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Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Spin-optical metamaterial route to spin-controlled photonics
Nir Shitrit1, Igor Yulevich, Elhanan Maguid
1Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 11, 2013
Summary
Spin optics controls light using metasurfaces by breaking symmetry, enabling spin-controlled optical modes. This research paves the way for advanced nanophotonic applications through tailored metasurface designs.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Spin optics offers control over light by manipulating photon helicity (spin angular momentum).
- Metamaterials allow for engineered optical properties through structured matter.
- Combining spin optics and metamaterials enables tailored dispersion engineering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate polarization-controlled optical modes in metamaterials by violating spatial inversion symmetry.
- To investigate the origin of spin-split dispersion in spontaneous emission.
- To explore the use of anisotropic optical antenna patterns for creating inversion asymmetric metasurfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing geometric gradients on metasurfaces to remove photon helicity degeneracy.
- Designing metamaterials with broken spatial inversion symmetry.
- Fabricating inversion asymmetric metasurfaces using anisotropic optical antenna patterns.
Main Results:
- Observed polarization-controlled optical modes in metamaterials due to broken inversion symmetry.
- Demonstrated spin-split dispersion of spontaneous emission arising from the spin-orbit interaction of light.
- Established symmetry-based selection rules in spin-optical metamaterials.
Conclusions:
- Spin-optical metamaterials with broken inversion symmetry enable control over light polarization.
- The spin-orbit interaction of light is key to generating spin-split dispersion.
- Metasurface symmetry design is crucial for developing spin-controlled nanophotonic devices.
