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We perform a detailed analysis of electronic polarizability of graphene with different theoretical approaches. From Kubo's linear response formalism, we give a general expression of frequency and wave-vector dependent polarizability within the random phase approximation. Four theoretical approaches have been applied to the single-layer graphene and their differences are on the band-overlap of wavefunctions. By comparing with the \textit{ab initio} calculation, we discuss the validity of methods used in literature. Our results show that the tight-binding method is as good as the time-demanding \textit{ab initio} approach in calculating the polarizability of graphene. Moreover, due to the special Dirac-cone band structure of graphene, the Dirac model reproduces results of the tight-binding method for energy smaller than \SI{3}{\electronvolt}. For doped graphene, the intra-band transitions dominate at low energies and can be described by the Lindhard formula for two-dimensional electron gases. At zero temperature and long-wavelength limit, with the relaxation time approximation, all theoretical methods reduce to a long-wave analytical formula and the intra-band contributions agree to the Drude polarizability of graphene. Effects of electrical doping and temperature are also discussed. This work may provide a solid reference for researches and applications of the screening effect of graphene., 10 pages, 6 figures

International audience; Radiative heat transfer (RHT) and radiative thermal energy (RTE) for two-dimensional (2D) nanoparticle en- sembles are investigated in the framework of many-body radiative heat transfer theory. We consider nanoparticles made of different materials: metals (Ag), polar dielectrics (SiC), or insulator-metallic phase-change materials (VO2). We start by investigating the RHT between two parallel 2D finite-size square-lattice nanoparticle ensembles, with particular attention to many-body interactions (MBI) effects. We fix the particle radius (a) as the smallest length scale, and we describe the electromagnetic scattering from particles within the dipole approximation. Depending on the minimal distance between the in-plane particles (the lattice spacing p for periodic systems), on the separation d between the two lattice and on the thermal wavelength λT = h ̄c/kBT, we systematically analyze the different physical regimes characterizing the RHT. Four regimes are identified, rarefied regime, dense regime, non-MBI regime, and MBI regime, respectively. When p ≪ λT , a multiple scattering of the electromagnetic field inside the systems gives rise to a MBI regime. MBI effects manifest themselves in different ways, depending on the separation d: (a) If d > λT , due to the pure intra-ensemble MBI inside each 2D ensemble, the total heat conductance is less affected, and the thermal conductance spectrum manifests a single peak which is nonetheless shifted with respect to the one typical of two isolated nanoparticles. (b) If d < λT , there is a strong simultaneous intra-ensemble and inter-ensemble MBI. In this regime there is a direct quantitative effect on the heat conductance, in addition to a qualitative effect on the thermal conductance spectrum, which now manifests a new second peak. As for the RTE, to correctly describe the radiation emitted by metallic nanoparticles, we derive an expression of the Poynting vector including also magnetic contribution, in addition to the electric one. By analyzing both periodic and nonperiodic ensembles, we show that the RTE emitted by a single 2D nanoparticle ensemble is sensitive to the particle distribution. As instance, we see that the RTE emitted by 2D concentric-ring-configuration ensemble has an inhibition feature near the center of the ensemble.

International audience; Light-matter interactions in conventional nanophotonic structures typically lack directionality. For example, differently from microwave antenna systems, most optical emitters (e.g., excited atoms/molecules and simple nanoantennas) exhibit quasi-isotropic dipolar radiation patterns with low directivity. Furthermore, surface waves supported by conventional material substrates do not usually have a preferential direction of propagation, and their wavefront tends to spread as it propagates along the surface, unless the surface or the excitation is properly engineered and structured. In this article, we theoretically demonstrate the possibility of realizing unidirectional and diffractionless surface plasmon polariton modes on a nonreciprocal platform, namely, a gyrotropic magnetized plasma. Based on a rigorous Green’s function approach, we provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis of all the available physical mechanisms that may bestow the system with directionality, both in the sense of one-way excitation of surface waves and in the sense of directive diffractionless propagation along the surface. The considered mechanisms include (i) the effect of strong and weak forms of nonreciprocity, (ii) the elliptic-like or hyperbolic-like topology of the modal dispersion surfaces, and (iii) the source polarization state, with the associated possibility of chiral surface-wave excitation governed by angular-momentum matching. We find that three-dimensional gyrotropic plasmonic platforms support a previously unnoticed wave-propagation regime that exhibit several of these physical mechanisms simultaneously, allowing us to theoretically demonstrate unidirectional surface plasmon polariton modes that propagate as a single ultranarrow diffractionless beam. We also assess the impact of dissipation and nonlocal effects. Our theoretical findings may enable a new generation of plasmonic structures and devices with highly directional response.

