Controlled light energy and perfect absorption in twisted bilayer graphene.

We theoretically study the components of the dynamical optical conductivity tensor and associated finite-frequency dielectric response of bilayer graphene (BLG), where one graphene layer can slide in-plane or commensurably twist on top of the other. Our results reveal that even slight deviations from the conventional AA, AB, or AC stacking orders yield a finite transverse conductivity. Upon calculating the optical conductivity of the BLG at any arbitrary interlayer displacement, Δ, and chemical potential, µ, it is utilized for a layered device with an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) insert and metallic back plate. We find that both Δ and µ can effectively control the polarization, energy flow direction, and absorptivity of linearly polarized incident light. By appropriately tailoring Δ and µ, near-perfect absorption and tunable dissipation can be accessible through particular angles of incidence and a broad range of ENZ layer thicknesses. Our findings can be applied to the design of programmable optoelectronics devices.

Waveguide modes in Weyl semimetals with tilted dirac cones.

We theoretically study unattenuated electromagnetic guided wave modes in centrosymmetric Weyl semimetal layered systems. By solving Maxwell's equations for the electromagnetic fields and using the appropriate boundary conditions, we derive dispersion relations for propagating modes in a finite-sized Weyl semimetal. Our findings reveal that for ultrathin structures and proper Weyl cones tilts, extremely localized guided waves can propagate along the semimetal interface over a certain range of frequencies. This follows from the anisotropic nature of the semimetal where the diagonal components of the permittivity can exhibit a tunable epsilon-near-zero response. From the dispersion diagrams, we determine experimentally accessible regimes that lead to high energy-density confinement in the Weyl semimetal layer. Furthermore, we show that the net system power can vanish all together, depending on the Weyl cone tilt and frequency of the electromagnetic wave. These effects are seen in the energy transport velocity, which demonstrates a substantial slowdown in the propagation of electromagnetic energy near critical points of the dispersion diagrams. Our results can provide guidelines in designing Weyl semimetal waveguides that can offer efficient control in the velocity and direction of energy flow.

Dynamical tuning between nearly perfect reflection, absorption, and transmission of light via graphene/dielectric structures.

Exerting well-defined control over the reflection (R), absorption (A), and transmission (T) of electromagnetic waves is a key objective in quantum optics. To this end, one often utilizes hybrid structures comprised of elements with different optical properties in order to achieve features such as high R or high A for incident light. A desirable goal would be the possibility to tune between all three regimes of nearly perfect reflection, absorption, and transmission within the same device, thus swapping between the cases R → 1, A → 1, and T → 1 dynamically. We here show that a dielectric interfaced with a graphene layer on each side allows for precisely this: by tuning only the Fermi level of graphene, all three regimes can be reached in the THz regime and below. Moreover, we show that the inclusion of cylindrical defects in the system offers a different type of control of the scattering of electromagnetic waves by means of the graphene layers.

Graphene-based extremely wide-angle tunable metamaterial absorber.

We investigate the absorption properties of graphene-based anisotropic metamaterial structures where the metamaterial layer possesses an electromagnetic response corresponding to a near-zero permittivity. We find that through analytical and numerical studies, near perfect absorption arises over an unusually broad range of beam incidence angles. Due to the presence of graphene, the absorption is tunable via a gate voltage, providing dynamic control of the energy transmission. We show that this strongly enhanced absorption arises due to a coupling between light and a fast wave-mode propagating along the graphene/metamaterial hybrid.

Long-range spin-triplet correlations and edge spin currents in diffusive spin-orbit coupled SNS hybrids with a single spin-active interface.

Utilizing a SU(2) gauge symmetry technique in the quasiclassical diffusive regime, we theoretically study finite-sized two-dimensional intrinsic spin-orbit coupled superconductor/normal-metal/superconductor (S/N/S) hybrid structures with a single spin-active interface. We consider intrinsic spin-orbit interactions (ISOIs) that are confined within the N wire and absent in the s-wave superconducting electrodes (S). Using experimentally feasible parameters, we demonstrate that the coupling of the ISOIs and spin moment of the spin-active interface results in maximum singlet-triplet conversion and accumulation of spin current density at the corners of the N wire nearest the spin-active interface. By solely modulating the superconducting phase difference, we show how the opposing parities of the charge and spin currents provide an effective venue to experimentally examine pure edge spin currents not accompanied by charge currents. These effects occur in the absence of externally imposed fields and moreover are insensitive to the arbitrary orientations of the interface spin moment. The experimental implementation of these robust edge phenomena are also discussed.

