Negative Conductivity Induced Reconfigurable Gain Metasurfaces and Their Nonlinearity.

The past decades have witnessed the rapid development of metamaterials and metasurfaces. However, loss is still a challenging problem limiting numerous practical applications, including long-range wireless communications, superscattering, and non-Hermitian physics. Recently, great effort has been made to minimize the loss, however, they are too complicated for practical implementation and still restricted by the theoretical limit. Here, we propose and experimentally realize a tunable gain metasurface induced by negative conductivity, with deep theoretical analysis from scattering theory and equivalent circuits. In the experiment, we create metasurface samples embedded with tunable negative (or positive) conductivity to achieve adjustable gain (or loss). By varying the control bias voltages, the metasurfaces can reflect incident waves with additional controllable gain. Interestingly, we find the gain metasurfaces inherently pose nonlinearities, which are beneficial for nonlinear optics and microwave applications, particularly for the nonlinear activation of wave-based neural networks.

Polarization-Orthogonal Nondegenerate Plasmonic Higher-Order Topological States.

Photonic topological states, providing light-manipulation approaches in robust manners, have attracted intense attention. Connecting photonic topological states with far-field degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) has given rise to fruitful phenomena. Recently emerged higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs), hosting boundary states two or more dimensions lower than those of bulk, offer new paradigms to localize or transport light topologically in extended dimensionalities. However, photonic HOTIs have not been related to d.o.f. of radiation fields yet. Here, we report the observation of polarization-orthogonal second-order topological corner states at different frequencies on a designer-plasmonic kagome metasurface in the far field. Such phenomenon stands on two mechanisms, i.e., projecting the far-field polarizations to the intrinsic parity d.o.f. of lattice modes and the parity splitting of the plasmonic corner states in spectra. We theoretically and numerically show that the parity splitting originates from the underlying interorbital coupling. Both near-field and far-field experiments verify the polarization-orthogonal nondegenerate second-order topological corner states. These results promise applications in robust optical single photon emitters and multiplexed photonic devices.

Inverse design of a photonic moiré lattice waveguide towards improved slow light performances.

Slow light waveguides in photonic crystals are engineered using a conventional method or a deep learning (DL) method, which is data-intensive and suffers from data inconsistency, and both methods result in overlong computation time with low efficiency. In this paper, we overcome these problems by inversely optimizing the dispersion band of a photonic moiré lattice waveguide using automatic differentiation (AD). The AD framework allows the creation of a definite target band to which a selected band is optimized, and a mean square error (MSE) as an objective function between the selected and the target bands is used to efficiently compute gradients using the autograd backend of the AD library. Using a limited-memory Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno minimizer algorithm, the optimization converges to the target band, with the lowest MSE value of 9.844×10-7, and a waveguide that produces the exact target band is obtained. The optimized structure supports a slow light mode with a group index of 35.3, a bandwidth of 110 nm, and a normalized-delay-bandwidth-product of 0.805, which is a 140.9% and 178.9% significant improvement if compared to conventional and DL optimization methods, respectively. The waveguide could be utilized in slow light devices for buffering.

First-principles investigation of copper diffusion barrier performance in defective 2D layered materials.

This paper investigates the diffusion barrier performance of 2D layered materials with pre-existing vacancy defects using first-principles density functional theory. Vacancy defects in 2D materials may give rise to a large amount of Cu accumulation, and consequently, the defect becomes a diffusion path for Cu. Five 2D layered structures are investigated as diffusion barriers for Cu, i.e. graphene with C vacancy, hBN with B/N vacancy, and MoS2with Mo/2S vacancy. The calculated energy barriers using climbing image-nudged elastic band show that MoS2-V2Shas the highest diffusion energy barrier among other 2D layers, followed by hBN-VNand graphene. The obtained energy barrier of Cu on defected layer is found to be proportional to the length of the diffusion path. Moreover, the diffusion of Cu through vacancy defects is found to modulate the electronic structures and magnetic properties of the 2D layer. The charge density difference shows that there exists a considerable charge transfer between Cu and barrier layer as quantified by Bader charge. Given the current need for an ultra-thin diffusion barrier layer, the obtained results contribute to the field of application of 2D materials as Cu diffusion barrier in the presence of mono-vacancy defects.

Photonic Moiré lattice waveguide with a large slow light bandwidth and delay-bandwidth product.

