Superscattering and Directive Antennas via Mode Superposition in Subwavelength Core-Shell Meta-Atoms

Designing a subwavelength structure with multiple degenerate resonances at the same frequency can vastly enhance its interaction with electromagnetic radiation, as well as define its directivity. In this work we demonstrate that such mode superposition or ‘stacking’ can be readily achieved through the careful structuring of a high-permittivity spherical shell, with either a metallic or a low permittivity dielectric (air) core. We examine the behaviour of these structures both as scatterers of plane wave radiation and as directive antennas. In the case where the core is metallic this leads to a superposition of the magnetic and electric modes of the same order, causing suppression of backscattering and unidirectional antenna emission. For an air core, an electric mode can superimpose with the next-highest order magnetic mode, the backscattered power is maximized and antenna emission is bidirectional. This is shown experimentally at microwave frequencies by observing the backscattering of core-shell spheres and we propose two antenna designs demonstrating different emission patterns defined by the superposition of multiple modes.

Laser Fabrication of Nanoholes on Silica through Surface Window Assisted Nano-Drilling (SWAN)

Nano-structures have significant applications in many fields such as chip fabrications, nanorobotics, and solar cells. However, realizing nanoscale structures on hard and brittle materials is still challenging. In this paper, when processing the silica surface with a tightly focused Bessel beam, the smallest nanohole with ~20 nm diameter has been realized by precisely controlling the interior and superficial interaction of the silica material. An effective surface window assisted nano-drilling (SWAN) mechanism is proposed to explain the generation of such a deep subwavelength structure, which is supported by the simulation results of energy depositions.

Numerical Study of a Polarization Selective Visual Optical Switch

The subwavelength structure based on metamaterial has been widely used in the application of structure color due to its unique characteristics. Here, a composite structure consisting of a circular hole and different number of metal strips is proposed. By changing the polarization direction of the incident light, the resonance peak in the visible light range shifts, and the material presents different colors. At the same time, take advantage of the shift of the resonance peak, a plasmonic optical switch, of which on/off states can be indicated by the structural color, is constructed, and the maximum contrast ratio is more than 20 dB. In addition, by means of changing the geometric parameters and materials of the metal strip, the colors presented basically cover the whole visible light range. This method theoretically proves the feasibility of using subwavelength structure to construct visual plasmonic optical switch using structural color in the visible light range, which provides a broad prospect for the application of multiple physical mechanism in nanostructure design.