1. Nano-Focusing of Vortex Beams with Hyperbolic Metamaterials
- Author
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Li, Wenhao, LaMountain, Jacob, Simmons, Evan, Clabeau, Anthony, Bekele, Robel Y., Myers, Jason D., Omatsu, Takashige, Frantz, Jesse, Podolskiy, Viktor A., and Litchinitser, Natalia M.
- Subjects
Physics - Optics - Abstract
The synergy of judiciously engineered nanostructures and complex topology of light creates unprecedented opportunities for tailoring light-matter interactions on the nanoscale. Electromagnetic waves can carry multiple units of angular momentum per photon, stemming from both spin and orbital angular momentum contributions, offering a potential route for modifying the optical transition selection rules. However, the size difference between a vortex beam and quantum objects limits the interaction strength and the angular momentum exchange. Here, we demonstrate the sub-diffraction-limited focusing of a vortex beam using the high in-plane wave number modes present in hyperbolic metamaterials. The spin-orbit interaction within the hyperbolic structure gives rise to the formation of an optical skyrmion with a deep subwavelength structure, which may enable the exploration of new light-matter interaction phenomena., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures
- Published
- 2024