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Coherent metamaterials as a platform for passive and gain-assisted photonic devices

Nikolay I. Zheludev, V.A. Fedotov, Nikitas Papasimakis, Eric Plum, Jinhui Shi

Published Nov 30, 2009• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We demonstrate a new class of "coherent" metamaterials, where narrow band EIT-like transmission/reflection resonances correspond to a truly collective response of the entire ordered metamaterial array. The resonances appear as a result of coherent excitations of strongly interacting ordered meta-molecules and are controlled by the size of the array. Coherent maetamaterials provide a promising platform for various intriguing applications including slow-light and polarization controlling devices and the "lasing spaser", which we illustrate in a number of microwave, THz and optical experiments. Also, for the first time we experimentally show that resonant properties and losses in a photonic version of the metamaterial can be controlled through optical gain medium. (from session titled: Metamaterials - from modelling and fabrication to application).

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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Aug 19, 2010•1 citation
We demonstrate a new class of "coherent" metamaterials, where narrow band EIT-like transmission/reflection resonances correspond to a truly collective response of the entire ordered metamaterial array. The resonances appear as a result of coherent excitations of strongly interacting ordered meta-molecules and are controlled by the size of the array. Coherent maetamaterials provide a promising platform for various intriguing applications including slow-light and polarization controlling devices and the "lasing spaser", which we illustrate in a number of microwave, THz and optical experiments. Also, for the first time we experimentally show that resonant properties and losses in a photonic version of the metamaterial can be controlled through optical gain medium. (from session titled: Metamaterials - from modelling and fabrication to application).
Optical materials exhibit significant losses over the resonance frequency of their constituent atoms and so they are practically implemented at frequencies far from resonances. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) provides a method for effective suppression of optical loss in a narrow window over the resonance, where the medium exhibits significant dispersion but at the expense of zero susceptibility. The classical or plasmonic analogs of the EIT effect are introduced and widely used in the context of electromagnetic or optical metamaterials (MMs). In another interesting phenomenon in quantum optics known as enhancement of index of refraction (EIR), the optical loss of the medium can be zero or even negative at the region of maximal susceptibility and negligible dispersion. This condition is interesting for applications where a strong electromagnetic response of the medium with negligible loss is required, such as zero- or negative-index metamaterials (MMs). Here we introduce a plasmonic analog of the EIR which allows for coherent control over the polarizability and absorption of plasmonic nanoantennas. It can open up the way for loss-compensated propagation of optical waves in zero-index to high-refractive-index plasmonic MMs. The scheme also offers an approach to all-optical switching and coherent control of transmission, diffraction, and polarization conversion properties of plasmonic nanostructures, as well as propagation properties of surface plasmon polaritons on metasurfaces.
We illustrate a mechanism based on coherent optical nonlinearities to realize optically tunable photonic crystals built from media supporting electromagnetically induced transparency. These exhibit specific periodic patterns where a light probe can experience a fully developed photonic band-gap with negligible absorption. An analytical method based on a two-mode approximation is developed to study the optical response of such a periodically modulated medium driven into a regime of standing-wave electromagnetically induced transparency. A comparison with a transfer matrix approach and with techniques based on the coupled Maxwell–Liouville equations shows that our method is very accurate to describe the optical properties of such photonic metamaterials in the frequency region of interest. Nearly perfect reflectivities may be attained for ultracold 87Rb atoms samples which are seen to reflect with little loss and deformation light pulses whose frequency components are contained within the gap. When the same mechanism is implemented for inhomogeneously broadened optical transitions of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, which is more amenable to device applications, fully developed photonic band-gap structures with negligible absorption, reflectivities very close to unity and sufficiently large bandwidths may also be attained. We further examine more flexible schemes based on four level systems under double driving conditions showing more accurate and efficient coherent optical control of the photonic band-gap. The remarkable experimental simplicity of the schemes that we presented is set to ease quantum nonlinear optics applications.
Nanoplasmonic metamaterials are an exciting new class of engineered media that promise a range of important applications, such as subwavelength focusing, cloaking, and slowing/stopping of light. At optical frequencies, using gain to overcome potentially not insignificant losses has recently emerged as a viable solution to ultra-low-loss operation that may lead to next-generation active metamaterials. Maxwell-Bloch models for active nanoplasmonic metamaterials are able to describe the coherent spatiotemporal and nonlinear gain-plasmon dynamics. Here, we extend the Maxwell-Bloch theory to a Maxwell-Bloch Langevin approach-a spatially resolved model that describes the light field and noise dynamics in gain-enhanced nanoplasmonic structures. Using the example of an optically pumped nanofishnet metamaterial with an embedded laser dye (four-level) medium exhibiting a negative refractive index, we demonstrate the transition from loss-compensation to amplification and to nanolasing. We observe ultrafast relaxation oscillations of the bright negative-index mode with frequencies just below the THz regime. The influence of noise on mode competition and the onset and magnitude of the relaxation oscillations is elucidated, and the dynamics and spectra of the emitted light indicate that coherent amplification and lasing are maintained even in the presence of noise and amplified spontaneous emission.
New designs "meta-atom" and "meta-material" composed from all-dielectric resonators with high Q and low loss, this kind metamaterial is coupled from propagating plane wave and generates electromagnetic response like electromagnetically induced transparency in atomic vapor. The "meta-atom" or "meta-molecular" are not only workable in room temperature but also enable three dimensional ommidirectionally incident with superposition stacking. Meanwhile, the EIT-like via dielectric metamaterial with high transmittance, dramatic index change and tunable operating frequency. The simulation result agrees the possibility electromagnetically induced transparency -like bulk exists from microwave to THz region.