnetic multipolar contributions may become comparable, here we review the advances in the recently emerged field of multipolar nonlinear nanophotonics, starting from earlier relevant studies of metallic and metal–dielectric structures supporting localized plasmonic resonances to then discussing the latest results for all-dielectric nanostructures driven by Mie-type multipolar resonances and optically induced magnetic response. These recent developments suggest intriguing opportunities for a design of nonlinear subwavelength light sources with reconfigurable radiation characteristics and engineering large effective optical nonlinearities at the nanoscale, which could have important implications for novel nonlinear photonic devices operating beyond the diffraction limit.

Grayscale transparent metasurface holograms

Abstract: We demonstrate transparent metaholograms based on silicon metasurfaces that allow high-resolution grayscale images to be encoded. The holograms feature the highest diffraction and transmission efficiencies, and operate over a broad spectral range.

Nonlinear switching and solitons in PT-symmetric photonic systems

Abstract: One of the challenges of the modern photonics is to develop all-optical devices enabling increased speed and energy efficiency for transmitting and processing information on an optical chip. It is believed that the recently suggested Parity-Time (PT) symmetric photonic systems with alternating regions of gain and loss can bring novel functionalities. In such systems, losses are as important as gain and, depending on the structural parameters, gain compensates losses. Generally, PT systems demonstrate nontrivial non-conservative wave interactions and phase transitions, which can be employed for signal filtering and switching, opening new prospects for active control of light. In this review, we discuss a broad range of problems involving nonlinear PT-symmetric photonic systems with an intensity-dependent refractive index. Nonlinearity in such PT symmetric systems provides a basis for many effects such as the formation of localized modes, nonlinearly-induced PT-symmetry breaking, and all-optical switching. Nonlinear PT-symmetric systems can serve as powerful building blocks for the development of novel photonic devices targeting an active light control.

Nonlinear Generation of Vector Beams From AlGaAs Nanoantennas.

Abstract: The quest for nanoscale light sources with designer radiation patterns and polarization has motivated the development of nanoantennas that interact strongly with the incoming light and are able to transform its frequency, radiation, and polarization patterns. Here, we demonstrate dielectric AlGaAs nanoantennas for efficient second harmonic generation, enabling the control of both directionality and polarization of nonlinear emission. This is enabled by specialized III–V semiconductor nanofabrication of high-quality AlGaAs nanostructures embedded in optically transparent low-index material, thus allowing for simultaneous forward and backward nonlinear emission. We show that the nanodisk AlGaAs antennas can emit second harmonic in preferential direction with a backward-to-forward ratio of up to five and can also generate complex vector polarization beams, including beams with radial polarization.

Efficient Polarization-Insensitive Complex Wavefront Control Using Huygens’ Metasurfaces Based on Dielectric Resonant Meta-atoms

Abstract: Metasurfaces have shown great promise for the control of optical wavefronts, thus opening new pathways for the development of efficient flat optics. In particular, Huygens’ metasurfaces based on all-dielectric resonant meta-atoms have already shown a huge potential for practical applications with their polarization insensitivity and high transmittance efficiency. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a polarization-insensitive holographic Huygens’ metasurface based on dielectric resonant meta-atoms capable of complex wavefront control at telecommunication wavelengths. Our metasurface produces a hologram image in the far-field with 82% transmittance efficiency and 40% imaging efficiency. Such efficient complex wavefront control shows that Huygens’ metasurfaces based on resonant dielectric meta-atoms are a big step toward practical applications of metasurfaces in wavefront design related technologies, including computer-generated holograms, ultrathin optics, security, and data storage devices.