We proposed an effective approach to enlarge the slow light bandwidth and normalized-delay-bandwidth product in an optimized moiré lattice-based photonic crystal waveguide that exhibits intrinsic mid-band characteristics. A flatband corresponding to a nearly constant group index of 34 over a wide bandwidth of 82 nm centered at 1550 nm with near-zero group velocity dispersion was achieved. A large normalized-delay-bandwidth product of 0.5712 with a relative dispersion of 0.114%/µm was obtained, which is a significant improvement if compared with previous results. Our results indicate that the photonic moiré lattice waveguide could advance slow light applications.

Band characterization of topological photonic crystals using the broadband Green's function technique.

A novel method is developed in this paper to characterize the band diagram and band modal fields of gyromagnetic photonic crystals that support topological one-way edge states. The proposed method is based on an integral equation formulation that utilizes the broadband Green's function (BBGF). The BBGF is a hybrid representation of the periodic lattice Green's function with imaginary extractions that has accelerated convergence and is suitable for broadband evaluations. The effects of the tensor permeability of the gyromagnetic scatterers are incorporated in a new formulation of surface integral equations (SIEs) with BBGF as the kernel that can be solved by the method of moments. The results are compared against Comsol simulations for various cases to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. Simulations results are illustrated and discussed for the modes of topological photonic crystals in relation to the physics of degeneracy, applied magnetic fields, and bandgaps.

Experimental demonstration of a graphene-based hybrid plasmonic modulator.

In this Letter, we report a graphene-based hybrid plasmonic modulator (GHPM) realized by employing the electro-absorption effect of graphene. The simulation results show that the modulation efficiency of GHPM, i.e., extinction ratio per length, can be as large as 0.417 dB/µm, which is more than twice as much as that of recently presented graphene-on-silicon modulator. It was found that the improvement in modulation efficiency is mainly due to the enhancement of the overlap between graphene and the mode field in GHPM. A prototype of GHPM was fabricated. The measurement results showed that the GHPM can work in a broadband from 1530 to 1570 nm and an improved modulation efficiency of 1.08 dB (at 30 µm). Finally, we have discussed the factors that influence the modulation efficiency. Our proof-of-concept design may promote the development of on-chip graphene-based plasmonic devices.

Emission of orbital angular momentum based on spoof localized surface plasmons.

An approach to producing the orbital angular momentum (OAM) based on spoof localized surface plasmons (spoof LSPs) in microwave frequencies is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. The fundamental and high-order modes of spoof LSPs occur when a textured metallic surface is excited with a microstrip line. Two orthogonal modes of spoof LSPs with +90° or -90° phase retardation are superimposed, resulting in a OAM-vortex mode. In the proposed design, two separate feeding ports are employed to excite the orthogonal resonant modes simultaneously, and a hybrid coupler is used to provide the required ±90° phase retardation. By loading a circularly arranged dipole array on the spoof LSPs, the confined surface waves of the spoof LSPs can be converted into radiated vortex waves. To verify this idea, an OAM-mode emitter with indices of ±3 is fabricated and measured. Experimental near-field distributions and far-field radiation patterns show excellent agreement with the simulated results.

Experimental Observation of Superscattering.

Superscattering, induced by degenerate resonances, breaks the fundamental single-channel limit of the scattering cross section of subwavelength structures; in principle, an arbitrarily large total cross section can be achieved via superscattering. It thus provides a unique way to strengthen the light-matter interaction at the subwavelength scale, and has many potential applications in sensing, energy harvesting, bioimaging (such as magnetic resonance imaging), communication, and optoelectronics. However, the experimental demonstration of superscattering remains an open challenge due to its vulnerability to structural imperfections and intrinsic material losses. Here we report the first experimental evidence for superscattering by demonstrating the superscattering simultaneously in two different frequency regimes through both the far-field and near-field measurements. The underlying mechanism for the observed superscattering is the degenerate resonances of confined surface waves, by utilizing a subwavelength metasurface-based multilayer structure. Our work paves the way towards practical applications based on superscattering.

Frequency optimization of permeability metamaterial for enhanced resolution.

We analyze and optimize the performance of unconventional negative permeability (µ) metamaterial and demonstrate its ability to focus and restore the decaying Fourier harmonics (FH) in microwave regime operating frequencies. We show that multiple real µr' and imaginary µr'' values of µr at same or multiple operating frequencies for a resonant type of -µ metamaterial could not exhibit finest resolution at the region of interest (ROI), unless and until the distance of the source plane with respect to metamaterial and ROI could be re-optimized in accordance with µr' and µr'' of µr. Using the variable parameters to enhance the resolution limit of -µ metamaterial, we optimize the metamaterial's configuration for maximum propagation field absorption and regeneration of decaying FH at ROI. The optimization of the test bed that contains the source plane, -µ metamaterial, and ROI followed by the regeneration of the decaying FH from the source plane at the surface of the material, yielded a high image resolution at ROI.