Near-perfect absorption in epsilon-near-zero structures with hyperbolic dispersion.

We investigate the interaction of polarized electromagnetic waves with hyperbolic metamaterial structures, whereby the in-plane permittivity component εx is opposite in sign to the normal component εz. We find that when the thickness of the metamaterial is smaller than the wavelength of the incident wave, hyperbolic metamaterials can absorb significantly higher amounts of electromagnetic energy compared to their conventional counterparts. We also demonstrate that for wavelengths leading to ℜ(εz) ≈ 0, near-perfect absorption arises and persists over a range of frequencies and subwavelength structure thicknesses.

Spin-controlled superconductivity and tunable triplet correlations in graphene nanostructures.

We study graphene ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet (F/S/F) nanostructures via a microscopic self-consistent Dirac Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism. We show that as a result of proximity effects, experimentally accessible spin switching phenomena can occur as one tunes the Fermi level µF of the F regions or varies the angle θ between exchange field orientations. Superconductivity can then be switched on and off by varying either θ or µF (a spin-controlled superconducting graphene switch). The induced equal-spin triplet correlations in S can be controlled by tuning µF, effectively making a graphene based two-dimensional spin-triplet valve.

Reentrant superconducting phase in conical-ferromagnet-superconductor nanostructures.

We study a bilayer consisting of an ordinary superconductor and a magnet with a spiral magnetic structure of the Ho type. We use a self-consistent solution of the Bogolioubov-de Gennes equations to evaluate the pair amplitude, the transition temperature, and the thermodynamic functions, namely, the free energy and entropy. We find that for a range of thicknesses of the magnetic layer the superconductivity is reentrant with temperature T: as one lowers T the system turns superconducting, and when T is further lowered it turns normal again. This behavior is reflected in the condensation free energy and the pair potential, which vanish both above the upper transition and below the lower one. The transition is strictly reentrant: the low and high temperature phases are the same. The entropy further reveals a range of temperatures where the superconducting state is less ordered than the normal one.

Angular dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in ferromagnet-superconductor-ferromagnet trilayers.

The superconducting transition temperature T(c) of a ferromagnet (F)-superconductor (S)-ferromagnet trilayer depends on the mutual orientation of the magnetic moments of the F layers. This effect has been previously observed in F/S/F systems as a T(c) difference between parallel and antiparallel configurations of the F layers. Here we report measurements of T(c) in CuNi/Nb/CuNi trilayers as a function of the angle between the magnetic moments of the CuNi ferromagnets. The observed angular dependence of T(c) is in qualitative agreement with a F/S proximity theory that accounts for the odd triplet component of the condensate predicted to arise for noncollinear orientation of the magnetic moments of the F layers.

Total transmission and total reflection by zero index metamaterials with defects.

We theoretically investigate microwave transmission through a zero-index metamaterial loaded with dielectric defects. The metamaterial is impedance matched to free space, with the permittivity and permeability tending towards zero over a given frequency range. By simply varying the radii and permittivities of the defects, total transmission or reflection of the impinging electromagnetic wave can be achieved. The proposed defect structure can offer advances in shielding or cloaking technologies without restricting the object's viewpoint. Active control of the observed exotic transmission and reflection signatures can occur by incorporating tunable refractive index materials such as liquid crystals and BaSrTiO3.

Cyclic Sommerfeld resonances in nanorods at grazing incidences.

