Work

Achieving Arbitrary Control over Pairs of Polarization States Using Complex Birefringent Metamaterials

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: We demonstrate that the key to realizing arbitrary control over pairs of polarization states of light, i.e., transforming an arbitrarily polarized pair of input states to an arbitrarily polarized pair of output states, is the ability to generate pairs of states with orthogonal polarizations from nonorthogonal pairs of initial states. Then, we develop a new class of non-Hermitian metamaterials, termed complex birefringent metamaterials, which are able to do exactly this. Such materials could facilitate the detection of small polarization changes in scattering experiments as well as enable new polarization multiplexing schemes in communications networks.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.253902

Authors: Alexander Cerjan, Shanhui Fan

Institution: Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications

Subfield: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Awards: G1579059045, G4666677386