In this paper we show that arrays of core-shell nanoparticles function as effective thin absorbers of light. In contrast to known metamaterial absorbers, the introduced absorbers are formed by single planar arrays of spherical inclusions and enable f
ull absorption of light incident on either or both sides of the array. We demonstrate possibilities for realizing different kinds of symmetric absorbers, including resonant, ultra-broadband, angularly selective, and all-angle absorbers. The physical principle behind these designs is explained considering balanced electric and magnetic responses of unit cells. Photovoltaic devices and thermal emitters are the two most important potential applications of the proposed designs.
Energy of propagating electromagnetic waves can be fully absorbed in a thin lossy layer, but only in a narrow frequency band, as follows from the causality principle. On the other hand, it appears that there are no fundamental limitations on broadban
d matching of thin absorbing layers. However, known thin absorbers produce significant reflections outside of the resonant absorption band. In this paper we explore possibilities to realize a thin absorbing layer which produces no reflected waves in a very wide frequency range, while the transmission coefficient has a narrow peak of full absorption. Here we show, both theoretically and experimentally, that a wide-band-matched thin resonant absorber, invisible in reflection, can be realized if one and the same resonant mode of the absorbing array unit cells is utilized to create both electric and magnetic responses. We test this concept using chiral particles in each unit cells, arranged in a periodic planar racemic array, utilizing chirality coupling in each unit cell but compensating the field coupling at the macroscopic level. We prove that the concept and the proposed realization approach also can be used to create non-reflecting layers for full control of transmitted fields. Our results can have a broad range of potential applications over the entire electromagnetic spectrum including, for example, perfect ultra-compact wave filters and selective multi-frequency sensors.
Conventional mirrors obey Snells reflection law: a plane wave is reflected as a plane wave, at the same angle. To engineer spatial distributions of fields reflected from a mirror, one can either shape the reflector (for example, creating a parabolic
reflector) or position some phase-correcting elements on top of a mirror surface (for example, designing a reflectarray antenna). Here we show, both theoretically and experimentally, that full-power reflection with general control over reflected wave phase is possible with a single-layer array of deeply sub-wavelength inclusions. These proposed artificial surfaces, metamirrors, provide various functions of shaped or nonuniform reflectors without utilizing any mirror. This can be achieved only if the forward and backward scattering of the inclusions in the array can be engineered independently, and we prove that it is possible using electrically and magnetically polarizable inclusions. The proposed sub-wavelength inclusions possess desired reflecting properties at the operational frequency band, while at other frequencies the array is practically transparent. The metamirror concept leads to a variety of applications over the entire electromagnetic spectrum, such as optically transparent focusing antennas for satellites, multi-frequency reflector antennas for radio astronomy, low-profile conformal antennas for telecommunications, and nano-reflectarray antennas for integrated optics.
For two electrically small nonreciprocal scatterers an analytical electromagnetic model of polarizabilities is developed. Both particles are bianisotropic: the so-called Tellegen-omega particle and moving-chiral particle. Analytical results are compa
red to the full-wave numerical simulations. Both models satisfy to main physical restrictions and leave no doubts in the possibility to realize these particles experimentally. This paper is a necessary step towards applications of nonreciprocal bianisotropic particles such as perfect electromagnetic isolators, twist polarizers, thin-sheet phase shifters, and other devices.
We propose an effective route to fully control the phase of plane waves reflected from electrically (optically) thin sheets. This becomes possible using engineered artificial full-reflection layers (metamirrors) as arrays of electrically small resona
nt bi-anisotropic particles. In this scenario, fully reflecting mirrors do not contain any continuous ground plane, but only arrays of small particles. Bi-anisotropic omega coupling is required to get asymmetric response in reflection phase for plane waves incident from the opposite sides of the composite mirror. It is shown that with this concept one can independently tailor the phase of electromagnetic waves reflected from both sides of the mirror array.