Broadband highly-efficient dielectric metadevices for polarization control

Abstract: Metadevices based on dielectric nanostructured surfaces with both electric and magnetic Mie-type resonances have resulted in the best efficiency to date for functional flat optics with only one disadvantage: a narrow operational bandwidth. Here we experimentally demonstrate broadband transparent all-dielectric metasurfaces for highly efficient polarization manipulation. We utilize the generalized Huygens principle, with a superposition of the scattering contributions from several electric and magnetic multipolar modes of the constituent meta-atoms, to achieve destructive interference in reflection over a large spectral bandwidth. By employing this novel concept, we demonstrate reflectionless (~90% transmission) half-wave plates, quarter-wave plates, and vector beam q-plates that can operate across multiple telecom bands with ~99% polarization conversion efficiency.

Multifold Enhancement of Third-Harmonic Generation in Dielectric Nanoparticles Driven by Magnetic Fano Resonances.

Abstract: Strong Mie-type magnetic dipole resonances in all-dielectric nanostructures provide novel opportunities for enhancing nonlinear effects at the nanoscale due to the intense electric and magnetic fields trapped within the individual nanoparticles. Here we study third-harmonic generation from quadrumers of silicon nanodisks supporting high-quality collective modes associated with the magnetic Fano resonance. We observe nontrivial wavelength and angular dependencies of the generated harmonic signal featuring a multifold enhancement of the nonlinear response in oligomeric systems.

Enhancement of Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Metasurfaces

Abstract: It is revealed that the unique properties of ultrathin metasurface resonators can improve magnetic resonance imaging dramatically. A metasurface formed when an array of metallic wires is placed inside a scanner under the studied object and a substantial enhancement of the radio-frequency magnetic field is achieved by means of subwavelength manipulation with the metasurface, also allowing improved image resolution.

Resonant Raman scattering from silicon nanoparticles enhanced by magnetic response

Abstract: Enhancement of optical response with high-index dielectric nanoparticles is attributed to the excitation of their Mie-type magnetic and electric resonances. Here we study Raman scattering from crystalline silicon nanoparticles and reveal that magnetic dipole modes have a much stronger effect on the scattering than electric modes of the same order. We demonstrate experimentally a 140-fold enhancement of the Raman signal from individual silicon spherical nanoparticles at the magnetic dipole resonance. Our results confirm the importance of the optically-induced magnetic response of subwavelength dielectric nanoparticles for enhancing light–matter interactions.

Magnetic hyperbolic optical metamaterials

Abstract: Strongly anisotropic media where the principal components of electric permittivity or magnetic permeability tensors have opposite signs are termed as hyperbolic media. Such media support propagating electromagnetic waves with extremely large wave vectors exhibiting unique optical properties. However, in all artificial and natural optical materials studied to date, the hyperbolic dispersion originates solely from the electric response. This restricts material functionality to one polarization of light and inhibits free-space impedance matching. Such restrictions can be overcome in media having components of opposite signs for both electric and magnetic tensors. Here we present the experimental demonstration of the magnetic hyperbolic dispersion in three-dimensional metamaterials. We measure metamaterial isofrequency contours and reveal the topological phase transition between the elliptic and hyperbolic dispersion. In the hyperbolic regime, we demonstrate the strong enhancement of thermal emission, which becomes directional, coherent and polarized. Our findings show the possibilities for realizing efficient impedance-matched hyperbolic media for unpolarized light.

Circular dichroism induced by Fano resonances in planar chiral oligomers

Abstract: We present a general theory of circular dichroism in planar chiral nanostructures with rotational symmetry It is demonstrated, analytically, that the handedness of the incident field's polarization can control whether a nanostructure induces either absorption or scattering losses, even when the total optical loss (extinction) is polarization-independent We show that this effect is a consequence of modal interference so that strong circular dichroism in absorption and scattering can be engineered by combining Fano resonances with planar chiral nanoparticle clusters

