Polarization-controlled asymmetric excitation of surface plasmons

Quan Xu, Xueqian Zhang, Quanlong Yang, Chunxiu Tian, Yuehong Xu, Jianbing Zhang, Hongwei Zhao, Yanfeng Li, Chunmei Ouyang, Zhen Tian, Jianqiang Gu, Xixiang Zhang, Jiaguang Han, Weili Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Free-space light can be coupled into propagating surface waves at a metal–dielectric interface, known as surface plasmons (SPs). This process has traditionally faced challenges in preserving the incident polarization information and controlling the directionality of the excited SPs. The recently reported polarization-controlled asymmetric excitation of SPs in metasurfaces has attracted much attention for its promise in developing innovative plasmonic devices. However, the unit elements in these works were purposely designed in certain orthogonal polarizations, i.e., linear or circular polarizations, resulting in limited two-level polarization controllability. Here, we introduce a coupled-mode theory to overcome this limit. We demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that, by utilizing the coupling effect between a pair of split-ring-shaped slit resonators, exotic asymmetric excitation of SPs can be obtained under the x-, y-, left-handed circular, and right-handed circular polarization incidences, while the polarization information of the incident light can be preserved in the excited SPs. The versatility of the presented design scheme would offer opportunities for polarization sensing and polarization-controlled plasmonic devices.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1044
JournalOptica
Volume4
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 29 2017

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