Cloaking from surface plasmon polaritons by a circular array of point scatterers

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Electromagnetism

Background:

• Invisibility cloaking for electromagnetic waves has been achieved using theoretical and experimental methods.
• Existing cloaking strategies are not directly applicable to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on surfaces.
• SPPs are surface-bound electromagnetic waves that propagate along metal-dielectric interfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for cloaking surface features from SPPs.
• To investigate the reduction of SPP scattering from objects on a metal surface.

Main Methods:

• Designed an arrangement of two concentric rings of point scatterers on a metal surface.
• Utilized theoretical and experimental approaches to analyze SPP scattering.
• Simulated the interaction of SPPs with the designed scatterer configuration.

Main Results:

• The proposed structure significantly reduces the scattering of SPPs from an enclosed object.
• The concentric ring arrangement effectively shields the object from SPP interaction.
• Demonstrated a novel approach to surface-based cloaking for SPPs.

Conclusions:

• It is possible to cloak surface features from SPPs using specifically arranged point scatterers.
• This method offers a new pathway for controlling SPP propagation and interaction.
• The findings have potential applications in nanophotonics and plasmonic devices.