Nanofocusing of structured light for quadrupolar light-matter interactions.

The spatial structure of an electromagnetic field can determine the characteristics of light-matter interactions. A strong gradient of light in the near field can excite dipole-forbidden atomic transitions, e.g., electric quadrupole transitions, which are rarely observed under plane-wave far-field illumination. Structured light with a higher-order orbital angular momentum state may also modulate the selection rules in which an atom can absorb two quanta of angular momentum: one from the spin and another from the spatial structure of the beam. Here, we numerically demonstrate a strong focusing of structured light with a higher-order orbital angular momentum state in the near field. A quadrupole field was confined within a gap region of several tens of nanometres in a plasmonic tetramer structure. A plasmonic crystal surrounding the tetramer structure provides a robust antenna effect, where the incident structured light can be strongly coupled to the quadrupole field in the gap region with a larger alignment tolerance. The proposed system is expected to provide a platform for light-matter interactions with strong multipolar effects.

Quadrupole lattice resonances in plasmonic crystal excited by cylindrical vector beams.

We report a scheme to exploit low radiative loss plasmonic resonance by combining a dark (subradiant) mode and a lattice resonance. We theoretically demonstrate that such dark-mode lattice resonances in periodic arrays of nanodisks or plasmonic crystals can be excited by vertically incident light beams. We investigate the excitation of lattice resonances in a finite sized, square-lattice plasmonic crystal by two types of cylindrical vector beams and a linearly polarized Gaussian beam. Quadrupole lattice resonances are excited by all three beams, and the largest peak intensity is obtained by using a specific type of cylindrical vector beam. Because of their lower radiative losses with many hotspots, the quadrupole lattice resonances in plasmonic crystal may pave the way for photonic research and applications that require strong light-matter interactions.

Excitation of multipole plasmons by optical vortex beams.

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) has been shown to exhibit a strong potential for nanoscale electromagnetic field manipulation beyond the diffraction limit. Particularly dark mode plasmons circumvent radiation loss and store the energy long in time, which raise the prospect of interesting plasmonics applications, for example biochemical sensing and nanoscale lasing. Here we theoretically investigate a method of exciting multipole plasmons, including dark modes, using normally incident light. By performing numerical calculations, we show that multipole plasmons in metal nanodisks can be selectively excited by circularly-polarized optical vortex beams. We study the electromagnetic fields of the beam cross-sections and their correspondence with the excited multipole plasmon modes with respect to spin and orbital angular momenta. The transfer of angular momentum between photons and plasmons is also discussed.

Three-dimensional coupled-wave analysis for triangular-lattice photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers with transverse-electric polarization.

Three-dimensional coupled-wave theory is extended to model triangular-lattice photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers with transverse-electric polarization. A generalized coupled-wave equation is derived to describe the sixfold symmetry of the eigenmodes in a triangular lattice. The extended theory includes the effects of both surface radiation and in-plane losses in a finite-size laser structure. Modal properties of interest including the band structure, radiation constant, threshold gain, field intensity profile, and far-field pattern (FFP) are calculated. The calculated band structure and FFP, as well as the predicted lasing mode, agree well with experimental observations. The effect of air-hole size on mode selection is also studied and confirmed by experiment.

Three-dimensional coupled-wave analysis for square-lattice photonic crystal surface emitting lasers with transverse-electric polarization: finite-size effects.

We develop a coupled-wave model that is capable of treating finite-size square-lattice photonic crystal surface emitting lasers with transverse-electric polarization. Various properties of interest including threshold gain, mode frequency, field intensity envelope within the device, far-field pattern, as well as polarization and divergence angle of the output beam for the band-edge modes are calculated. Theoretical predictions of the lowest threshold mode and the output beam profile are in good agreement with our experimental findings. In particular, we show that, contrary to the infinite periodic case, the finite length of the device significantly affects surface emission and mode selection properties of the laser device.

Focusing properties of vector vortex beams emitted by photonic-crystal lasers.

We experimentally investigate the focusing properties of first- and second-order vector beams and vector vortex beams generated by photonic-crystal lasers. When the azimuthal indices of the vector beam (l) and the phase dependence (n) match, strong intensity appears at the center of focus. Our theoretical analyses agree well with the experimental results and predict that the central intensity has circular polarization.

Coupled-wave analysis for photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers on air holes with arbitrary sidewalls.