A general theory of photon-mediated energy and momentum transfer in N-body planar systems out of thermal equilibrium is introduced. It is based on the combination of the scattering theory and the fluctuational-electrodynamics approach in many-body systems. By making a Landauer-like formulation of the heat transfer problem, explicit formulas for the energy transmission coefficients between two distinct slabs as well as the self-coupling coefficients are derived and expressed in terms of the reflection and transmission coefficients of the single bodies. We also show how to calculate local equilibrium temperatures in such systems. An analogous formulation is introduced to quantify momentum transfer coefficients describing Casimir-Lifshitz forces out of thermal equilibrium. Forces at thermal equilibrium are readily obtained as a particular case. As an illustration of this general theoretical framework, we show on three-body systems how the presence of a fourth slab can impact equilibrium temperatures in heat-transfer problems and equilibrium positions resulting from the forces acting on the system., Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures

We show that graphene-dielectric multilayers give rise to an unusual tunability of the Casimir-Lifshitz forces, and allow to easily realize completely different regimes within the same structure. Concerning thermal effects, graphene-dielectric multilayers take advantage from the anomalous features predicted for isolated suspended graphene sheets, even though they are considerably affected by the presence of the dielectric substrate. They can also archive the anomalous non-monotonic thermal metallic behavior by increasing the graphene sheets density and their Fermi energy. In addition to a strong thermal modulation occurring at short separations, in a region where the force is orders of magnitude larger than the one occurring at large distances, the force can be also adjusted by varying the number of graphene layers as well as their Fermi energy levels, allowing for relevant force amplifications which can be tuned, very rapidly and in-situ, by simply applying an electric potential. Our predictions can be relevant for both Casimir experiments and micro/nano electromechanical systems and in new devices for technological applications., 7 pages, 7 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett. in press

International audience; We calculate the radiative heat transfer between two identical metallic one-dimensional lamellar gratings. To this aim we present and exploit a modification to the widely used Fourier modal method, known as adaptive spatial resolution, based on a stretch of the coordinate associated with the periodicity of the grating. We first show that this technique dramatically improves the rate of convergence when calculating the heat flux, allowing us to explore smaller separations. We then present a study of heat flux as a function of the grating height, highlighting a remarkable amplification of the exchanged energy, ascribed to the appearance of spoof-plasmon modes, whose behavior is also spectrally investigated. Differently from previous works, our method allows us to explore a range of grating heights extending over several orders of magnitude. By comparing our results to recent studies we find a consistent quantitative disagreement with some previously obtained results going up to 50%. In some cases, this disagreement is explained in terms of an incorrect connection between the reflection operators of the two gratings.

Article 012138; International audience; We investigate the transport of energy in a linear chain of two-level quantum emitters (atoms) weakly coupled to a blackbody radiation bath. We show that simply by displacing one or more atoms from their regular-chain positions, the efficiency of the energy transport can be considerably amplified of at least one order of magnitude. In addition, in configurations providing an efficiency greater than 100%, the distance between the last two atoms of the chain can be up to 20 times larger than the one in the regular chain, thus achieving a much longer-range energy transport. By performing both a stationary and time-dependent analysis, we ascribe this effect to an elementary block of three atoms, playing the role of excitation injector from the blackbody bath to the extraction site. By considering chains with up to seven atoms, we also show that the amplification is robust and can be further enhanced up to 1400%.

We show that the electromagnetic forces generated by the excitations of a mode in graphene-based optomechanical systems are highly tunable by varying the graphene chemical potential, and orders of magnitude stronger than usual non-graphene-based devices, in both attractive and repulsive regimes. We analyze coupled waveguides made of two parallel graphene sheets, either suspended or supported by dielectric slabs, and study the interplay between the light-induced force and the Casimir-Lifshitz interaction. These findings pave the way to advanced possibilities of control and fast modulation for optomechanical devices and sensors at the nano- and micro-scales., 13 pages, 8 figures