We investigate electromagnetic scattering from nanoscale wires and reveal the emergence of a family of exotic resonances for source waves close to grazing incidence. These grazing resonances have a much higher Q-bandwidth product and thus, a much higher Q factor and broader bandwidth than the pure plasmonic resonances found in metal nanowires. Furthermore, these grazing resonances are much less susceptible to material losses than surface plasmon resonances. Contrary to the process of exciting surface plasmon resonances, these grazing resonances can arise in both dielectric and metallic nanowires and appear near to the cutoff wavelength of the circular waveguide. This peculiar resonance effect originates from the excitation of long range guided surface waves through the interplay of coherently scattered continuum modes coupled with first-order azimuthal propagating modes of the cylindrical nanowire. These first-order cyclic Sommerfeld waves and associated cyclic Sommerfeld resonances revealed here opens up the possibility of an alternative scheme of enhanced fields with a better merit (higher Q-bandwidth product and lower loss) than conventional surface plasmon resonances in the nano-regime. This nanowire resonance phenomenon can be utilized in broad scientific areas, including: metamaterial designs, nanophotonic integration, nanoantennas, and nanosensors.

Discrete cylindrical vector beam generation from an array of optical fibers.

A novel method is presented for the beam shaping of far field intensity distributions of coherently combined fiber arrays. The fibers are arranged uniformly on the perimeter of a circle, and the linearly polarized beams of equal shape are superimposed such that the far field pattern represents an effective radially polarized vector beam, or discrete cylindrical vector (DCV) beam. The DCV beam is produced by three or more beams that each individually have a varying polarization vector. The beams are appropriately distributed in the near field such that the far field intensity distribution has a central null. This result is in contrast to the situation of parallel linearly polarized beams, where the intensity peaks on axis.

Parametrically shielding electromagnetic fields by nonlinear metamaterials.

An analytical theory is developed for parametric interactions in metamaterial multilayer structures with simultaneous nonlinear electronic and magnetic responses and with a near-zero refractive index. We demonstrate theoretically that electromagnetic fields of certain frequencies can be parametrically shielded by a nonlinear left-handed material slab, where the permittivity and permeability are both negative. The skin depth is tunable, and even in the absence of material absorption, can be much less than the wavelength of the electromagnetic field being shielded. This exotic behavior is a consequence of the intricate nonlinear response in the left-handed materials and vanishing optical refractive index at the pump frequency.

Odd triplet pairing in clean superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures.

We study triplet pairing correlations in clean ferromagnet (F)/superconductor (S) nanojunctions, via fully self-consistent solution of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. We consider FSF trilayers, with S being an s-wave superconductor, and an arbitrary angle alpha between the magnetizations of the two F layers. We find that contrary to some previous expectations, triplet correlations, odd in time, are induced in both the S and F layers in the clean limit. We investigate their behavior as a function of time, position, and alpha. The triplet amplitudes are largest at times on the order of the inverse Debye frequency, and at that time scale they are long-ranged in both S and F. The zero temperature condensation energy is found to be lowest when the magnetizations are antiparallel.

Subwavelength fractional Talbot effect in layered heterostructures of composite metamaterials.

We demonstrate that under certain conditions, fractional Talbot revivals can occur in heterostructures of composite metamaterials, such as multilayer positive- and negative-index media, metallodielectric stacks, and one-dimensional dielectric photonic crystals. Without recourse to the paraxial approximation, we also obtain Talbot images for the feature sizes of transverse patterns smaller than the illumination wavelength. A general expression for the Talbot distance in such structures is derived, and the conditions favorable for observing Talbot effects in layered heterostructures are discussed.

Local density of states analysis of surface wave modes on truncated photonic crystal surfaces with nonlinear material.

The local density of states and response to an incident plane wave of a finite sized photonic crystal (PC) with nonlinear material (NLM) is analyzed. Of particular interest is the excitation of surface wave modes at the truncated surface of the PC, which is collocated with the NLM material. We compute the 2D Green function of the PC with linear material and then include the Kerr NLM in a self-consistent manner. The 2D PC consists of a square array of circular rods where one row of the rods is semi-circular in order to move the surface wave defect mode frequency into the band gap. Since the surface modes are resonant at the interface, the NLM should experience at least an order of magnitude increase in field intensity. This is a possible means of increasing the efficiency of the PC as a frequency conversion device.

Characteristics of bound modes in coupled dielectric waveguides containing negative index media.

We investigate the characteristics of guided wave modes in planar coupled waveguides. In particular, we calculate the dispersion relations for TM modes in which one or both of the guiding layers consists of negative index media (NIM)-where the permittivity and permeability are both negative. We fi nd that the Poynting vector within the NIM waveguide axis can change sign and magnitude, a feature that is re fl ected in the dispersion curves.