Revisiting the wire medium: an ideal resonant metalens

This article is the first one in a series of two dealing with the concept of a ‘resonant metalens’ we introduced recently. Here, we focus on the physics of a medium with finite dimensions consisting of a square lattice of parallel conducting wires arranged on a sub-wavelength scale. This medium supports electromagnetic fields that vary much faster than the operating wavelength. We show that such modes are dispersive due to the finiteness of the medium. Their dispersion relation is established in a simple way, a link with designer plasmons is made, and the canalization phenomenon is reinterpreted in the light of our model. We explain how to take advantage of this dispersion in order to code sub-wavelength wavefields in time. Finally, we show that the resonant nature of the medium ensures an efficient coupling of these modes with free space propagating waves and, thanks to the Purcell effect, with a source placed in the near field of the medium.     

The sub-wavelength imaging performance of disordered wire media

An analysis of the sub-wavelength imaging performance of disordered thin wire media is undertaken, in order to understand how its performance may be affected by manufacturing errors. The structure is found to be extremely robust to disorder which keeps the wires parallel. Variation in the orientation of the wires and their longitudinal position causes more significant degradation in the image quality, which is quantified numerically.     

基于宽带立体超透镜的远场超分辨率成像

为突破传统衍射极限实现远场超分辨率成像,提出了一种微波频段宽带立体超透镜用于目标远场超分辨率成像.该透镜可将携带着目标超分辨率信息的凋落波分量转换为传播波分量辐射到远场,进而可在远场接收这些信息并用于超分辨率成像.分别从频域和时域两方面对该透镜的超分辨率特性进行验证.在频域,利用多重信号分类算法对借助于该结构的扩展目标实现了λ/12的远场超分辨率成像,大幅度提升了成像效果.在时域,结合时间反演技术,验证了带宽提升对空间超分辨率聚焦特性带来的明显优势.     

亚波长金属线阵中一维时间反演电磁波的聚焦机理研究

基于周期金属线阵的等效电介质模型, 并使用传输线理论方法, 得到了金属线阵中时间反演电磁波的解析表达式. 接着, 在等效电介质模型的适用范围内, 讨论了金属线半径、金属线阵周期、金属线阵周期数对时间反演电磁波聚焦的影响. 从而在理论上证实, 这种结构可以实现远场时间反演电磁波聚焦, 同时, 也为时间反演技术提供了工程参考.     

微球透镜对亚波长表面结构的显微成像研究

为了研究微球透镜对亚波长物体的成像特性,利用直径为3.4μm的二氧化硅微球透镜对刻录蓝光光碟的亚波长表面结构进行了显微成像实验,观察了不同排列方式和液体浸没深度下微球透镜的成像特性。实验结果表明:微球透镜在不同浸没深度下对亚波长表面结构具有放大作用,放大率为1.2~1.8倍,并且通过微球透镜的密排列,可以获得更大的视场;浸没液体深度增大时,图像的放大率减小,视场增大。基于时域有限差分的电场仿真表明,微球透镜可以将光场汇聚成半高全宽为260nm,纵向可持续几个微米的高强度光区域,引起强的背景散射,从而获得普通光学显微镜不能分辨的亚波长表面结构图像。     

Achieving sub-wavelength resonant structures and transparency by a conducting spheroid with metamaterial coatings

The possibility of using metamaterial covers to dramatically enhance the total scattering cross-sections (SCS) or drastically reduce total SCSs of spheroidal objects is presented. The scattering problem by a conducting spheroid with metamaterial coating at axial incidence is studied using an analytic solution by expanding the incident and scattered waves in terms of spheroidal vector wave functions and imposing the appropriate boundary conditions at each spheroidal surface. Numerical results show that the total SCSs of a conducting spheroid with different metamaterial coatings can be dramatically enhanced to achieve 'sub-wavelength resonant structures' or drastically reduced to achieve 'transparency' of objects. The results with different parameters, such as relative permittivity, the spheroidal geometry, and the ratio of semimajor axes of two layers, are provided and discussed.     

时间反演电磁波在金属丝阵列媒质中的超分辨率聚焦

本文利用一种已有的金属丝阵列结构, 验证了时间反演技术的时空聚焦特性, 并证明了在该阵列结构中, 时间反演电磁波具有超分辨率聚焦特性. 利用金属丝阵列能为凋落波提供传播渠道这一特性, 通过改变信号对时间反演镜的激励方式, 得到了多种亚波长异地成像的仿真结果. 本文的分析和仿真结果证实了利用时间反演技术, 可以采用传统的材料和设备, 在远场实现超分辨率聚焦成像, 并能在多个位置实现对源信号的提取和分析. 关键词： 时间反演 金属丝阵列 超分辨率聚焦 异地成像     

Near-perfect imaging in a focusing system based on a left-handed-material plate

This Letter deals with the investigation of the electromagnetic radiation focusing using a plane-parallel plate of a material with negative real parts of the permittivity and permeability. The reasons are demonstrated for the restriction of the limiting attainable resolution of the system. The possibility of obtaining the separated images of sources the distance between which is much less than the wavelength is confirmed theoretically and experimentally.     

