Manipulation of Bloch surface beams based on perfectly matched Bragg diffraction

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Surface Physics

Background:

• Bloch surface waves (BSWs) are electromagnetic waves confined to a surface, offering unique light-matter interaction properties.
• Controlling the trajectory and spatial distribution of BSWs is crucial for advanced photonic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a generalized method for manipulating Bloch surface waves (BSWs) with designed phases.
• To generate nonparaxial accelerating BSW beams with pre-engineered trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing perfectly matched Bragg diffraction with a wide range of diffraction angles.
• Employing the caustic method to combine with Bragg diffraction for trajectory engineering.
• Generating multiple accelerating BSW beams beyond the paraxial limit.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated accelerating BSW beams with power-law, circular, elliptic, and bottle trajectories.
• Demonstrated precise control over beam width by manipulating beam trajectory.
• Transverse light field distribution of generated beams matched theoretical predictions.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method offers a versatile platform for generating complex, controllable BSW beams.
• This work facilitates the development of novel applications such as surface tweezers and lab-on-chip photonic integrations.
• The ability to control beam trajectory and width opens new avenues in optical manipulation and integration.