Controlled steering of Cherenkov surface plasmon wakes with a one-dimensional metamaterial

In the Cherenkov effect a charged particle moving with a velocity faster than the phase velocity of light in the medium radiates light that forms a cone with a half angle determined by the ratio of the two speeds. In this paper, we show that by creating a running wave of polarization along a one dimensional metallic nanostructure consisting of subwavelength spaced rotated apertures that propagates faster than the surface plasmon polariton phase velocity, we can generate surface plasmon wakes, which are the two-dimensional analogue of Cherenkov radiation. The running wave of polarization travels with a speed determined by the angle of incidence and the photon spin angular momentum. We utilize this running wave of polarization to demonstrate controlled steering of the wakes by changing both the angle of incidence and the polarization of light, which we measure through near-field scanning optical microscopy.

[1]  V. Veselago.  The Electrodynamics of Substances with Simultaneously Negative Values of ∊ and μ , 1968 .

[2]  Z. Kaprielian,et al.  Čerenkov Radiation in Inhomogeneous Periodic Media , 1965 .

[3]  Lei Zhou,et al.  A theoretical study on the conversion efficiencies of gradient meta-surfaces , 2013 .

[4]  Byoungho Lee,et al.  Role of magnetic induction currents in nanoslit excitation of surface plasmon polaritons. , 2012, Physical review letters.

[5]  F. G. D. Abajo.  Interaction of Radiation and Fast Electrons with Clusters of Dielectrics: A Multiple Scattering Approach , 1999 .

[6]  N. Yu,et al.  Flat optics with designer metasurfaces. , 2014, Nature materials.

[7]  Kan Yao,et al.  Generalized laws of reflection and refraction from transformation optics , 2012, 1202.5829.

[8]  Federico Capasso,et al.  Ultra-thin plasmonic optical vortex plate based on phase discontinuities , 2012 .

[9]  Review of Current Progress , 1969 .

[10]  Novel electromagnetic radiation in a semi-infinite space filled with a double-negative metamaterial , 2012 .

[11]  Shulin Sun,et al.  Gradient-index meta-surfaces as a bridge linking propagating waves and surface waves. , 2012, Nature materials.

[12]  Jin Au Kong,et al.  Reversed Cherenkov radiation in a waveguide filled with anisotropic double-negative metamaterials , 2008 .

[13]  Edward M. Purcell,et al.  Visible Light from Localized Surface Charges Moving across a Grating , 1953 .

[14]  Steven G. Johnson,et al.  Cerenkov Radiation in Photonic Crystals , 2003, Science.

[15]  A. Grbic,et al.  Experimental verification of backward-wave radiation from a negative refractive index metamaterial , 2002 .

[16]  E. Hasman,et al.  Rashba-type plasmonic metasurface. , 2013, Optics letters.

[17]  P. Genevet,et al.  Holographic optical metasurfaces: a review of current progress , 2015, Reports on progress in physics. Physical Society.

[18]  D P Tsai,et al.  Light well: a tunable free-electron light source on a chip. , 2009, Physical review letters.

[19]  Byoungho Lee,et al.  Plasmonic meta-slit: shaping and controlling near-field focus , 2015 .

[20]  Jiangtao Huangfu,et al.  A Viewpoint on: Experimental Verification of Reversed Cherenkov Radiation in Left-Handed Metamaterial , 2009 .

[21]  A. Kildishev,et al.  Broadband Light Bending with Plasmonic Nanoantennas , 2012, Science.

[22]  Chih-Ming Wang,et al.  High-efficiency broadband anomalous reflection by gradient meta-surfaces. , 2012, Nano letters.

[23]  N. Yu,et al.  Light Propagation with Phase Discontinuities: Generalized Laws of Reflection and Refraction , 2011, Science.

[24]  Erez Hasman,et al.  Spin-controlled plasmonics via optical Rashba effect , 2013 .

[25]  E. M. Lifshitz,et al.  Electrodynamics of continuous media , 1961 .

[26]  Sang‐Hyun Oh,et al.  Ultrasmooth Patterned Metals for Plasmonics and Metamaterials , 2009, Science.

[27]  D. Jackson,et al.  Leaky‐Wave Antennas , 2008 .

[28]  F. D. Abajo,et al.  Optical excitations in electron microscopy , 2009, 0903.1669.

[29]  E. Hasman,et al.  Spin-Optical Metamaterial Route to Spin-Controlled Photonics , 2013, Science.

[30]  Daniel Wintz,et al.  Holographic metalens for switchable focusing of surface plasmons. , 2015, Nano letters.

[31]  Omori,et al.  First observation of Smith-Purcell radiation from relativistic electrons. , 1992, Physical review letters.

[32]  William Thomson,et al.  I. On the waves produced by a single impulse in water of any depth, or in a dispersive medium , 1887, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.

[33]  F. Capasso,et al.  Polarization-Controlled Tunable Directional Coupling of Surface Plasmon Polaritons , 2013, Science.

[34]  Federico Capasso,et al.  Breakthroughs in Photonics 2013: Flat Optics: Wavefronts Control With Huygens' Interfaces , 2014, IEEE Photonics Journal.