On Surface-Plasmon-Polariton Waves Excited in the Turbadar–Otto Configuration

A local minimum in the plot of linear reflectance versus angle of incidence, on its own, is insufficient to identify a surface-plasmon-polariton wave (SPPW). Further checks are required in order to confirm the identity of a SPPW. The wavenumber should be compared with that extracted from the dispersion relation for the corresponding canonical boundary-value problem. Also, for prism-coupled configurations such as the Turbadar–Otto configuration which are based on SPPW-excitation via evanescent waves, the angle of incidence should be greater than the critical angle needed for total internal reflection.

Non-Invasive Determination of Blood Glucose Levels by Optical Waveguide

Objective: Today, there are various non-invasive techniques available for the determination of blood glucose levels. In this study, the level of blood glucose was determined by developing a new device using near-infrared (NIR) wavelength, glass optical waveguide, and the phenomenon of evanescent waves. Materials and Methods: The body's interstitial fluid has made possible the development of new technology to measure the blood glucose. As a result of contacting the fingertip with the body of the borehole rod, where electromagnetic waves are reflected inside, evanescent waves penetrate from the borehole into the skin and are absorbed by the interstitial fluid. The electromagnetic wave rate absorption at the end of the borehole rod is investigated using a detection photodetector, and its relationship to the people's actual blood glucose level. Following precise optimization and design of the glucose monitoring device, a statistical population of 100 participants with a maximum blood glucose concentration of 200 mg/dL was chosen. Before measurements, participants put their index finger for 30 seconds on the device. Results: According to this experimental study, the values measured by the innovative device with Clark grid analysis were clinically acceptable in scales A and B. The Adjusted Coefficient of Determination of the data was estimated to be 0.9064. Conclusion: For future investigations, researchers are recommended to work with a larger statistical population and use error reduction trends to improve the accuracy and expand the range of measurements.

Progress towards the realization of an optical Far-Field Superlens

<p>Conventional optics suffer from a fundamental resolution limit due to the nature of light. The near-field superlens concept was introduced two decades ago, and its theory for enabling high resolution imaging is well-established now. Initially, this superlens, which has a simple setup, became a hot topic given the proposition of overcoming the diffraction limit. It has been demonstrated that a near-field superlens can reconstruct images using evanescent waves emanating from small objects by means of resonant excitations on the surface of the superlens. A modified version of the superlens named the far-field superlens is theorized to be able to project the near-field subwavelength information to the far-field region. By design, the far-field superlens is a near-field superlens with nanostructures added on top of it. These nanostructures, referred to as diffraction gratings help couple object information available in the evanescent waves to the far-field. Work reported in this thesis is divided to two major sections. The first describes the modelling technique that investigates the performance of a far-field superlens. This section focuses on evaluating the impact of the diffraction gratings geometry and the object size on the far-field superlens performance as well as the resulting far-field pattern. It was shown that a far-field superlens with a nanograting having a duty cycle of 40% to 50% produces the maximum intensity and contrast in the far-field interactions. For periodic rectangular objects, an inverse-trapezoidal nanograting was shown to provide the best contrast and intensity for far-field interactions. The minimal simulation domain to model a symmetric far-field superlens design was determined both in 2D and 3D. This input reduced the required modelling time and resources. Finally, a 3D far-field superlens model was proposed, and the effect of light polarization on the far-field pattern was studied. The second section of this thesis contains the experimental study that explores a new material as a potential candidate for the construction of far-field superlens. The material conventionally used for superlens design is silver, as its plasmonic properties are well-established. However, scaling down silver features to the nanoscale introduces fundamental fabrication challenges. Furthermore, silver oxidizes due to its reactions with sulphur compounds at ambient conditions, which means that operating a silver far-field superlens is only possible in a well-controlled environment. This disagrees with our proposed concept of a low-cost and robust superlens imaging device. On the other hand, highly doped semiconductors are emerging candidates for plasmonic applications due to the possibility of tuning their optical and electrical properties during the fabrication process. While the working principle of a superlens is independent of the plasmonic material of choice, every plasmonic material has a particular range of operating wavelengths. The pros and cons of each plasmonic material are usually identified once used experimentally. In this work, aluminium-doped zinc oxide was the proposed material of choice for the far-field superlens design. The second part of this thesis details the characterization results of the optical, electrical and structural properties of this proposed alternative. Our aluminium-doped zinc oxide samples were highly transparent for large parts of the spectrum. Their carrier concentration was of the order of 10+20 cm-3, and a resistivity of about 10-3 Ω.cm was achieved. The modelled dielectric permittivity for the studied samples showed a cross-over frequency in the near-infrared region, with the highest plasma frequency achieved in this study being 4710 cm-1.</p>

