From nonlinear optics to nonlinear plasmonics: Giant nonlinear optical activity in a metamaterial
From nonlinear optics to nonlinear plasmonics: Giant nonlinear optical activity in a metamaterial
In 1951, Sergey Vavilov predicted that birefringence, dichroism and polarization rotatory power should be dependent on light intensity. It required the invention of the laser to observe the barely detectable effect of light intensity on the polarization rotary power of the optically active lithium iodate crystal, the phenomenon now known as the Nonlinear Optical Activity, a high-intensity counterpart of the fundamental optical effect of polarization rotation in chiral media. Here we report that a plasmonic metamaterial exhibits Nonlinear Optical Activity 40 million times stronger than lithium iodate crystals thus transforming this fundamental phenomenon of polarization nonlinear optics from an esoteric phenomenon into a major effect of nonlinear plasmonics with potential for practical applications.
Observation of this giant polarization effect provides a powerful illustration that nanoscale nonlinear plasmonics of metamaterials offers extremely strong effects unfolding in nanoscale volumes of nonlinear medium that could lead to applications in modulation of light intensity and polarization in nanophotonic devices.
Ren, M.
85c262e2-b760-4b14-bb8e-4747ce7a9d6d
Plum, E.
50761a26-2982-40df-9153-7aecc4226eb5
Xu, J.
caa6a307-ce55-4e76-9da4-0d8be2895651
Zheludev, N.I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Ren, M.
85c262e2-b760-4b14-bb8e-4747ce7a9d6d
Plum, E.
50761a26-2982-40df-9153-7aecc4226eb5
Xu, J.
caa6a307-ce55-4e76-9da4-0d8be2895651
Zheludev, N.I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Ren, M., Plum, E., Xu, J. and Zheludev, N.I.
(2012)
From nonlinear optics to nonlinear plasmonics: Giant nonlinear optical activity in a metamaterial.
SPIE Photonics Europe 2012, , Brussels, Belgium.
16 - 19 Apr 2012.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Poster)
Abstract
In 1951, Sergey Vavilov predicted that birefringence, dichroism and polarization rotatory power should be dependent on light intensity. It required the invention of the laser to observe the barely detectable effect of light intensity on the polarization rotary power of the optically active lithium iodate crystal, the phenomenon now known as the Nonlinear Optical Activity, a high-intensity counterpart of the fundamental optical effect of polarization rotation in chiral media. Here we report that a plasmonic metamaterial exhibits Nonlinear Optical Activity 40 million times stronger than lithium iodate crystals thus transforming this fundamental phenomenon of polarization nonlinear optics from an esoteric phenomenon into a major effect of nonlinear plasmonics with potential for practical applications.
Observation of this giant polarization effect provides a powerful illustration that nanoscale nonlinear plasmonics of metamaterials offers extremely strong effects unfolding in nanoscale volumes of nonlinear medium that could lead to applications in modulation of light intensity and polarization in nanophotonic devices.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 2012
Venue - Dates:
SPIE Photonics Europe 2012, , Brussels, Belgium, 2012-04-16 - 2012-04-19
Organisations:
Optoelectronics Research Centre
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 379258
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/379258
PURE UUID: 6197dd8c-05ff-4bc3-aaf7-8e14a5c84dd5
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Date deposited: 21 Jul 2015 13:18
Last modified: 05 Apr 2022 01:41
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Contributors
Author:
M. Ren
Author:
J. Xu
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