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Plasmonic Luneburg and Eaton lenses.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Zentgraf, T; Liu, Y; Mikkelsen, MH; Valentine, J; Zhang, X
Published in: Nature nanotechnology
March 2011

Plasmonics takes advantage of the properties of surface plasmon polaritons, which are localized or propagating quasiparticles in which photons are coupled to the quasi-free electrons in metals. In particular, plasmonic devices can confine light in regions with dimensions that are smaller than the wavelength of the photons in free space, and this makes it possible to match the different length scales associated with photonics and electronics in a single nanoscale device. Broad applications of plasmonics that have been demonstrated to date include biological sensing, sub-diffraction-limit imaging, focusing and lithography and nano-optical circuitry. Plasmonics-based optical elements such as waveguides, lenses, beamsplitters and reflectors have been implemented by structuring metal surfaces or placing dielectric structures on metals to manipulate the two-dimensional surface plasmon waves. However, the abrupt discontinuities in the material properties or geometries of these elements lead to increased scattering of surface plasmon polaritons, which significantly reduces the efficiency of these components. Transformation optics provides an alternative approach to controlling the propagation of light by spatially varying the optical properties of a material. Here, motivated by this approach, we use grey-scale lithography to adiabatically tailor the topology of a dielectric layer adjacent to a metal surface to demonstrate a plasmonic Luneburg lens that can focus surface plasmon polaritons. We also make a plasmonic Eaton lens that can bend surface plasmon polaritons. Because the optical properties are changed gradually rather than abruptly in these lenses, losses due to scattering can be significantly reduced in comparison with previously reported plasmonic elements.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Nature nanotechnology

DOI

EISSN

1748-3395

ISSN

1748-3387

Publication Date

March 2011

Volume

6

Issue

3

Start / End Page

151 / 155

Related Subject Headings

  • Surface Plasmon Resonance
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Polymethyl Methacrylate
  • Photons
  • Optics and Photonics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Light
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Zentgraf, T., Liu, Y., Mikkelsen, M. H., Valentine, J., & Zhang, X. (2011). Plasmonic Luneburg and Eaton lenses. Nature Nanotechnology, 6(3), 151–155. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2010.282
Zentgraf, Thomas, Yongmin Liu, Maiken H. Mikkelsen, Jason Valentine, and Xiang Zhang. “Plasmonic Luneburg and Eaton lenses.Nature Nanotechnology 6, no. 3 (March 2011): 151–55. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2010.282.
Zentgraf T, Liu Y, Mikkelsen MH, Valentine J, Zhang X. Plasmonic Luneburg and Eaton lenses. Nature nanotechnology. 2011 Mar;6(3):151–5.
Zentgraf, Thomas, et al. “Plasmonic Luneburg and Eaton lenses.Nature Nanotechnology, vol. 6, no. 3, Mar. 2011, pp. 151–55. Epmc, doi:10.1038/nnano.2010.282.
Zentgraf T, Liu Y, Mikkelsen MH, Valentine J, Zhang X. Plasmonic Luneburg and Eaton lenses. Nature nanotechnology. 2011 Mar;6(3):151–155.

Published In

Nature nanotechnology

DOI

EISSN

1748-3395

ISSN

1748-3387

Publication Date

March 2011

Volume

6

Issue

3

Start / End Page

151 / 155

Related Subject Headings

  • Surface Plasmon Resonance
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Polymethyl Methacrylate
  • Photons
  • Optics and Photonics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Light