Measurement of six acoustical properties of a three-layered medium using resonant frequencies

An ultrasonic technique for a simultaneous determination of traveling times and acoustic impedances of three-layered, platelike specimens using a normally incident longitudinal wave is presented. The acoustical properties are determined by minimizing the difference between measured and calculated resonant frequencies in the well-known least-squares sense. The resonant frequencies of the layered structure are deduced, in transmission, from the maxima of the magnitude of the transmission spectrum, or, in reflection, from the pi values of the phase of the reflection spectrum. Measurements are carried out in the frequency range 1-20 MHz for steel/aluminum/steel and silver/copper/nickel specimens with individual layer thickness values ranging from 0.3 mm to 2 mm. The differences between the inverted thicknesses and those measured directly with an optical microscope range from -4 microm to +13 microm. Estimated error bounds suggest that the inverted travel times are accurate within +/- 1 ns with 95% probability.     

Pixel based focusing for photoacoustic and ultrasound dual-modality imaging

It is desired that the same imaging functional modules such as beamformation, envelope detection, and digital scan conversion (DSC) are employed for the efficient development of a cross-sectional photoacoustic (PA) and ultrasound (US) dual-modality imaging system. The beamformation can be implemented using either delay-and-sum beamforming (DAS-BF) or adaptive beamforming methods, each with their own advantages and disadvantages for the dual-modality imaging. However, the DSC is always problematic because it causes blurring the fine details of an image, e.g., edges. This paper demonstrates that the pixel based focusing method is suitable for the dual-modality imaging; beamformation is directly conducted on each display pixel and thus DSC is not necessary. As a result, the artifacts by DSC are no longer a problem, so that the proposed method is capable of providing the maximum spatial resolution achievable by DAS-BF. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated through simulation and ex vivo experiments with a microcalcification-contained breast specimen, and the results were compared with those from DAS-BF and adaptive beamforming methods with DSC. The comparison demonstrated that the proposed method effectively overcomes the disadvantages of each beamforming method.     

基于空气孔的光子晶体亚波长成像的特性研究

负折射率材料因为其奇异的特性成为广泛研究的对象,尤其是光子晶体平板的完美成像.本文采用空气孔在硅介质中周期性排列构成六角结构的光子晶体结构,用平面波展开法及FDTD方法,研究了该光子晶体的亚波长成像能力还研究了入射波长以及温度漂移对该光子晶体平面亚波长成像的影响.     

Born-fock approximation and dispersion properties of a resonant medium

A procedure of correct calculation of the dispersion series for polarization of a resonant nonlinear medium is proposed. For the example of an inverted two-level system the maximal time of the group advance is analyzed for a pulse propagating with the velocity exceeding the speed of light.     

Quick focusing of imaging optics using micromachined adaptive mirrors

Inexpensive micromachined varifocal mirrors, providing a very wide range of focal distance control are described. The focal distance of a mirror with a clear aperture of 1 cm can be controlled in the range ∞ to +0.25 m (four diopters) in a frequency band up to 75 Hz by applying control voltages in the range of 0 to 200 V. Applications for quick focus control in a CCD camera and for direct correction of the accommodation depth of a human eye are reported.     

Guiding, focusing, and sensing on the subwavelength scale using metallic wire arrays

We show that tapered arrays of thin metallic wires can manipulate electromagnetic fields on the subwavelength spatial scale. Two types of nanoscale imaging applications using terahertz and midinfrared waves are enabled: image magnification and radiation focusing. First, the tapered wire array acts as a multipixel TEM endoscope by capturing an electromagnetic field profile created by deeply subwavelength objects at the endoscope's tip and magnifying it for observation. Second, the image of a large mask at the endoscope's base is projected onto a much smaller image at the tip.     

Acoustical imaging through a multiple scattering medium using a time-reversal mirror

Acoustical imaging is based on the ability to focus an acoustic beam inside the zone of interest. This remains an issue through a high-order multiple scattering medium because the electronic delay lines that enable one to focus through a multiple scattering medium are a priori unknown. Using time-reversal principles, we show that images can be obtained through a very disordered medium. Surprisingly, the images are better than those obtained in a homogeneous medium with a classical imaging device.     

Electromagnetically induced magnetochiral anisotropy in a resonant medium

Chirality has been extensively studied for well over a century, and its potential applications range from optics to chemistry, medicine, and biology. Ingenious experiments have been designed to measure this naturally small effect. Here we discuss the possibility of producing a medium having a large chiral effect by using the ideas of coherent control. The coherent fields resonant with appropriate transitions in atomic or molecular systems can be used to manipulate the optical properties of a medium. We demonstrate experimentally very large magnetochiral anisotropy by using electromagnetic fields in atomic Rb vapors.     

Coherent resonant x-ray scattering from a rotating medium

A coherently excited nuclear state in a rotating sample acquires a phase shift during its time evolution that is proportional to its angular momentum and the rotation angle. As a consequence, the radiative decay of the excited state proceeds into the rotated direction, and the time spectrum of the nuclear decay is mapped onto an angular scale. This effect has been observed in nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation from a 57Fe metal foil rotating at 18 kHz.