Quantum optical analysis of squeezed state of light through dispersive non-Hermitian optical bilayers

We investigate the propagation of a normally incident squeezed coherent state of light through dispersive non-Hermitian optical bilayers, particularly at a frequency that the bilayers hold parity-time (PT) symmetry. To check the realization of PT-symmetry in quantum optics, we reveal how dispersion and loss/gain-induced noises and thermal effects in such bilayers can affect quantum features of the incident light, such as squeezing and sub-Poissonian statistics. The numerical results show thermally-induced noise at room temperature has an insignificant effect on the propagation properties in these non-Hermitian bilayers. Moreover, tuning the bilayers’ loss/gain strength, we show that the transmitted squeezed coherent states through the structure can retain to some extent their nonclassical characteristics, specifically for the frequencies far from the emission frequency of the gain layer. Furthermore, we demonstrate, only below a critical value of gain, quantum optical effective medium theory can correctly predict the propagation of quantized waves in non-Hermitian and PT-symmetric bilayers.

Effective Medium Theory of Metamaterials and Metasurfaces

Metamaterials, including their two-dimensional counterparts, are composed of subwavelength-scale artificial particles. These materials have novel electromagnetic properties, and can be artificially tailored for various applications. Based on metamaterials and metasurfaces, many abnormal physical phenomena have been realized, such as negative refraction, invisible cloaking, abnormal reflection and focusing, and many new functions and devices have been developed. The effective medium theory lays the foundation for design and application of metamaterials and metasurfaces, connecting metamaterials with real world applications. In this Element, the authors combine these essential ingredients, and aim to make this Element an access point to this field. To this end, they review classical theories for dielectric functions, effective medium theory, and effective parameter extraction of metamaterials, also introducing front edge technologies like metasurfaces with theories, methods, and potential applications. Energy densities are also included.

A Composite Matching Layer with Anti-Reflection Characteristics for Broadband Acoustic Scattering Reduction

A composite matching layer composed of periodically arranged scatters with anti-reflection (AR) characteristics is proposed for broadband scattering reduction. The anti-reflection structure is composed of periodically arranged metal foam scatters, and it is the first attempt to be applied in the field of suppressing acoustic reflection. A complete theoretical model is developed to reveal the mechanism of scattering reduction and acoustic absorption based on effective medium theory and the transfer matrix method. The correctness and effectiveness of the theoretical model are verified by the finite element method (FEM), showing acoustic reflectance of less than 13.5% at broadband frequencies. The variation trends of reflectance are deeply investigated. The superior acoustic scattering reduction performance suggests that the matching layer possesses potential for acoustic imaging equipment and acoustic stealth.

Negative refraction in twisted hyperbolic metasurfaces

Hyperbolic metasurfaces with unique dispersion properties can manipulate light–matter interactions according to the demands. However, due to their inherent physical properties, topological transitions (flat bands) exist only in the orthogonal directions, which greatly limit their application. Here, we unveil rich dispersion engineering and topological transitions in hyperbolic metasurfaces. Based on the effective medium theory, the rotation matrix is introduced into the dispersion relation to explain the distorted energy band diagrams, iso-frequency contours and higher-order multi-dipoles of the novel twisted metasurfaces, thereby forming multi-directional topological transitions and surface plasmon polariton propagation. Furthermore, we develop an integrated model to realize new dual-channel negative refraction and nondiffraction negative refraction. The phenomena observed in the experiments match well with the simulations, which proves that the designed metasurfaces make new types of negative refraction possible and will help to overcome the diffraction limit. The hyperbolic metasurfaces presented here exhibit exceptional capabilities for designing microscopes with a super lens at the molecular level, concealment of military aircraft, invisibility cloaks and other photonic devices with higher transmission efficiency.

Measurement and Analysis of Settlement Induced by Rectangular Pipe Jacking in Silt Stratum

The large-scale rectangular pipe jacking technology has attracted more and more attention in the construction of urban underground pipe galleries, especially the problem of prediction and control of the surface settlement. Taking the pipe gallery project of Chengbei Road in Suzhou as an example, the settlement values of three groups of monitoring sections under the conditions of natural settlement and synchronous grouting are monitored, and the measured settlement values are compared with Peck formula and random medium theory. The results show that the Peck formula is more accurate in predicting the natural settlement within 1.5 times the pipe jacking width, while the stochastic medium theory is more accurate in predicting the settlement beyond the width. By comparing the field test and theory, the suggestions on the prediction of ground settlement of rectangular pipe jacking of large scale are put forward. The results of this study provide a basis for subsequent related research work and engineering applications.

Field Decorrelation and Isolation Improvement in an MIMO Antenna Using an All-Dielectric Device Based on Transformation Electromagnetics

This work presents a new technique for enhancing the performance of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna by improving its correlation coefficient ρ. A broadband dielectric structure is designed using the transformation electromagnetics (TE) concept to decorrelate the fields of closely placed radiating elements of an MIMO antenna, thereby decreasing ρ and mutual coupling. The desired properties of the broadband dielectric wave tilting structure (DWTS) are determined by using quasi-conformal transformation electromagnetics (QCTE). Next, the permittivity profile of the DWTS is realized by employing air-hole technology, which is based on the effective medium theory, and the DWTS is fabricated using the additive manufacturing (3D printing) technique. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is verified by designing two-element patch-based MIMO antenna prototypes operating at 3 GHz, 5 GHz, and 7 GHz, respectively. The proposed technique helped to reduce the correlation coefficient ρ in the range of 37% to 99% in the respective operating bandwidth of each MIMO antenna, thereby, in each case, improving the isolation between antenna elements by better than 3 dB, which is an excellent performance.