K. B. Samusev

Phase diagram for the transition from photonic crystals to dielectric metamaterials.

Photonic crystals and dielectric metamaterials represent two different classes of artificial media but are often composed of similar structural elements. The question is how to distinguish these two types of periodic structures when their parameters, such as permittivity and lattice constant, vary continuously. Here we discuss transition between photonic crystals and dielectric metamaterials and introduce the concept of a phase diagram, based on the physics of Mie and Bragg resonances. We show that a periodic photonic structure transforms into a metamaterial when the Mie gap opens up below the lowest Bragg bandgap where the homogenization approach can be justified and the effective permeability becomes negative. Our theoretical approach is confirmed by microwave experiments for a metacrystal composed of tubes filled with heated water. This analysis yields deep insight into the properties of periodic structures, and provides a useful tool for designing different classes of electromagnetic materials with variable parameters.

Dual-channel spontaneous emission of quantum dots in magnetic metamaterials

Metamaterials, artificial electromagnetic media realized by subwavelength nano-structuring, have become a paradigm for engineering electromagnetic space, allowing for independent control of both electric and magnetic responses of the material. Whereas most metamaterials studied so far are limited to passive structures, the need for active metamaterials is rapidly growing. However, the fundamental question on how the energy of emitters is distributed between both (electric and magnetic) interaction channels of the metamaterial still remains open. Here we study simultaneous spontaneous emission of quantum dots into both of these channels and define the control parameters for tailoring the quantum-dot coupling to metamaterials. By superimposing two orthogonal modes of equal strength at the wavelength of quantum-dot photoluminescence, we demonstrate a sharp difference in their interaction with the magnetic and electric metamaterial modes. Our observations reveal the importance of mode engineering for spontaneous emission control in metamaterials, paving a way towards loss-compensated metamaterials and metamaterial nanolasers.

Mie scattering as a cascade of Fano resonances

We reveal that the resonant Mie scattering by high-index dielectric nanoparticles can be presented through cascades of Fano resonances. We employ the exact solution of Maxwells equations and demonstrate that the Lorenz-Mie coefficients of the Mie problem can be expressed generically as infinite series of Fano functions as they describe interference between the background radiation originated from an incident wave and narrow-spectrum Mie scattering modes that lead to Fano resonances.

High- Q Supercavity Modes in Subwavelength Dielectric Resonators

We reveal that isolated subwavelength dielectric resonators support states with giant Q-factors similar to bound states in the continuum formed via destructive interference between strongly coupled eigenmodes and characterized by singularities of the Fano parameters.

Inverted yablonovite fabricated by the direct laser writing method and its photonic structure

Three-dimensional photonic crystals with an inverted yablonovite structure have been fabricated by the direct laser writing method based on the two-photon polymerization of a photosensitive material. The correspondence of the structure of the samples to the inverted yablonovite lattice has been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The photonic band structure of inverted yablonovite, as well as a number of related photonic materials with an fcc lattice, has been calculated. It has been found that the photonic properties of opal and yablonovite are opposite: the complete photonic band gap appears in inverted opal and direct yablonovite and is absent in direct opal and inverted yablonovite. A method for the fabrication of ideal three-dimensional photonic structures having the complete photonic band gap in the infrared and visible spectral ranges has been discussed.

Two-dimensional light diffraction from thin opal films

This paper reports on experimental and theoretical investigations of light diffraction from thin films of synthetic opal. The diffraction patterns have been studied visually and recorded in different scattering geometries with the films illuminated with white unpolarized light. The diffraction pattern obtained with the film illuminated with a light beam along the [111] axis, which is normal to the film surface, has C6 symmetry and consists of six strong reflections arranged symmetrically with respect to the incident beam. This pattern becomes substantially more complicated when the film is illuminated by white light at an arbitrary angle to the [111] axis. An experimental study of the spectral response and angular relations of the diffraction patterns has established a fairly full pattern of transformation of diffraction reflections obtained under variation of the angle of light incidence on an opal film. The remarkably good matching of experimental and calculated data provides compelling evidence for light diffraction from thin opal films being two-dimensional.

Experimental study of the photonic band structure of synthetic opals at a low dielectric contrast

This paper reports on a comprehensive study of optical transmissivity spectra of synthetic opals as a function of the four major parameters of the observed photonic stop bands, namely, light beam orientation relative to the opal fcc lattice, light polarization, opal-filler dielectric permittivity contrast, and sample thickness. The measurements were performed under low opal-filler dielectric contrast conditions for the principal high-symmetry directions of the twinned fcc lattice of the opals. The experimentally determined dependence of the energy positions of photonic stop bands on the direction of the light wave vector is fitted well by the calculated dispersion relation of Bragg wavelengths in diffraction of light from the (hkl) fcc plane system.

Transition from two-dimensional photonic crystals to dielectric metasurfaces in the optical diffraction with a fine structure

We study experimentally a fine structure of the optical Laue diffraction from two-dimensional periodic photonic lattices. The periodic photonic lattices with the C4v square symmetry, orthogonal C2v symmetry, and hexagonal C6v symmetry are composed of submicron dielectric elements fabricated by the direct laser writing technique. We observe surprisingly strong optical diffraction from a finite number of elements that provides an excellent tool to determine not only the symmetry but also exact number of particles in the finite-length structure and the sample shape. Using different samples with orthogonal C2v symmetry and varying the lattice spacing, we observe experimentally a transition between the regime of multi-order diffraction, being typical for photonic crystals to the regime where only the zero-order diffraction can be observed, being is a clear fingerprint of dielectric metasurfaces characterized by effective parameters.

Multiple Bragg diffraction in low-contrast photonic crystals based on synthetic opals

The phenomenon of multiple Bragg diffraction in low-contrast photonic crystals based on synthetic opals has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. The transmission and reflection spectra of opal films near the K point of the Brillouin zone of the face-centered cubic lattice in s-polarization exhibit the effect of anticrossing of dispersion curves corresponding to the (111) and

Structural parameters of synthetic opals: Statistical analysis of electron microscopy images

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