Ridge waveguide assisted highly efficient transverse-electric-pass polarizer based on a hybrid plasmonic waveguide.

An ultra-compact and low-loss transverse-electric (TE)-pass polarizer is proposed by utilizing a hybrid plasmonic ridge waveguide structure on a silicon-on-insulator platform. Since the transmission of a plasmonic polarizer is greatly influenced by the interaction between the metal and the optical field, there is a large insertion loss (IL) in the polarizer based on a hybrid plasmonic waveguide. Here, the electric field distribution and the periodic coupling between the fundamental transverse magnetic mode and plasmonic mode are taken into consideration to decrease the IL and shorten the length of the device. For a 4.2 µm-long polarizer, numerical simulations with the finite-differential-time-domain method show that it has a large extinction ratio (ER) of ∼29.5 dB with a low IL of 0.18 dB at the central wavelength 1550 nm. In addition, a more than 23 dB ER is achieved across a wide bandwidth of 100 nm.

Highly efficient graphene-on-gap modulator by employing the hybrid plasmonic effect.

We propose a highly efficient graphene-on-gap modulator (GOGM) by employing the hybrid plasmonic effect, whose modulation efficiency (up to 1.23 dB/µm after optimization) is ∼12-fold larger than that of the present graphene-on-silicon modulator (∼0.1 dB/µm). The proposed modulator has the advantage of a short modulation length of ∼3.6 µm, a relatively low insertion loss of ∼0.32 dB, and a larger modulation bandwidth of ∼0.48 THz. The physical insight is investigated, showing that both the slow light effect and the overlap between graphene and the mode field contribute. Moreover, an efficient taper coupler has been designed to convert the quasi-transverse electric mode of conventional silicon waveguide to the hybrid plasmonic mode of GOGM, with a high coupling efficiency of 91%. This Letter may promote the design of high-performance on-chip electro-optical modulators.

High optical transmittance of aluminum ultrathin film with hexagonal nanohole arrays as transparent electrode.

We fabricate samples of aluminum ultrathin films with hexagonal nanohole arrays and characterize the transmission performance. High optical transmittance larger than 60% over a broad wavelength range from 430 nm to 750 nm is attained experimentally. The Fano-type resonance of the excited surface plasmon plaritons and the directly transmitted light attribute to both of the broadband transmission enhancement and the transmission suppression dips.

Loss induced amplification of graphene plasmons.

This Letter introduces a new mechanism to reverse and control the effect of losses in the plasmonic systems by using a coupled parity-time symmetric graphene waveguide with complex potentials. In order to explore the uncharted properties of parity-time symmetric graphene plasmons, this Letter analytically shows the plasmonic parity-time symmetry breaking in the coupled graphene waveguide by Sommerfeld integration. This phase transition leads to the distinct spatial propagation behaviors of graphene plasmons in the exact or broken parity-time symmetric phase driven by a point source. Particularly, a loss induced plasmonic amplification, as a characteristic of exceptional point behavior, is for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, revealed in the realm of graphene plasmonics.

Dynamic control of wideband slow wave in graphene based waveguides.

Enlarged group index has been reported previously when surface plasmons propagate through the graphene sheet, yet a clear slow wave performance in graphene has not been explored. We proposed and numerically analyzed here for the first time to the best of our knowledge an extremely wideband slow surface wave in a graphene-based grating waveguide. The strongly delayed wave (120Δf>0.7 THz) can be dynamically controlled via the gate-voltage dependent optical properties of graphene. Our results suggest that graphene may be a very promising slow light medium, promoting future slow light devices based on graphene.

Holographic multiplexing metasurface with twisted diffractive neural network.

As the cornerstone of AI generated content, data drives human-machine interaction and is essential for developing sophisticated deep learning agents. Nevertheless, the associated data storage poses a formidable challenge from conventional energy-intensive planar storage, high maintenance cost, and the susceptibility to electromagnetic interference. In this work, we introduce the concept of metasurface disk, meta-disk, to expand the capacity limits of optical holographic storage by leveraging uncorrelated structural twist. We develop a physical twisted neural network to describe the optical behavior of the meta-disk and conduct a comprehensive lateral error analysis, where the meta-disk stores large volumes of information through internal structural multiplexing. Two-layer 640 µm x 640 µm meta-disk is sufficient to store over hundreds of high-fidelity images with SSIM of 0.8. By harnessing advanced three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, optical holographic storage is experimentally demonstrated with Pancharatnam-Berry metasurfaces. Our technology provides essential backing for the next generation of optical storage, display, encryption, and multifunctional optical analog computing.

