Perfect plasmonic absorption and transparency:The anti-lasing spaser

Zhang, J., MacDonald, K.F. and Zheludev, N.I. (2012) Perfect plasmonic absorption and transparency:The anti-lasing spaser. Photon 12, Durham, Durham, United Kingdom. 03 - 06 Sep 2012.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Time reversal inverts the direction of light propagation and converts gain into loss. Under time reversal, a laser emitting coherent light becomes a ‘coherent perfect absorber’, as recently demonstrated in a bulk optical cavity device that can absorb all radiation incident upon it [Science 331, 889 (2011)]. Here we show that when the concept of time reversal is applied in plasmonics, regimes of perfect transparency and perfect absorption can be achieved in a system of sub-wavelength thickness - a single layer of nanostructured metal less than one tenth of a wavelength thick. We demonstrate the phenomenon experimentally in a 'lasing spaser' configuration, using a planar metamaterial array of plasmonic resonators. We show that by controlling the interference between counter-propagating beams on a thin, lossy plasmonic film one can either eliminate or double the plasmonic Joule loss of energy (or indeed achieve any intermediate level). The highly sensitive system of beams interacting on a metamaterial film in precise resonant balance may serve applications in sensing, coherent detection, high-bandwidth variable attenuation and unique light coherence control devices.

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