Manipulation of photoluminescence of two-dimensional MoSe2 by gold nanoantennas

Abstract: Monolayer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2), a member of the TMDCs family, is an appealing candidate for coupling to gold plasmonic nanostructures as it has smaller bandgap and higher electron mobility in comparison to frequently studied molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The PL of MoSe2 occurs in the near-infrared spectral range where the emissive properties do not suffer from the enhanced dissipation in the gold due to inter-band transitions. Here, we study the interaction between monolayer MoSe2 and plasmonic dipolar antennas in resonance with the PL emission of MoSe2. By varying the thickness of the spacer between the MoSe2 layer and nanoantenna, we demonstrate manipulation of the PL intensity from nearly fourfold quenching to approximately threefold enhancement. Furthermore, we show that the coupled TMDC-nanoantenna system exhibits strong polarization-dependent PL, thus offering the possibility of polarization-based emission control. Our experimental results are supported by numerical simulations as well. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of Au-MoSe2 plasmonic hybrid structures realizing flexible PL manipulation.

Interplay of magnetic responses in all-dielectric oligomers to realize magnetic Fano resonances

Abstract: We study the interplay between collective and individual optically-induced magnetic responses in quadrumers made of identical dielectric nanoparticles. Unlike their plasmonic counterparts, all-dielectric nanoparticle clusters are shown to exhibit multiple dimensions of resonant magnetic responses that can be employed for the realization of anomalous scattering signatures. We focus our analysis on symmetric quadrumers made from silicon nanoparticles and verify our theoretical results in proof-of-concept radio frequency experiments demonstrating the existence of a novel type of magnetic Fano resonance in nanophotonics.

Experimental Demonstration of Topological effects in Bianisotropic Metamaterials

Abstract: Existence of robust edge states at interfaces of topologically dissimilar systems is one of the most fascinating manifestations of a novel nontrivial state of matter, a topological insulator. Such nontrivial states were originally predicted and discovered in condensed matter physics, but they find their counterparts in other fields of physics, including the physics of classical waves and electromagnetism. Here, we present the first experimental realization of a topological insulator for electromagnetic waves based on engineered bianisotropic metamaterials. By employing the near-field scanning technique, we demonstrate experimentally the topologically robust propagation of electromagnetic waves around sharp corners without backscattering effects.

Polarization control over electric and magnetic dipole resonances of dielectric nanoparticles on metallic films

Abstract: The authors at ANU were supported by the Australian Research Council. The authors at DSI were supported by DSI core funds and A*STAR SERC Pharos program, Grant 152 73 00025 (Singapore).

Multipolar Coupling in Hybrid Metal–Dielectric Metasurfaces

Abstract: We study functional hybrid metasurfaces consisting of metal–dielectric nanoantennas that direct light from an incident plane wave or from localized light sources into a preferential direction. The directionality is obtained by carefully balancing the multipolar contributions to the scattering response from the constituents of the metasurface. The hybrid nanoantennas are composed of a plasmonic gold nanorod acting as a feed element and a silicon nanodisk acting as a director element. In order to experimentally realize this design, we have developed a two-step electron-beam lithography process in combination with a precision alignment step. The optical response of the fabricated sample is measured and reveals distinct signatures of coupling between the plasmonic and the dielectric nanoantenna elements that ultimately leads to unidirectional radiation of light.

Multipolar third-harmonic generation driven by optically-induced magnetic resonances

Abstract: We analyze third-harmonic generation from high-index dielectric nanoparticles and discuss the basic features and multipolar nature of the parametrically generated electromagnetic fields near the Mie-type optical resonances. By combining both analytical and numerical methods, we study the nonlinear scattering from simple nanoparticle geometries such as spheres and disks in the vicinity of the magnetic dipole resonance. We reveal the approaches for manipulating and directing the resonantly enhanced nonlinear emission with subwavelength all-dielectric structures that can be of a particular interest for novel designs of nonlinear optical antennas and engineering the magnetic optical nonlinear response at nanoscale.

Spin control of light with hyperbolic metasurfaces

Abstract: Transverse spin angular momentum is an inherent feature of evanescent waves which may have applications in nanoscale optomechanics, spintronics, and quantum information technology due to the robust spin-directional coupling. Here we analyze local spin angular momentum density of hybrid surface waves propagating along anisotropic hyperbolic metasurfaces. We reveal that, in contrast to bulk plane waves and conventional surface plasmons at isotropic interfaces, the spin of the hybrid surface waves can be engineered to have an arbitrary angle with the propagation direction. This property allows us to tailor directivity of surface waves via the magnetic control of the spin projection of quantum emitters, and it can be useful for optically controlled spin transfer.

