Super-thin cloaks mediated by spoof surface plasmons

We demonstrated the possibility of designing super-thin electromagnetic cloaks based on spoof surface plasmon (SSP). Using a metamaterial layer, incident waves can be coupled into SSP efficiently at the air/metamaterial interface. Due to the strong surface confinement of SSP, EM waves are squeezed into and propagate in deep sub-wavelength scales. Implementation of an 8.2 GHz cloak less than 1/50 the cloaking diameter was presented using split ring resonator (SRR). Excellent cloaking effect was verified by simulations. Rather than isolating objects from the background, such cloaks can drastically enhance the field intensity around the cloaked object. This is of particular importance in applications such as weak wave detection and near-field sensing.     

Theory of spoof plasmons in real metals

In this Letter we develop a theory of spoof plasmons propagating on real metals perforated with planar periodic grooves. Deviation from the spoof plasmons on perfect conductor due to finite skin depth has been analytically described. This allowed us to investigate important propagation characteristics of spoof plasmons such as quality factor and propagation length as the function of the geometrical parameters of the structure. We have also considered THz field confinement by adiabatic increase of the depth of the grooves. It is shown that the finite skin depth limits the propagation length of spoof plasmons as well as a possibility to localize THz field. Geometrical parameters of the structure are found which provide optimal guiding and localization of THz energy.     

Ultrathin plasmonic metamaterial for spoof localized surface plasmons

The multipolar spoof localized surface plasmons (LSPs) on a planar textured metallic disk are proposed and experimentally demonstrated at microwave frequencies. Based on ultrathin metal film printed on a thin dielectric substrate, the designed plasmonic metamaterial clearly shows multipolar plasmonic resonances, including the dipole, quadrupole, hexapole, octopole, decapole, dodecapole, and quattuordecpole modes. Both numerical simulations and experiments are in good agreement. It is shown that the spoof LSP resonances are sensitive to the disk's geometry and local dielectric environments. Hence, the ultrathin textured metallic disk may be used as plasmonic sensors and find potential applications in the microwave and terahertz frequencies.     

Waveguided spoof surface plasmons with deep-subwavelength lateral confinement

We present a new type of waveguide scheme for terahertz circuitry based on the concept of spoof surface plasmons. This structure is composed of a one-dimensional array of L-shaped metallic elements horizontally attached to a metal surface. The dispersion relation of the surface electromagnetic modes supported by this system presents a very weak dependence with the lateral dimension and the modes are very deep-subwavelength confined with a long-enough propagation length.     

Highly confined hybrid spoof surface plasmons in ultrathin metal-dielectric heterostructures

Highly confined "spoof" surface plasmons (SSPs) are theoretically predicted to exist in a perforated metal film coated with a thin dielectric layer. Strong modes confinement results from the additional waveguiding by the layer. Spectral characteristics, field distribution, and lifetime of these SSPs are tunable by the holes' size and shape. SSPs exist both above and below the light line, offering two classes of applications: "perfect" far-field absorption and efficient emission into guided modes. It is experimentally shown that these plasmonlike modes can turn thin, weakly absorbing semiconductor films into perfect absorbers.     

Inelastic light scattering by electrons and plasmons in metals

The cross section of the inelastic light scattering by electron-hole plasma in metals is studied. The Coulomb interaction of electron excitations is taken into account self-consistently. The system of the Boltzmann equation for electronic fluctuations and Maxwell’s equations for the interaction field is solved. The Raman spectra consist of the electron-hole background, diffuson and plasmon resonances. The widths of this background and resonance are determined by the electron collision rate as well as by the decay of the incident and scattered radiation in the metal. The line shape depends on the screening of the electron-light interaction, i.e., on the incident radiation frequency. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 679–689 (August 1997) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

