Publication No: 4202

Metamaterials enter the physics playground: from EIT to lasing spaser

V.A.Fedotov¹, N.Papasimakis¹, E.Plum¹, S.L.Prosvirnin² and N.I.Zheludev¹

1. Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, UK
2. Institute of Radio Astronomy, National Academy of Sciences, Kharkov 61002, Ukraine

Abstract

We will overview our recent and ongoing research of a novel class of metamaterials exhibiting narrow high-Q transmission and reflection resonances linked to so-called "trapped-modes" excitations, and will introduce a concept of a "coherent" metamaterial, where narrow resonance is formed by a collective response of the entire metamaterial structure rather than by that of individual meta-molecules. Some remarkable parallels between the well established quantum effects and classical electromagnetic response of metamaterials will be explored. Cornerstone quantum phenomena such as the Mossbauer Effect, Einstein-Bose condensation and Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) are among those that can be mimicked through electromagnetic response of coherent "trapped-mode" metamaterials. Several intriguing applications of this new class of artificial media will be discussed, in particular achieving considerable delays in propagation of electromagnetic pulses, enhancing asymmetric transmission and building a coherent source of electromagnetic radiation fuelled by plasmonic oscillations - the lasing spaser.

[1] N. I. Zheludev, S. L. Prosvirnin, N. Papasimakis, and V. A. Fedotov, Lasing Spaser, Nature Photonics (published online 25 May 2008).
[2] V. A. Fedotov, M. Rose, S. L. Prosvirnin, N. Papasimakis, and N. I. Zheludev, Sharp trapped-mode resonances in planar metamaterials with a broken structural symmetry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 147401 (2007).

Metamaterials 2008 Pamplona, Spain 23-26 Sep (2008)