Active directional beaming by mechanical actuation of double-sided plasmonic surface gratings

A novel mechanism for active directional beaming by mechanical actuation of double-sided plasmonic surface gratings is proposed. It is shown that the asymmetric mechanical actuation of optimally designed plasmonic surface gratings surrounding a subwavelength metal slit can produce a steerable off-axis beaming effect. The controllability of the beam direction provides an opportunity to develop novel active plasmonic devices and systems.