Yuehui Lu

Active manipulation of plasmonic electromagnetically-induced transparency based on magnetic plasmon resonance

Plasmonic electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) can be excited by a single optical field unlike EIT in atom system, since the coupling between the bright and the dark modes is inherently induced through the near-field interaction in metamaterials. As a result, the complexity of the experimental realization can be reduced significantly, while the tunability is lost inevitably.We suggest a scheme that the plasmonic EIT is possible to be actively manipulated even by the single optical field. The bright and the dark modes are selective to be either coupled or uncoupled, depending on the angle of incidence. Even though the mechanical control has the disadvantage for high-speed applications, it paves the way for active manipulation of plasmonic EIT and benefits the clarification of its origin.

Multifunctional Antireflection Coatings Based on Novel Hollow Silica–Silica Nanocomposites

Antireflection (AR) coatings that exhibit multifunctional characteristics, including high transparency, robust resistance to moisture, high hardness, and antifogging properties, were developed based on hollow silica-silica nanocomposites. These novel nanocomposite coatings with a closed-pore structure, consisting of hollow silica nanospheres (HSNs) infiltrated with an acid-catalyzed silica sol (ACSS), were fabricated using a low-cost sol-gel dip-coating method. The refractive index of the nanocomposite coatings was tailored by controlling the amount of ACSS infiltrated into the HSNs during synthesis. Photovoltaic transmittance (TPV) values of 96.86-97.34% were obtained over a broad range of wavelengths, from 300 to 1200 nm; these values were close to the theoretical limit for a lossy single-layered AR coating (97.72%). The nanocomposite coatings displayed a stable TPV, with degradation values of less than 4% and 0.1% after highly accelerated temperature and humidity stress tests, and abrasion tests, respectively. In addition, the nanocomposite coatings had a hardness of approximately 1.6 GPa, while the porous silica coatings with an open-pore structure showed more severe degradation and had a lower hardness. The void fraction and surface roughness of the nanocomposite coatings could be controlled, which gave rise to near-superhydrophilic and antifogging characteristics. The promising results obtained in this study suggest that the nanocomposite coatings have the potential to be of benefit for the design, fabrication, and development of multifunctional AR coatings with both omnidirectional broadband transmission and long-term durability that are required for demanding outdoor applications in energy harvesting and optical instrumentation in extreme climates or humid conditions.

Studies of electromagnetically induced transparency in metamaterials.

We have studied electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in metamaterials for various schemes corresponding to those in an atomic medium. We numerically calculate a symmetric dolmen scheme of metamaterials corresponding to a tripod model of EIT-based optical switching and illustrate plasmonic double dark resonances. Our study provides a fundamental understanding and useful guidelines in using metamaterials for plasmonic-based all-optical information processing.

Plasmonic electromagnetically-induced transparency in symmetric structures

A broken symmetry is generally believed to be a prerequisite for plasmonic electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT), since the asymmetry allows the excitation of the otherwise forbidden dark mode. Nevertheless, according to the picture of magnetic plasmon resonance (MPR)-mediated plasmonic EIT, we show that plasmonic EIT can be achieved even in symmetric structures based on the second-order MPR. This not only sharpens our understanding of the existing concept, but also provides a profound insight into the plasmonic coherent interference in the near-field zone.

Manipulation of electromagnetically-induced transparency in planar metamaterials based on phase coupling

We experimentally demonstrated a controllable electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like spectral response at microwave frequencies in a planar metamaterial consisting of two identical split-ring resonators (SRRs) with side-by-side symmetry. In our scheme, phase coupling between the two SRRs (serving as the bright mode), which were excited strongly by the incident wave, was employed, and it was found that the EIT-like spectral response could be controlled by simply adjusting the incident angle. Thus, our scheme may be used for electromagnetic-wave switching. A high group index for slow-light application and a high quality factor could be obtained by simply controlling the incident angle.

Polarization-independent extraordinary optical transmission in one-dimensional metallic gratings with broad slits

Extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) is achievable for transverse-magnetic polarization in one-dimensional metallic gratings with very narrow slits due to the excitation of coupled surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). In contrast, SPP-produced EOT for transverse-electric (TE) polarized light is impossible because of the absence of SPPs for this polarization. However, TE-polarized EOT produced by trapped modes has been demonstrated. In this work, we reanalyze this phenomenon and apply it to gratings with broad slits (still in subwavelength) without the need for a specific dielectric filler in the grooves. The design proposed in this work simplifies and makes more practical the realization of gratings that possess polarization-independent EOT.

Magneto-optical enhancement through gyrotropic gratings

Diffracted magneto-optical (MO) effects are numerically investigated for one-dimensional lossy gyrotropic gratings in the zeroth and the first orders for the polar magnetization by utilizing the rigorous coupled-wave approach implemented as an Airy-like internal-reflection series. The simulated Kerr spectra agree well with the experimental ones. The dependence of the MO Kerr enhancement on the grating depth in the first-order diffraction, compared with that in the zeroth one, is illustrated, and the diffracted MO Faraday effect is theoretically investigated as well. Such a MO enhancement through the gyrotropic gratings is superior to the conventional MO devices and magneto-photonic crystals. The potential applications are also suggested.

Controllable switching behavior of defect modes in one-dimensional heterostructure photonic crystals

A dimerlike-positional-correlation heterostructure is used in one-dimensional photonic crystals to introduce the defect mode with perfect transmittance. The switching behavior of the transmittance, at the defect mode, is demonstrated theoretically. When the normal incident beam is tilted at a negligibly small angle, the perfect transmittance peak vanishes. It is found that this condition causing this phenomenon can be easily met and controlled through elucidation on the mechanism. This finding is significant for potential applications in high-precision filters and optical switches.

Passive and active control of a plasmonic mimic of electromagnetically induced transparency in stereometamaterials and planar metamaterials

We propose the passive and active control of a plasmonic mimic of electromagnetically induced transparency in stereometamaterials and planar metamaterials, respectively. We show that the magnetic plasmon resonance (MPR) plays an important role in the coupling of bright and dark modes and its mechanism is discussed. This study provides approaches and guidelines to make use of MPR for the realization of plasmonic switching.

Ultra-thin atomic-layer deposited alumina incorporating silica sol makes ultra-durable antireflection coatings

We propose a strategy to make soda-lime glass maintain both high transparency and long-term durability in stringent high temperature and humid environments. Experiments reveal that the double-layered coatings with 110-nm-thick SiO2 and ultra-thin 25-nm- or 50-nm-thick Al2O3 layers, prepared by sol-gel dip coating and atomic layer deposition (ALD), respectively, exhibit the improvement of 5.88–6.32% in Tave (the average transmittance from the wavelength of 400–700 nm), as compared with that of the bare glass. On the other hand, the highly accelerated temperature and humidity stress test (HAST) confirms that both samples can sustain the 180 h test without any proven transmittance degradation, while the normalized Tave of the bare glass drastically drops to 43.1% of the initial value after the 108 h HAST. It implies that the ultra-thin Al2O3 films prepared by ALD, followed by dip-coated low-index layers such as SiO2 or nanostructured layer, can achieve both higher average transmittance and better durability,...