Multipolar Third-Harmonic Generation Driven by Optically Induced Magnetic Resonances

Abstract: We analyze third-harmonic generation from high-index dielectric nanoparticles and discuss the basic features and multipolar nature of the parametrically generated electromagnetic fields near the Mie-type optical resonances. By combining both analytical and numerical methods, we study the nonlinear scattering from simple nanoparticle geometries such as spheres and disks in the vicinity of the magnetic dipole resonance. We reveal the approaches for manipulating and directing the resonantly enhanced nonlinear emission with subwavelength all-dielectric structures that can be of particular interest for novel designs of nonlinear optical antennas and engineering the magnetic optical nonlinear response at nanoscale.

Demonstration of the enhanced Purcell factor in all-dielectric structures

Abstract: The Purcell effect is usually described as a modification of the spontaneous decay rate in the presence of a resonator. In plasmonics, this effect is commonly associated with a large local-field enhancement in “hot spots” due to the excitation of surface plasmons. However, high-index dielectric nanostructures, which become the basis of all-dielectric nanophotonics, cannot provide high values of the local-field enhancement due to larger radiation losses. Here, we demonstrate how to achieve a strong Purcell effect in all-dielectric nanostructures, and show theoretically that the Purcell factor can be increased by two orders of magnitude in a finite chain of silicon nanoparticles. Using the eigenmode analysis for an infinite chain, we demonstrate that the high Purcell factor regime is associated with a Van Hove singularity. We perform a proof-of-concept experiment for microwave frequencies and observe the 65-fold enhancement of the Purcell factor in a chain of 10 dielectric particles.

Topological Phase Transitions and Thouless Pumping of Light in Photonic Waveguide Arrays

Abstract: Photonic waveguide arrays provide an excellent platform for simulating conventional topological systems, and they can also be employed for the study of novel topological phases in photonics systems. However, a direct measurement of bulk topological invariants remains a great challenge. Here we study topological features of generalized commensurate Aubry-Andre-Harper (AAH) photonic waveguide arrays and construct a topological phase diagram by calculating all bulk Chern numbers, and then explore the bulk-edge correspondence by analyzing the topological edge states and their winding numbers. In contrast to incommensurate AAH models, diagonal and off-diagonal commensurate AAH models are not topologically equivalent. In particular, there appear nontrivial topological phases with large Chern numbers and topological phase transitions. By implementing Thouless pumping of light in photonic waveguide arrays, we propose a simple scheme to measure the bulk Chern numbers.

Experimental realisation of all-dielectric bianisotropic metasurfaces

Abstract: All-dielectric reciprocal metasurface based on bianisotropic scatterers operating at microwave frequencies is demonstrated experimentally. Experimental studies of a single bianisotropic particle supporting both electric and magnetic Mie-type resonances are performed, and reveal that the particle with a broken symmetry exhibits different back-scattering for the opposite excitation directions. A metasurface composed of the all-dielectric bianisotropic particles is fabricated and experimentally investigated in the frequency range of 4–9 GHz. The measured data demonstrate that the metasurface is characterized by different reflection phases when being excited from the opposite directions. At the frequency 6.8 GHz, the metasurface provides a 2π phase change in the reflection spectrum with the amplitude close to 1.

