Manipulating surface plasmon polaritons with infinitely anisotropic metamaterials

Area of Science:

• Condensed matter physics
• Metamaterials science
• Nanophotonics

Background:

• Guiding surface states through disordered environments is a significant challenge in condensed matter physics.
• Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are crucial for nanoscale optical applications but are sensitive to surface imperfections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust method for guiding surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) through arbitrarily distorted metal surfaces.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of infinitely anisotropic metamaterials (IAMs) in overcoming surface disorder for SPP propagation.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing infinitely anisotropic metamaterials (IAMs) to couple SPPs into and out of bulk modes.
• Routing bulk modes within IAMs by altering their principle axis.
• Simulating and experimentally demonstrating SPP devices using designer SPPs at microwave frequencies.

Main Results:

• Achieved almost total transmission of SPPs over a broad frequency range through distorted surfaces.
• Demonstrated high-efficiency, non-diffracting propagation of SPPs within IAMs.
• Successfully designed and validated SPP devices including adapters, cloaks, and sharp-bending waveguides.

Conclusions:

• Infinitely anisotropic metamaterials provide a robust solution for guiding SPPs through complex surface topographies.
• The developed method offers high efficiency and broad frequency applicability for SPP manipulation.
• This work paves the way for advanced SPP-based devices and applications in nanophotonics.