Fajun Xiao

Tunable terahertz left-handed metamaterial based on multi-layer graphene-dielectric composite

A terahertz fishnet metamaterial, consisting of a gallium arsenide substrate sandwiched between multi-layer graphene-dielectric composites, is theoretically studied. Detailed analysis shows that this metamaterial has a left-handed transmission peak accompanied with an abnormal phase dispersion and a clear negative refractive index which originates from simultaneous magnetic and electric resonances. Our structure is unique because it has no metallic parts to achieve the left-handed properties. The most important utility of this metamaterial comes from the fact that its left-handed features can be dynamically controlled by applying external bias to shift the Fermi level in graphene.

Quantum-coupled radial-breathing oscillations in double-walled carbon nanotubes

Van der Waals-coupled materials, ranging from multilayers of graphene and MoS(2) to superlattices of nanoparticles, exhibit rich emerging behaviour owing to quantum coupling between individual nanoscale constituents. Double-walled carbon nanotubes provide a model system for studying such quantum coupling mediated by van der Waals interactions, because each constituent single-walled nanotube can have distinctly different physical structures and electronic properties. Here we systematically investigate quantum-coupled radial-breathing mode oscillations in chirality-defined double-walled nanotubes by combining simultaneous structural, electronic and vibrational characterizations on the same individual nanotubes. We show that these radial-breathing oscillations are collective modes characterized by concerted inner- and outer-wall motions, and determine quantitatively the tube-dependent van der Waals potential governing their vibration frequencies. We also observe strong quantum interference between Raman scattering from the inner- and outer-wall excitation pathways, the relative phase of which reveals chirality-dependent excited-state potential energy surface displacement in different nanotubes.

Elliptical discrete solitons supported by enhanced photorefractive anisotropy

We demonstrate elliptical discrete solitons in an optically induced two-dimensional photonic lattice. The ellipticity of the discrete soliton results from enhanced photorefractive anisotropy and nonlocality under a nonconventional bias condition. We show that the ellipticity and orientation of the discrete solitons can be altered by changing the direction of the lattice beam and/or the bias field relative to the crystalline c-axis. Our experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical prediction.

Coherent perfect absorption in an all-dielectric metasurface

We design and analyze an ultra-thin metasurface consists of mono-layer all-dielectric fishnet structure. It is demonstrated that coherent perfect absorption (CPA) can be achieved in such a metasurface, and the coherent absorptivity is controllable from 0.38% to 99.85% by phase modulation. The angular selectivity of the metasurface shows the feasibility of CPA in oblique incidence circumstances, where the CPA frequency splits into two frequency bands for TE and TM polarizations. Further study reveals that while retaining CPA, the CPA frequency of the metasurface can be manipulated from 8.56 to 13.47 GHz by solely adjusting the thickness of the fishnet metasurface.

Optical Bloch oscillations of an Airy beam in a photonic lattice with a linear transverse index gradient

We theoretically report the existence of optical Bloch oscillations (BO) of an Airy beam in a one-dimensional optically induced photonic lattice with a linear transverse index gradient. The Airy beam experiencing optical BO shows a more robust non-diffracting feature than its counterparts in free space or in a uniform photonic lattice. Interestingly, a periodical recurrence of Airy shape accompanied with constant alternation of its acceleration direction is also found during the BO. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the period and amplitude of BO of an Airy beam can be readily controlled over a wide range by varying the index gradient and/or the lattice period. Exploiting these features, we propose a scheme to rout an Airy beam to a predefined output channel without losing its characteristics by longitudinally modulating the transverse index gradient.

Polarization conversion in U-shaped chiral metamaterial with four-fold symmetry breaking

Despite chiral metamaterials being widely appreciated for their giant optical activity and negative refractive index with respect to the transmitted electromagnetic waves, little research efforts are devoted to effects occurring upon optical reflection from such metamaterials. Here, we theoretically demonstrate highly energy-efficient cross-polarization conversion for a normally incident wave reflecting from metamaterial with a broken four-fold symmetry of chiral structure. We do this by designing metamaterial that makes the polarization plane of a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave reflected from its surface almost perpendicular to the polarization plane of the incident wave. Using reflection from this metamaterial, one can also freely convert between left-handed and right-handed circular polarizations without significant energy loss. The proposed chiral metamaterial may prove useful in electromagnetic communication systems, polarization controllable antennas, and on-chip biomedical sensors.

Electrical control of second harmonic generation in a graphene-based plasmonic Fano structure

We propose a strategy for active control of second harmonic generation (SHG) in a plasmonic Fano structure by electrically doping its underlying monolayer graphene. A detailed theoretical model for the proposed scheme is developed and numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the operation. Specifically, we show that a merely 30 meV change in graphene Fermi level can result in 45 times increase in SHG peak intensity, accompanied by a resonance wavelength shift spanning 220 nm. Further analysis uncovers that such tunability in SHG arises from the Fermi-level-modulated graphene permittivity, the real and imaginary parts of which dominate the resonance wavelength and the intensity of SHG, respectively.

Gold nanoparticles with gain-assisted coating for ultra-sensitive biomedical sensing

We propose and theoretically demonstrate a scheme where ultra-sensitive biomedical sensing can be realized using a gold nanosphere with gain-assisted coating. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) enhanced optical response of this coated nanoparticle is investigated using both quasi-static approximation limit analysis and exact Mie theory calculations. It is shown that a strongly SPR-amplified scattering efficiency accompanied by an extremely high quality factor of the plasmonic resonance can be achieved by introducing a relatively low level of gain into the coating layer. The application of such a gain-assisted coated gold nanoparticle in biomedical sensing is further investigated, which proves its ability to detect even marginal change in the concentration of its surrounding medium.

Controlling Fano resonance of ring/crescent-ring plasmonic nanostructure with Bessel beam

We propose a method to dynamically control the Fano resonance of a ring/crescent-ring gold nanostructure by spatially changing the phase distribution of a probe Bessel beam. We demonstrate that a highly tunable Fano interference between the quadrupole and bright dipole modes can be realized in the near-infrared range. Even though a complex interference between a broad resonance and a narrower resonance lead to these observations, we show that a simple coupled oscillator model can accurately describe the behavior, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of the system. A further analysis of this structure uncovers a series of interesting phenomena such as anticrossing, sign changing of coupling and the spectral inversion of quadrupole and bright dipole modes. We further show that near field enhancement at Fano resonance can be actively controlled by modulating the phase distribution of the exciting incident Bessel beam.

Band-Gap Engineering and Light Manipulation with Egg-Crate Photonic Lattices

Diffractive Structures: Photonic structures began in the search for localization associated with defects. Now, however, localized states have been demonstrated in defect-free media.