基于类表面等离子体激元的矩形金属光栅色散特性的研究

等离子体激元(surface plasmon polaritons, SPP)因其独特的光学和物理特性, 使其具有诸如透射增强和局域共振等一系列新颖现象, 已成为当前国内外学者研究的热点. 本文对基于类表面等离子体激元(Spoof Surface Plasmons, SSP)的矩形金属光栅色散特性和模式分布进行了研究. 利用本征函数法并结合场匹配条件, 获得了矩形栅表面SSP的场表达式、色散关系和模式分布, 并通过电磁仿真进行了验证. 在此基础上分析了矩形栅各参数对SSP色散及模式分布的影响, 研究结果表明: 由本征函数法获得的SSP色散特性与仿真结果基本符合; 增大金属栅高度或减小排列周期能减小SSP的相速度; 而增大金属栅周期占空比能在一定程度上拓展SSP与电子束互作用的带宽; 改变金属盖板高度对慢波SSP色散模式基本没有影响; 减小金属栅侧面宽度能增大模式之间的间隔, 从而能有效避免模式竞争的发生. 本文对基于SSP的矩形金属光栅色散特性的研究将为进一步研究SSP与电子束的相互作用, 形成高效、宽带的新型太赫兹源奠定良好的理论基础.     

Perfect coupling of light to surface plasmons by coherent absorption

We show theoretically that coherent light can be completely absorbed and transferred to surface plasmons in a two- or three-dimensional metallic nanostructure by exciting it with the time-reversed mode of the corresponding surface plasmon laser ("spaser"). The narrow-band perfect absorption is a generalization and application of the concept of critical coupling to a nanocavity with surface plasmon resonances. Perfect coupling of light to nanostructures has potential applications to nanoscale probing as well as background-free spectroscopy and ultrasensitive detection or sensing.     

Making tunnel barriers (including metals) transparent

The classical "brick wall," which may, according to quantum mechanics, leak via tunneling, is here shown to be completely transparent when appropriate impedance matching media are placed both in front of and behind the "wall." Optical experiments involving beyond-critical-angle-tunnel barriers in the frustrated total internal reflection scheme which mimic quantum mechanical systems provide convincing proof of this remarkable effect. The same mechanism also allows vastly enhanced transmission through unstructured thin metal films without the need for surface wave excitation.     

Second harmonic generation with surface plasmons in alkali metals

We calculate the reflected second harmonic light from alkali metal films with the simultaneous excitation of the surface plasmon mode. The harmonic generation from a sodium film at the ruby laser frequency increases by over two orders of magnitude at the angle for surface plasmon excitation. The harmonic enhancement is closely related to the surface plasmon density and exhibits a strong dependence on the angle of incidence, film thickness, and the linear optical constants of the metal film.     

基于人工表面等离激元探针实现太赫兹波的紧聚焦和场增强

为提高太赫兹近场显微成像技术的分辨率,设计了一款在Teflon探针的尖锥形表面镀上厚度渐变、具有相同占空比的超薄金属银制条带的探针,用于实现探针尖端处人工表面等离激元的激发和太赫兹波的亚波长聚焦.研究表明,对于频率为0.1 THz的入射波,厚度渐变镀银条带探针产生的紧聚焦光场的尺寸可稳定在20μm左右(λ/150),探针尖端处最大电场强度为入射电场强度的849倍.研究还发现,周期性金属条带的数目和入射电场的偏振方向可对探针尖端处产生的紧聚焦光斑的尺寸和电场强度等进行灵活有效的调控.     

Making structured metals transparent for ultrabroadband electromagnetic waves and acoustic waves

In this review, we present our recent work on making structured metals transparent for broadband electromagnetic waves and acoustic waves via excitation of surface waves. First, we theoretically show that one-dimensional metallic gratings can become transparent and completely antireflective for extremely broadband electromagnetic waves by relying on surface plasmons or spoof surface plasmons. Second, we experimentally demonstrate that metallic gratings with narrow slits are highly transparent for broadband terahertz waves at oblique incidence and high transmission efficiency is insensitive to the metal thickness. Further, we significantly develop oblique metal gratings transparent for broadband electromagnetic waves (including optical waves and terahertz ones) under normal incidence. In the third, we find the principles of broadband transparency for structured metals can be extended from one-dimensional metallic gratings to two-dimensional cases. Moreover, similar phenomena are found in sonic artificially metallic structures, which present the transparency for broadband acoustic waves. These investigations provide guidelines to develop many novel materials and devices, such as transparent conducting panels, antireflective solar cells, and other broadband metamaterials and stealth technologies.     