Non-Invasive Self-Adaptive Information States' Acquisition inside Dynamic Scattering Spaces.

Pushing the information states' acquisition efficiency has been a long-held goal to reach the measurement precision limit inside scattering spaces. Recent studies have indicated that maximal information states can be attained through engineered modes; however, partial intrusion is generally required. While non-invasive designs have been substantially explored across diverse physical scenarios, the non-invasive acquisition of information states inside dynamic scattering spaces remains challenging due to the intractable non-unique mapping problem, particularly in the context of multi-target scenarios. Here, we establish the feasibility of non-invasive information states' acquisition experimentally for the first time by introducing a tandem-generated adversarial network framework inside dynamic scattering spaces. To illustrate the framework's efficacy, we demonstrate that efficient information states' acquisition for multi-target scenarios can achieve the Fisher information limit solely through the utilization of the external scattering matrix of the system. Our work provides insightful perspectives for precise measurements inside dynamic complex systems.

3D Intelligent Cloaked Vehicle Equipped with Thousand-Level Reconfigurable Full-Polarization Metasurfaces.

A crucial aspect in shielding a variety of advanced electronic devices from electromagnetic detection involves controlling the flow of electromagnetic waves, akin to invisibility cloaks. Decades ago, the exploration of transformation optics heralded the dawn of modern invisibility cloaks, which has stimulated immense interest across various physical scenarios. However, most prior research is simplified to low-dimensional and stationary hidden objects, limiting their practical applicability in a dynamically changing world. This study develops a 3D large-scale intelligent cloak capable of remaining undetectable even in non-stationary conditions. By employing thousand-level reconfigurable full-polarization metasurfaces, this work has achieved an exceptionally high degree of freedom in sculpting the scattering waves as desired. Serving as the core computational unit, a hybrid inverse design enables the cloaked vehicle to respond in real-time, with a rapid reaction time of just 70 ms. These experiments integrate the cloaked vehicle with a perception-decision-control-execution system and evaluate its performance under random static positions and dynamic travelling trajectories, achieving a background scattering matching degree of up to 93.3%. These findings establish a general paradigm for the next generation of intelligent meta-devices in real-world settings, potentially paving the way for an era of "Electromagnetic Internet of Things."

Impedance calculation and equivalent circuits for metal-insulator-metal plasmonic waveguide geometries.

This Letter presents an analytical expression for the equivalent impedance of the fundamental mode of both 2D and 3D metal-insulator-metal (MIM) plasmonic waveguides. It also presents circuit models for passive 2D MIM waveguide components represented by additional parasitic circuit elements. Moreover, a modeling library for various 2D MIM waveguide structures is developed. The proposed analytical results have been verified and show great accuracy compared to the full-wave characterizations.

Broadband Flexible Microstrip Antenna Array with Conformal Load-Bearing Structure.

To enhance the load-bearing mechanical properties and broadband electromagnetic characteristics of the conformal antenna, a broadband microstrip antenna array with a conformal load-bearing structure is proposed in this paper, which consists of three flexible substrate layers and two honeycomb core layers stacked on each other. By combining the antenna and honeycomb core layer in a structural perspective, the antenna array is implemented in the composition function of surface conformability and load-bearing. Additionally, the sidelobe level of the antenna is suppressed based on the reflection surface loaded. Meanwhile, an equivalent model of a honeycomb core layer has been established and applied in the design of a conformal antenna with a load-bearing structure. The presented model increases the accuracy of simulated results and reduces the memory consumption and time of the simulation. The overall size of the proposed antenna array is 32.84 × 36.65 × 4.9 mm (1.36 λ0 × 1.52 λ0 × 0.2 λ0, λ0 is the wavelength at 12.5 GHz). The proposed antenna element and array have been fabricated and measured in the flat state and under other various bending states. Experiment results show the operating relative bandwidth of the antenna array is 20.68% (11.67-13.76 GHz and 14.33-14,83 GHz) in the flat state. Under different bending conditions, the proposed antenna array covers 24.16% (11.08-14.1 GHz), 23.82% (10.63-13.5 GHz), and 23.12% with 30°, 60°, and 90° in the xoz plane (11.55-14.33 GHz). In terms of mechanical load bearing, the structure has better performance than the traditional single-layer honeycomb core load-bearing structure antenna.