Edward T. F. Rogers

A super-oscillatory lens optical microscope for subwavelength imaging

The past decade has seen an intensive effort to achieve optical imaging resolution beyond the diffraction limit. Apart from the Pendry-Veselago negative index superlens, implementation of which in optics faces challenges of losses and as yet unattainable fabrication finesse, other super-resolution approaches necessitate the lens either to be in the near proximity of the object or manufactured on it, or work only for a narrow class of samples, such as intensely luminescent or sparse objects. Here we report a new super-resolution microscope for optical imaging that beats the diffraction limit of conventional instruments and the recently demonstrated near-field optical superlens and hyperlens. This non-invasive subwavelength imaging paradigm uses a binary amplitude mask for direct focusing of laser light into a subwavelength spot in the post-evanescent field by precisely tailoring the interference of a large number of beams diffracted from a nanostructured mask. The new technology, which--in principle--has no physical limits on resolution, could be universally used for imaging at any wavelength and does not depend on the luminescence of the object, which can be tens of micrometres away from the mask. It has been implemented as a straightforward modification of a conventional microscope showing resolution better than λ/6.

Optical super-oscillations: sub-wavelength light focusing and super-resolution imaging

Optical super-oscillations, first predicted in 1952 and observed in 2007, offer a promising route to optical super-resolution imaging and show potential for manufacturing with light and data-storage applications such as direct optical recording and heat assisted magnetic recording. We review the history and basic physics behind the phenomenon of super-oscillation and its application in optics. We overview recent results in creating optical super-oscillations using binary masks, spatial light modulators and planar metamaterial masks. We also investigate the limits and competitiveness of super-oscillatory imaging.

Super-oscillatory optical needle

Super-oscillatory optical lenses have recently been shown to achieve subwavelength focusing and have been used for super-resolution imaging. However, the subwavelength hotspots created by these lenses are always accompanied by sidebands containing a significant fraction of the optical energy and are highly localised in the axial direction. Here, we report a class of super-oscillatory lenses that form extended subwavelength optical needles on a 15λ field of view.

Coherent control of Snell's law at metasurfaces

It was recently demonstrated that the well-known Snells law must be corrected for phase gradient metasurfaces to account for their spatially varying phase, leading to normal and anomalous transmission and reflection of light on such metasurfaces. Here we show that the efficiency of normal and anomalous transmission and reflection of light can be controlled by the intensity or phase of a second coherent wave. The phenomenon is illustrated using gradient metasurfaces based on V-shaped and rectangular apertures in a metal film. This coherent control effect can be exploited for wave front shaping and signal routing.

Soft-x-ray wavelength shift induced by ionization effects in a capillary

Coherent soft x rays are produced by high-harmonic generation in a capillary filled with Ar gas. We demonstrate that the tuning of the harmonic wavelengths with intensity and chirp arises from changes in the Ar ionization level. Control over the tuning can be achieved either by changing the average intensity of the laser pulse or by varying the quadratic spectral phase of the laser pulse. We observe an ionization-dependent blueshift of the fundamental wavelength that is directly imprinted on the harmonic wavelengths. The harmonic tuning is shown to depend on nonlinear spectral shifts of the fundamental laser pulse that are due to the plasma created by ionization, rather than directly on any chirp imposed on the fundamental wavelength.

Far field subwavelength focusing using optical eigenmodes

We report the focusing of light to generate a subdiffractive, subwavelength focal spot of full width half maximum 222 nm at an operating wavelength of 633 nm using an optical eigenmode approach. Crucially, the spot is created in the focal plane of a microscope objective thus yielding a practical working distance for applications. The optical eigenmode approach is implemented using an optimal superposition of Bessel beams on a spatial light modulator. The effects of partial coherence are also discussed. This far field method is a key advance toward the generation of subdiffractive optical features for imaging and lithographic purposes.

Two-dimensional control of light with light on metasurfaces

The ability to control the wavefront of light is fundamental to focusing and redistribution of light, enabling many applications from imaging to spectroscopy. Wave interaction on highly nonlinear photorefractive materials is essentially the only established technology allowing the dynamic control of the wavefront of a light beam with another beam of light, but it is slow and requires large optical power. Here we report a proof-of-principle demonstration of a new technology for two-dimensional (2D) control of light with light based on the coherent interaction of optical beams on highly absorbing plasmonic metasurfaces. We illustrate this by performing 2D all-optical logical operations (AND, XOR and OR) and image processing. Our approach offers diffraction-limited resolution, potentially at arbitrarily-low intensity levels and with 100 THz bandwidth, thus promising new applications in space-division multiplexing, adaptive optics, image correction, processing and recognition, 2D binary optical data processing and reconfigurable optical devices.

Sub-wavelength focusing meta-lens

We show that a planar plasmonic metamaterial with spatially variable meta-atom parameters can focus transmitted light into sub-wavelength hot-spots located beyond the near-field of the metamaterial. By nano-structuring a gold film we created an array of meta-lenses generating foci of 160 nm (0.2λ) in diameter when illuminated by a wavelength of 800 nm. We attribute the occurrence of sub-wavelength hotspots beyond the near field to the phenomenon of superoscillation.

1.7 Gbit/in.2 gray-scale continuous-phase-change femtosecond image storage

We demonstrate high-density, multi-level crystallization of a Ge2Sb2Te5 thin film using tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses. The submicron spots with 8 distinct data storage states are written on a 1.08 μm square grid. The significant change in reflectivity of every specific state of crystallized spot allows easy optical reading and identification. As a demonstration, two gray-scale images are written into the storage medium. Our results open up potential applications in ultra-fast two-dimensional parallel cognitive computing and holography.

Flat super-oscillatory lens for heat-assisted magnetic recording with sub-50nm resolution

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is a future roadmap technology to overcome the superparamagnetic limit in high density magnetic recording. Existing HAMR schemes depend on a simultaneous magnetic stimulation and light-induced local heating of the information carrier. To achieve high-density recorded data, near-field plasmonic transducers have been proposed as light concentrators. Here we suggest and investigate in detail an alternative approach exploiting a far-field focusing device that can focus light into sub-50 nm hot-spots in the magnetic recording layer using a laser source operating at 473 nm. It is based on a recently introduced super-oscillatory flat lens improved with the use of solid immersion, giving an effective numerical aperture as high as 4.17. The proposed solution is robust and easy to integrate with the magnetic recording head thus offering a competitive advantage over plasmonic technology.