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Updated: May 27, 2026

Femtosecond Laser Filaments for Use in Sub-Diffraction-Limited Imaging and Remote Sensing
Published on: April 25, 2019
Nonresonant broadband funneling of light via ultrasubwavelength channels
G Subramania1, S Foteinopoulou, I Brener
1Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA. gssubra@sandia.gov
Abstract:
Enhancing and funneling light efficiently through deep subwavelength apertures is essential in harnessing light-matter interaction. Thus far, this has been accomplished resonantly, by exciting the structural surface plasmons of perforated nanostructured metal films, a phenomenon known as extraordinary optical transmission. Here, we present a new paradigm structure which possesses all the capabilities of extraordinary optical transmission platforms, yet operates nonresonantly on a distinctly different mechanism. Our proposed platform demonstrates efficient ultrabroadband funneling of optical power confined in an area as small as ∼(λ/500)(2), where optical fields are enhanced, thus exhibiting functional possibilities beyond resonant platforms. We analyze the nonresonant mechanism underpinning such a phenomenon with a simple quasistatic picture, which shows excellent agreement with our numerical simulations.
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