Demonstration of the enhanced Purcell factor in all-dielectric structures

Abstract: The Purcell effect is usually described as a modification of the spontaneous decay rate in the presence of a resonator. In plasmonics, this effect is commonly associated with a large local-field enhancement in "hot spots" due to the excitation of surface plasmons. However, high-index dielectric nanostructures, which become the basis of all-dielectric nanophotonics, can not provide high values of the local-field enhancement due to larger radiation losses. Here, we demonstrate how to achieve a strong Purcell effect in all-dielectric nanostructures, and show theoretically that the Purcell factor can be increased by two orders of magnitude in a finite chain of silicon nanoparticles. Using the eigenmode analysis for an infinite chain, we demonstrate that the high Purcell factor regime is associated with a Van Hove singularity. We perform a proof-of-concept experiment for microwave frequencies and observe the 65-fold enhancement of the Purcell factor in a chain of 10 dielectric particles.

Topological phase transitions and Thouless pumping of light in photonic waveguide arrays

Abstract: Photonic waveguide arrays provide an excellent platform for simulating conventional topological systems, and they can also be employed for the study of novel topological phases in photonics systems. However, a direct measurement of bulk topological invariants remains a great challenge. Here we study topological features of generalized commensurate Aubry-Andre-Harper (AAH) photonic waveguide arrays and construct a topological phase diagram by calculating all bulk Chern numbers, and then explore the bulk-edge correspondence by analyzing the topological edge states and their winding numbers. In contrast to incommensurate AAH models, diagonal and off-diagonal commensurate AAH models are not topologically equivalent. In particular, there appear nontrivial topological phases with large Chern numbers and topological phase transitions. By implementing Thouless pumping of light in photonic waveguide arrays, we propose a simple scheme to measure the bulk Chern numbers.

Enhanced photonic spin Hall effect with subwavelength topological edge states

Abstract: Photonic structures offer unique opportunities for controlling light-matter interaction, including the photonic spin Hall effect associated with the transverse spin-dependent displacement of a light beam that propagates in specially designed optical media. However, due to small spin-orbit coupling, the photonic spin Hall effect is usually weak at the nanoscale. Here we suggest theoretically and demonstrate experimentally, in both optics and microwave experiments, the photonic spin Hall effect enhanced by topologically protected edge states in subwavelength arrays of resonant dielectric particles. Based on direct near-field measurements, we observe the selective excitation of the topological edge states controlled by the handedness of the incident light. Additionally, we reveal the main requirements to the symmetry of photonic structures to achieve the topology-enhanced spin Hall effect, and also analyse the robustness of the photonic edge states against the long-range coupling.

Anomalous time delays and quantum weak measurements in optical micro-resonators.

Abstract: Quantum weak measurements, wavepacket shifts and optical vortices are universal wave phenomena, which originate from fine interference of multiple plane waves. These effects have attracted considerable attention in both classical and quantum wave systems. Here we report on a phenomenon that brings together all the above topics in a simple one-dimensional scalar wave system. We consider inelastic scattering of Gaussian wave packets with parameters close to a zero of the complex scattering coefficient. We demonstrate that the scattered wave packets experience anomalously large time and frequency shifts in such near-zero scattering. These shifts reveal close analogies with the Goos-Hanchen beam shifts and quantum weak measurements of the momentum in a vortex wavefunction. We verify our general theory by an optical experiment using the near-zero transmission (near-critical coupling) of Gaussian pulses propagating through a nano-fibre with a side-coupled toroidal micro-resonator. Measurements demonstrate the amplification of the time delays from the typical inverse-resonator-linewidth scale to the pulse-duration scale.

Purcell effect and Lamb shift as interference phenomena

Abstract: The Purcell effect and Lamb shift are two well-known physical phenomena which are usually discussed in the context of quantum electrodynamics, with the zero-point vibrations as a driving force of those effects in the quantum approach. Here we discuss the classical counterparts of these quantum effects in photonics, and explain their physics trough interference wave phenomena. As an example, we consider a waveguide in a planar photonic crystal with a side-coupled defect, and demonstrate a perfect agreement between the results obtained on the basis of quantum and classic approaches and reveal their link to the Fano resonance. We find that in such a waveguide-cavity geometry the Purcell effect can modify the lifetime by at least 25 times, and the Lamb shift can exceed 3 half-widths of the cavity spectral line.