Broadband reflectionless metasheets: Frequency-selective transmission and perfect absorption

Energy of propagating electromagnetic waves can be fully absorbed in a thin lossy layer, but only in a narrow frequency band, as follows from the causality principle. On the other hand, it appears that there are no fundamental limitations on broadband matching of thin absorbing layers. However, known thin absorbers produce significant reflections outside of the resonant absorption band. In this paper we explore possibilities to realize a thin absorbing layer which produces no reflected waves in a very wide frequency range, while the transmission coefficient has a narrow peak of full absorption. Here we show, both theoretically and experimentally, that a wide-band-matched thin resonant absorber, invisible in reflection, can be realized if one and the same resonant mode of the absorbing array unit cells is utilized to create both electric and magnetic responses. We test this concept using chiral particles in each unit cells, arranged in a periodic planar racemic array, utilizing chirality coupling in each unit cell but compensating the field coupling at the macroscopic level. We prove that the concept and the proposed realization approach also can be used to create non-reflecting layers for full control of transmitted fields. Our results can have a broad range of potential applications over the entire electromagnetic spectrum including, for example, perfect ultra-compact wave filters and selective multi-frequency sensors.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figure

Non-scattering Metasurface-bound Cavities for Field Localization, Enhancement, and Suppression

We propose and analyse metasurface-bound invisible (non-scattering) partially open cavities where the inside field distribution can be engineered. It is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally that the cavities exhibit unidirectional invisibility at the operating frequency with enhanced or suppressed field at different positions inside the cavity volume. Several examples of applications of the designed cavities are proposed and analyzed, in particular, cloaking sensors and obstacles, enhancement of emission, and "invisible waveguides". The non-scattering mode excited in the proposed cavity is driven by the incident wave and resembles an ideal bound state in the continuum of electromagnetic frequency spectrum. In contrast to known bound states in the continuum, the mode can stay localized in the cavity infinitely long, provided that the incident wave illuminates the cavity

Full light absorption in single arrays of spherical nanoparticles

In this paper we show that arrays of core-shell nanoparticles function as effective thin absorbers of light. In contrast to known metamaterial absorbers, the introduced absorbers are formed by single planar arrays of spherical inclusions and enable full absorption of light incident on either or both sides of the array. We demonstrate possibilities for realizing different kinds of symmetric absorbers, including resonant, ultra-broadband, angularly selective, and all-angle absorbers. The physical principle behind these designs is explained considering balanced electric and magnetic responses of unit cells. Photovoltaic devices and thermal emitters are the two most important potential applications of the proposed designs.Comment: (e.g.: 18 pages, 5 figures

Unleashing infinite momentum bandgap using resonant material systems

The realization of photonic time crystals is a major opportunity but also comes with significant challenges. The most pressing one, potentially, is the requirement for a substantial modulation strength in the material properties to create a noticeable momentum bandgap. Reaching that noticeable bandgap in optics is highly demanding with current, and possibly also future, material platforms since their modulation strength is small by tendency. Here we demonstrate that by introducing temporal variations in a resonant material, the momentum bandgap can be drastically expanded, potentially approaching infinity with modulation strengths in reach with known low-loss materials and realistic laser pump powers. The resonance can emerge from an intrinsic material resonance or a suitably spatially structured material supporting a structural resonance. Our concept is validated for resonant bulk media and optical metasurfaces and paves the way toward the first experimental realizations of photonic time crystals

Optical Tellegen metamaterial with spontaneous magnetization

The nonreciprocal magnetoelectric effect, also known as the Tellegen effect, promises a number of groundbreaking phenomena connected to fundamental (e.g., electrodynamics of axion and relativistic matter) and applied physics (e.g., magnetless isolators). We propose a three-dimensional metamaterial with an isotropic and resonant Tellegen response in the visible frequency range. The metamaterial is formed by randomly oriented bi-material nanocylinders in a host medium. Each nanocylinder consists of a ferromagnet in a single-domain magnetic state and a high-permittivity dielectric operating near the magnetic Mie-type resonance. The proposed metamaterial requires no external magnetic bias and operates on the spontaneous magnetization of the nanocylinders. By leveraging the emerging magnetic Weyl semimetals, we further show how a giant bulk effective magnetoelectric effect can be achieved in a proposed metamaterial, exceeding that of natural materials by almost four orders of magnitude.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Parametric Mie resonances and directional amplification in time-modulated scatterers

