Tailoring Iridescent Visual Appearance with Disordered Resonant Metasurfaces.

Area of Science:

• * Nanophotonics and Metasurface Optics
• * Light-Matter Interactions
• * Materials Science

Background:

• * Natural nanostructures exhibit vibrant, iridescent colors due to their physical properties.
• * Replicating or creating unique visual effects with artificial metasurfaces remains a challenge.
• * Controlling light scattering from disordered metasurfaces for specific appearances is not yet accessible.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To develop a predictive tool for understanding the visual appearance of disordered metasurfaces.
• * To identify the physical mechanisms behind the colors produced by colloidal disordered monolayers.
• * To explore the potential for designing novel visual effects using man-made metasurfaces.

Main Methods:

• * Development of an interpretive, intuitive, and accurate modal-based tool.
• * Analysis of light scattering from colloidal disordered monolayers of resonant meta-atoms on a reflective substrate.
• * Theoretical investigation of the origin of observed visual effects.

Main Results:

• * The combination of plasmonic and Fabry-Perot resonances generates uncommon iridescent visual appearances.
• * These appearances differ significantly from those seen in natural nanostructures or via thin-film interference.
• * An unusual two-color visual effect was identified and its origin theoretically explained.

Conclusions:

• * The developed model accurately explains the visual appearance of disordered metasurfaces.
• * The findings enable the design of unique visual effects using simple, robust building blocks.
• * Potential applications include innovative coatings, fine-art, and anti-counterfeiting technologies.