All-optical dynamic focusing of light via coherent absorption in a plasmonic metasurface
All-optical dynamic focusing of light via coherent absorption in a plasmonic metasurface
Vision, microscopy, imaging, optical data projection and storage all depend on focusing of light. Dynamic focusing is conventionally achieved with mechanically reconfigurable lenses, spatial light modulators or microfluidics. Here we demonstrate that dynamic control of focusing can be achieved through coherent interaction of optical waves on a thin beam splitter. We use a nanostructured plasmonic metasurface of subwavelength thickness as the beam splitter, allowing operation in the regimes of coherent absorption and coherent transparency. Focusing of light resulting from illumination of the plasmonic metasurface with a Fresnel zone pattern is controlled by another patterned beam projected on the same metasurface. By altering the control pattern, its phase, or its intensity, we switch the lens function on and off, and alter the focal spot’s depth, diameter and intensity. Switching occurs as fast as the control beam is modulated and therefore tens of gigahertz modulation bandwidth is possible with electro-optical modulators, which is orders of magnitude faster than conventional dynamic focusing technologies.
metasurfaces, coherent control, all-optical dynamic focusing, coherent perfect absorption
Papaioannou, Maria
489b597a-22af-42bb-9637-a5dbe55553fb
Plum, Eric
50761a26-2982-40df-9153-7aecc4226eb5
Rogers, Edward T.F.
b92cc8ab-0d91-4b2e-b5c7-8a2f490a36a2
Zheludev, Nikolai I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
March 2018
Papaioannou, Maria
489b597a-22af-42bb-9637-a5dbe55553fb
Plum, Eric
50761a26-2982-40df-9153-7aecc4226eb5
Rogers, Edward T.F.
b92cc8ab-0d91-4b2e-b5c7-8a2f490a36a2
Zheludev, Nikolai I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Papaioannou, Maria, Plum, Eric, Rogers, Edward T.F. and Zheludev, Nikolai I.
(2018)
All-optical dynamic focusing of light via coherent absorption in a plasmonic metasurface.
Light: Science & Applications, 7 (3), [17157].
(doi:10.1038/lsa.2017.157).
Abstract
Vision, microscopy, imaging, optical data projection and storage all depend on focusing of light. Dynamic focusing is conventionally achieved with mechanically reconfigurable lenses, spatial light modulators or microfluidics. Here we demonstrate that dynamic control of focusing can be achieved through coherent interaction of optical waves on a thin beam splitter. We use a nanostructured plasmonic metasurface of subwavelength thickness as the beam splitter, allowing operation in the regimes of coherent absorption and coherent transparency. Focusing of light resulting from illumination of the plasmonic metasurface with a Fresnel zone pattern is controlled by another patterned beam projected on the same metasurface. By altering the control pattern, its phase, or its intensity, we switch the lens function on and off, and alter the focal spot’s depth, diameter and intensity. Switching occurs as fast as the control beam is modulated and therefore tens of gigahertz modulation bandwidth is possible with electro-optical modulators, which is orders of magnitude faster than conventional dynamic focusing technologies.
Text
All-optical dynamic focusing of light via coherent absorption in a plasmonic metasurface (accepted manuscript including supplementary information)
- Accepted Manuscript
Text
lsa2017157
- Version of Record
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Accepted/In Press date: 11 November 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 November 2017
Published date: March 2018
Keywords:
metasurfaces, coherent control, all-optical dynamic focusing, coherent perfect absorption
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 419271
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/419271
PURE UUID: 387e2aed-60ec-436c-984d-d745b764dfce
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Date deposited: 09 Apr 2018 16:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 05:50
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