The coupled-wave theory (CWT) is extended to a photonic crystal structure with arbitrary sidewalls, and a simple, fast, and effective model for the quantitatively analysis of the radiative characteristics of two-dimensional (2D) photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PC-SELs) has been developed. For illustrating complicated coupling effects accurately, sufficient numbers of waves are included in the formulation, by considering their vertical field profiles. The radiation of band-edge modes is analyzed for two in-plane air-hole geometries, in the case of two types of sidewalls: i.e. "tapered case" and "tilted case." The results of CWT analysis agree well with the results of finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical simulation. From the analytical solutions of the CWT, the symmetry properties of the band-edge modes are investigated. In-plane asymmetry of the air holes is crucial for achieving high output power because it causes partial constructive interference. Asymmetric air holes and tilted sidewalls help in inducing in-plane asymmetries. By breaking the symmetries with respect to the two orthogonal symmetric axes of the band-edge modes, the two factors can be tuned independently, so that the radiation power is enhanced while preserving the mode selectivity performance. Finally, top-down reactive ion etching (RIE) approach is suggested for the fabrication of such a structure.

Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis on the interaction between a metal block and a radially polarized focused beam.

Radially polarized focused beams have attracted a great deal of attention because of their unique properties characterized by the longitudinal field. Although this longitudinal field is strongly confined to the beam axis, the energy flow, i.e., the Poynting vector, has null intensity on the axis. Hence, the interaction of the focused beam and matter has thus far been unclear. We analyzed the interactions between the focused beam and a subwavelength metal block placed at the center of the focus using three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculation. We found that most of the Poynting energy propagates through to the far-field, and that a strong enhancement of the electric field appeared on the metal surface. This enhancement is attributed to the constructive interference of the symmetric electric field and the coupling to the surface plasmon mode.

Higher-order vector beams produced by photonic-crystal lasers.

We have successfully generated vector beams with higher-order polarization states using photonic-crystal lasers. We have analyzed and designed lattice structures that provide cavity modes with different symmetries. Fabricated devices based on these lattice structures produced doughnut-shaped vector beams, with symmetries corresponding to the cavity modes. Our study enables the systematic analysis of vector beams, which we expect will lead to applications such as high-resolution microscopy, laser processing, and optical trapping.

Sub-wavelength focal spot with long depth of focus generated by radially polarized, narrow-width annular beam.

We demonstrate the formation of a sub-wavelength focal spot with a long depth of focus using a radially polarized, narrow-width annular beam. Theoretical analysis predicts that a tighter focal spot (approximately 0.4 lambda) and longer depth of focus (more than 4 lambda) can be formed by a longitudinal electric field when the width of the annular part of the beam is decreased. Experimental measurements using a radially polarized beam from a photonic crystal laser agree well with these predictions. Tight focal spots with long depths of focus have great potential for use in high-tolerance, high-resolution applications in optical systems.

Controlling vertical optical confinement in two-dimensional surface-emitting photonic-crystal lasers by shape of air holes.

We use the finite-difference time domain method to calculate the vertical optical confinement, which corresponds to the quality factor in the vertical direction, of two-dimensional photonic-crystal (PC) lasers as a function of the asymmetry of the shape of the air holes that form the PC. The vertical optical confinement for triangular air holes, which give the highest output power measured thus far, is decreased by two thirds when V-shaped air holes are used. In contrast, the vertical optical confinement becomes infinite for rhomboid air holes. The vertical optical confinement decreases when the air holes are deformed such that areas of opposing electric fields exist in regions of the PC with different dielectric constants. In this way, the vertical optical confinement can be controlled by changing the shape of the air holes.

Coupled-wave model for triangular-lattice photonic crystal with transverse electric polarization.

We present a coupled-wave model for a triangular-lattice two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) with a transverse electric (TE) polarization and derive a set of coupled-wave equations. We use these equations to obtain analytic expressions that describe the relations between the resonant mode frequencies and the coupling constants. We calculate the resonant mode frequencies for a PC composed of circular holes. These agree well with the frequencies calculated using the 2D plane wave expansion method. We also evaluate the coupling constants of fabricated samples using their measured resonant mode frequencies. Our analytic expressions allow the design and evaluation of feedback strength in triangular-lattice 2D PC cavities.

Two-dimensional coupled wave theory for square-lattice photonic-crystal lasers with TM-polarization.

We present a useful framework based on the coupled-wave theory, through which we can survey the resonant modes of TM polarization in 2D photonic-crystal lasers and understand their properties in detail. Through numerical calculations, we clarify their threshold gains, deviations from the Bragg frequency and field distributions. We find that the lasing mode can be selected by manipulating the hole-filling factor or the boundary reflection.

Photonics: lasers producing tailored beams.

Compact lasers that can produce a range of beam patterns are important for progress in several areas, including the improvement of optical tweezers, ultra-high-density optical memory and microfluidics. Here we engineer photonic crystals to generate semiconductor lasers that produce a range of beam patterns while maintaining stable single-mode oscillation. Our results could contribute to the realization of compact lasers that are capable of producing diverse beam patterns on demand.