Total light absorption in a wide range of incidence by nanostructured metals without plasmons

Metals structured by nanocavities have recently been demonstrated to efficiently absorb light in a wide range of angles of incidence. It has been assumed that nanovoid plasmons are at the origin of the strong absorption. It is shown that it is possible to totally absorb incident light without plasmons. To avoid their excitation, a diffraction grating consisting of cylindrical cavities in a metallic substrate is illuminated in transverse electric polarization. It is found that cylindrical cavities can sustain cavity resonances with a high enhancement of the light intensity, provoking a total absorption of light in a wide range of incidence.     

Ultrafast control of grating-assisted light coupling to surface plasmons

We demonstrate subpicosecond control over the coupling of free-space radiation to surface-plasmon polaritons using 830 and 500 nm period gold gratings. Thermal changes to the electron distribution following irradiation by 100 fs, 810 nm pulses produce a shift of the 570 nm plasmon resonance by ~0.75 nm with reflectivity change up to 6% and decay time of ~1 ps.     

Anomalous microwave reflection from a metal surface induced by spoof surface plasmon

The reflection of X-band microwaves (8-12 GHz) from a metallic aluminum (Al) surface with groove grating corrugations was investigated experimentally. It was shown that the reflection of p-polarization is much less than the microwave reflected from the corresponding area of an unruled Al surface, with selective wavelength. The experimental results demonstrated that the anomalous microwave reflection is strongly associated with the excitation of spoof surface plasmons at the Al-air interface by the surface grating coupler. This near-total absence of reflected microwaves is similar to the famous Wood's anomaly in the optical regime and is of fundamental importance to the applications of spoof surface plasmons in the microwave regime.     

Total resonant absorption of light by plasmons on the nanoporous surface of a metal

We have calculated light absorption spectra of planar metal surfaces with a two-dimensional lattice of spherical nanovoids just beneath the surface. It is shown that nearly total absorption of light occurs at the plasma resonance in a void lattice in the visible range when the intervoid spacing and the void deepening into the metal are thinner than the skin depth, which ensures optimal coupling of void plasmons to external light. We conclude that the absorption and local-field properties of this type of nanoporous metal surface can be effectively tuned through nanoengineering of the spherical pores and that they constitute a very attractive system for various applications in future submicron light technology.     

Dielectric optical elements for surface plasmons

Basic optical elements for surface plasmons are fabricated and their functionality (focusing, refraction, and total internal reflection) is demonstrated experimentally. The optical elements consist of dielectric structures of defined geometry on top of a gold film. The working principle of these structures is discussed on the basis of calculated surface plasmon dispersion relations.     

Enhancement of spatial coherence by surface plasmons

We report on a method to generate a stationary interference pattern from two independent optical sources, each illuminating a single slit in Young's interference experiment. The pattern arises as a result of the action of surface plasmons traveling between subwavelength slits milled in a metal film. The visibility of the interference pattern can be manipulated by tuning the wavelength of one of the optical sources.     

Polarization-insensitive unidirectional spoof surface plasmon polaritons coupling by gradient metasurface

A polarization-insensitive unidirectional spoof surface plasmon polariton(SPP) coupler mediated by a gradient metasurface is proposed. The field distributions and average Poynting vector of the coupled spoof SPPs are analyzed. The simulated and experimental results support the theoretical analysis and indicate that the designed gradient metasurface can couple both the parallel-polarized and normally-polarized incident waves to the spoof SPPs propagating in the same direction at about 5 GHz.     

Characteristics of light emission from surface plasmons based on rectangular silver gratings

We investigated the characteristics of transmitted light from propagating surface plasmons based on rectangular silver gratings. The results calculated by rigorous coupled-wave analysis presented that silver diffraction gratings can produce significant transmittance and conversion efficiency, comparable to the case of dielectric gratings. Especially, silver gratings optimized at a wide range of grating thickness and period may lead to an improved diffraction efficiency larger than 64%. Moreover, the effect of silver oxide layer on the transmittance was examined and a bimetallic structure with a thin gold coating was introduced to prevent an oxidation of silver substrates. As a practical sensor application, silver grating-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) configuration showed an enhanced sensitivity associated with an increase of surface reaction area and strong excitations of local plasmon fields, outperforming a conventional thin-film-based SPR structure.