Progress towards the realization of an optical Far-Field Superlens

<p>Conventional optics suffer from a fundamental resolution limit due to the nature of light. The near-field superlens concept was introduced two decades ago, and its theory for enabling high resolution imaging is well-established now. Initially, this superlens, which has a simple setup, became a hot topic given the proposition of overcoming the diffraction limit. It has been demonstrated that a near-field superlens can reconstruct images using evanescent waves emanating from small objects by means of resonant excitations on the surface of the superlens. A modified version of the superlens named the far-field superlens is theorized to be able to project the near-field subwavelength information to the far-field region. By design, the far-field superlens is a near-field superlens with nanostructures added on top of it. These nanostructures, referred to as diffraction gratings help couple object information available in the evanescent waves to the far-field. Work reported in this thesis is divided to two major sections. The first describes the modelling technique that investigates the performance of a far-field superlens. This section focuses on evaluating the impact of the diffraction gratings geometry and the object size on the far-field superlens performance as well as the resulting far-field pattern. It was shown that a far-field superlens with a nanograting having a duty cycle of 40% to 50% produces the maximum intensity and contrast in the far-field interactions. For periodic rectangular objects, an inverse-trapezoidal nanograting was shown to provide the best contrast and intensity for far-field interactions. The minimal simulation domain to model a symmetric far-field superlens design was determined both in 2D and 3D. This input reduced the required modelling time and resources. Finally, a 3D far-field superlens model was proposed, and the effect of light polarization on the far-field pattern was studied. The second section of this thesis contains the experimental study that explores a new material as a potential candidate for the construction of far-field superlens. The material conventionally used for superlens design is silver, as its plasmonic properties are well-established. However, scaling down silver features to the nanoscale introduces fundamental fabrication challenges. Furthermore, silver oxidizes due to its reactions with sulphur compounds at ambient conditions, which means that operating a silver far-field superlens is only possible in a well-controlled environment. This disagrees with our proposed concept of a low-cost and robust superlens imaging device. On the other hand, highly doped semiconductors are emerging candidates for plasmonic applications due to the possibility of tuning their optical and electrical properties during the fabrication process. While the working principle of a superlens is independent of the plasmonic material of choice, every plasmonic material has a particular range of operating wavelengths. The pros and cons of each plasmonic material are usually identified once used experimentally. In this work, aluminium-doped zinc oxide was the proposed material of choice for the far-field superlens design. The second part of this thesis details the characterization results of the optical, electrical and structural properties of this proposed alternative. Our aluminium-doped zinc oxide samples were highly transparent for large parts of the spectrum. Their carrier concentration was of the order of 10+20 cm-3, and a resistivity of about 10-3 Ω.cm was achieved. The modelled dielectric permittivity for the studied samples showed a cross-over frequency in the near-infrared region, with the highest plasma frequency achieved in this study being 4710 cm-1.</p>

On the relation between the propagator matrix and the Marchenko focusing function

The propagator matrix “propagates” a full wave field from one depth level to another, accounting for all propagation angles and evanescent waves. The Marchenko focusing function forms the nucleus of data-driven Marchenko redatuming and imaging schemes, accounting for internal multiples. These seemingly different concepts appear to be closely related to each other. With this insight, the strong aspects of the propagator matrix (such as the handling of evanescent waves) can be transferred to the focusing function. Vice-versa, the propagator matrix inherits from the focusing function that it can be retrieved from the reflection response, which reduces its sensitivity to the subsurface model.

Trace of evanescent wave polarization by atomic vapor spectroscopy

Various efforts have been made to determine the polarization state of evanescent waves in different structures. The present study shows the reliability of magneto-optical spectroscopy of D1 and D2 lines of rubidium metal and polarization-dependent transitions to investigate and trace the changes in the polarization state of evanescent fields during total internal reflection over different angles. For this purpose, we design and fabricate atomic- evanescent Rb vapor cells and examine the effect of polarization changes of evanescent waves, depending on the propagation direction of evanescent waves in anisotropic rubidium vapor media under 88 mT external magnetic field by different configurations theoretically and experimentally. The results confirm the dependency of allowed $$\sigma^{ \pm } { }\;{\text{and}}\;\pi$$ σ ± and π transitions on the magneto optical configuration as a tool to determine changes in the polarization of evanescent waves in more complicated wave states in anisotropic media.

Bound states in the continuum-induced enhancement of evanescent field confinement

Here, the enhancement of electromagnetic field confinement in an all-dielectric metasurface is demonstrated. The enhanced confinement is achieved when the polarization singularity, corresponding to accidental bound states in the continuum, moves to the domain of evanescent fields (under the light line). Such a hybridization of the bound states and evanescent waves results in the 70-fold increase of the electric field enhancement on the top of the metasurface and boosting of the electric field localization.