We provide a theoretical description of light scattering by a spherical particle whose permittivity is modulated in time at twice the frequency of the incident light. Such a particle acts as a finite-sized photonic time crystal and, despite its sub-wavelength spatial extent, can host optical parametric amplification. Conditions of parametric Mie resonances in the sphere are derived. We show that time-modulated materials provide a route to tailor directional light amplification, qualitatively different from that in scatterers made from a gain media. We design two characteristic time-modulated spheres that simultaneously exhibit light amplification and desired radiation patterns, including those with zero backward and/or vanishing forward scattering. The latter sphere provides an opportunity for creating shadow-free detectors of incident light.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Моделирование процесса получения жидких продуктов пиролиза растительной биомассы с учетом скорости их охлаждения

The article presents the results of computational and experimental studies of thermochemical conversion of wood biomass to obtain liquid pyrolysis products taking into account their cooling rate. The method of calculating the optimal operating parameters (temperature and cooling rate) of the techno-logical process is presented. An expression is proposed to determine the consumption of wood raw materials depending on the temperature of the thermochemical conversion process. It is noted that the mass yield of liquid pyrolysis products from the reactor poorly depends on temperature and is approximately 0.45 in the range from 573 to 923 K. To assess the effect of the cooling rate of liquid pyrolysis products, a third-order differential equation was used for a model limited by the reaction rate. It has been shown that when liquid pyrolysis products are cooled, the degree of their conversion tends to a certain value other than 1 (depending on the cooling rate). Calculated data on the dependence of the degrees of conversion of liquid wood pyrolysis products on time at different cooling rates and temperatures of thermochemical conversion of biomass have been obtained. It has been established also that the ratio of the mass yield of cooled liquid pyrolysis products to the initial loading of the pyrolysis reactor makes it possible to find optimal cooling conditions for the primary products of biomass pyrolysis carried out at certain temperatures. Graphs of the dependence of this parameter on the temperature of the thermochemical conversion of wood biomass for different cooling rates of liquid pyrolysis products are presented. It is shown that the maximum possible yield of liquid products is provided at a reactor temperature of 923–973 K and a cooling rate of 700000–1200000 degrees/min. However, achieving such cooling rates is rather a difficult technical task. Therefore, more limited temperature 773–800 K is accepted, at which a practically realizable cooling rate of primary biomass de-composition products is achieved.В статье представлены результаты расчетных и экспериментальных исследований термохимической конверсии древесной биомассы с получением жидких продуктов пиролиза с учетом скорости их охлаждения. Приведена методика расчета оптимальных режимных параметров (температуры и скорости охлаждения) технологического процесса. Предложено выражение для определения расхода древесного сырья в зависимости от температуры термохимической конверсии. Отмечено, что массовый выход жидких продуктов пиролиза из реактора слабо зависит от температуры и равен примерно 0,45 в диапазоне от 573 до 923 К. Для оценки влияния скорости их охлаждения использовано дифференциальное уравнение третьего порядка для модели, лимитированной скоростью реакции. Показано, что при охлаждении жидких продуктов пиролиза степень их конверсии стремится к определенному значению, отличному от 1. Получены расчетные данные по зависимости степени конверсии жидких продуктов пиролиза древесины от времени при различной скорости их охлаждения и температуре термохимической конверсии биомассы. Установлено, что отношение массового выхода охлажденных жидких продуктов пиролиза к начальной загрузке пиролизного реактора позволяет найти оптимальные условия охлаждения первичных продуктов пиролиза биомассы, осуществляемого при определенных температурах. Представлены графики зависимости указанного параметра от температуры процесса термохимической конверсии древесной биомассы для различных скоростей охлаждения. Показано, что максимально возможный их выход обеспечивается при температуре в реакторе 923–973 К и скорости охлаждения 700000–1200000 град./мин. Однако установление такой скорости – достаточно сложная техническая задача. Поэтому при осуществлении технологий получения жидких продуктов пиролиза ограничиваются температурами 773–800 К, при которых можно достичь практически реализуемой скорости охлаждения первичных продуктов разложения биомассы

Modular approach to understanding and synthesis of metamaterials and metasurfaces

The vast majority of previously proposed metamaterials and metasurfaces are anisotropic or bianisotropic (exhibiting magnetoelectric coupling). Nevertheless, their anisotropy was not fully exploited as they were designed only for one or several specific illumination directions. In this talk, we propose a simple analytical approach to characterize properties of general bianisotropic meta-atoms for an arbitrary illumination. The approach is based on the qualitative decomposition of an arbitrary meta-atom into separate basic »modules» with elementary polarization properties. Such decomposition can be used for comprehensive characterization of previously designed structures as well as for synthesizing novel bianisotropic inclusions of arbitrary complexity and with desired response.Peer reviewe