Time-reversal in dynamically-tuned zero-gap periodic systems

We show that short pulses propagating in zero-gap periodic systems can be reversed with 100% efficiency by using weak non-adiabatic tuning of the wave velocity at time-scales that can be much slower than the period. Unlike previous schemes, we demonstrate reversal of {\em broadband} (few cycle) pulses with simple structures. Our scheme may thus open the way to time-reversal in a variety of systems for which it was not accessible before.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Letter

Time varying gratings model Hawking radiation

Diffraction gratings synthetically moving at trans-luminal velocities contain points where wave and grating velocities are equal. We show these points can be understood as a series of optical event horizons where wave energy can be trapped and amplified, leading to radiation from the quantum vacuum state. We calculate the spectrum of this emitted radiation, finding a quasi-thermal spectrum with features that depend on the grating profile, and an effective temperature that scales exponentially with the length of the grating, emitting a measurable flux even for very small grating contrast.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Ray-optical negative refraction and pseudoscopic imaging with Dove-prism arrays

A sheet consisting of an array of small, aligned Dove prisms can locally (on the scale of the width of the prisms) invert one component of the ray direction. A sandwich of two such Dove-prism sheets that inverts both transverse components of the ray direction is a ray-optical approximation to the interface between two media with refractive indices +n and –n. We demonstrate the simulated imaging properties of such a Dove-prism-sheet sandwich, including a demonstration of pseudoscopic imaging

Design of Electromagnetic Cloaks and Concentrators Using Form-Invariant Coordinate Transformations of Maxwell's Equations

The technique of applying form-invariant, spatial coordinate transformations of Maxwell's equations can facilitate the design of structures with unique electromagnetic or optical functionality. Here, we illustrate the transformation-optical approach in the designs of a square electromagnetic cloak and an omni-directional electromagnetic field concentrator. The transformation equations are described and the functionality of the devices is numerically confirmed by two-dimensional finite element simulations. The two devices presented demonstrate that the transformation optic approach leads to the specification of complex, anisotropic and inhomogeneous materials with well directed and distinct electromagnetic behavior.Comment: submitted to "Photonics and Nanostructures", Special Issue "PECS VII", Elsevie

Optical design of reflectionless complex media by finite embedded coordinate transformations

Transformation optics offers an unconventional approach to the control of electromagnetic fields. A transformation optical structure is designed by first applying a form-invariant coordinate transform to Maxwell's equations, in which part of free space is distorted in some desired manner. The coordinate transformation is then applied to the permittivity and permeability tensors to yield the specification for a complex medium with desired functionality. The transformation optical structures proposed to date, such as electromagnetic "invisibility" cloaks and concentrators, are inherently reflectionless and leave the transmitted wave undisturbed. Here we expand the class of transformation optical structures by introducing finite, embedded coordinate transformations, which allow the electromagnetic waves to be steered or focused. We apply the method to the design of several devices, including a parallel beam shifter and a beam splitter, both of which exhibit unusual electromagnetic behavior as confirmed by 2D full-wave simulations. The devices are designed to be reflectionless, in accordance with a straightforward topological criterion.Comment: submitted to the journal on Sep 10 2007, abstract changed to make it more accessible, keywords adde

Overcoming losses in superlenses with synthetic waves of complex frequency

Superlenses made of plasmonic materials and metamaterials have been exploited to image features of sub-diffractional scale. However, their intrinsic losses impose a serious restriction on the imaging resolution, which is a long-standing problem that has hindered wide-spread applications of superlenses. Optical waves of complex frequency exhibiting a temporally attenuating behavior have been proposed to offset the intrinsic losses in superlenses via virtual gain, but the experimental realization has been missing due to the challenge involved in preparing the illumination with temporal decay. Here, by employing multi-frequency measurement, we successfully implement a synthetic optical wave of complex frequency to experimentally observe deep-subwavelength superimaging patterns enabled by the virtual gain. Our work represents a practical approach to overcoming the intrinsic losses of plasmonic systems for imaging and sensing applications.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure

Theory of wave-front reversal of short pulses in dynamically-tuned zero-gap periodic systems

Recently, we have shown that the wave-front of short pulses can be accurately and efficiently reversed by use of simple one-dimensional zero-gap photonic crystals. In this Article, we describe the analytical approach in detail, and discuss specific structures and modulation techniques as well as the required steps for achieving complete time-reversal. We also show that our scheme is only very weakly sensitive to material losses and dispersion

Scattering of elastic waves by periodic arrays of spherical bodies

We develop a formalism for the calculation of the frequency band structure of a phononic crystal consisting of non-overlapping elastic spheres, characterized by Lam\'e coefficients which may be complex and frequency dependent, arranged periodically in a host medium with different mass density and Lam\'e coefficients. We view the crystal as a sequence of planes of spheres, parallel to and having the two dimensional periodicity of a given crystallographic plane, and obtain the complex band structure of the infinite crystal associated with this plane. The method allows one to calculate, also, the transmission, reflection, and absorption coefficients for an elastic wave (longitudinal or transverse) incident, at any angle, on a slab of the crystal of finite thickness. We demonstrate the efficiency of the method by applying it to a specific example.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, Phys. Rev. B (in press

Multipole interaction between atoms and their photonic environment

Macroscopic field quantization is presented for a nondispersive photonic dielectric environment, both in the absence and presence of guest atoms. Starting with a minimal-coupling Lagrangian, a careful look at functional derivatives shows how to obtain Maxwell's equations before and after choosing a suitable gauge. A Hamiltonian is derived with a multipolar interaction between the guest atoms and the electromagnetic field. Canonical variables and fields are determined and in particular the field canonically conjugate to the vector potential is identified by functional differentiation as minus the full displacement field. An important result is that inside the dielectric a dipole couples to a field that is neither the (transverse) electric nor the macroscopic displacement field. The dielectric function is different from the bulk dielectric function at the position of the dipole, so that local-field effects must be taken into account.Comment: 17 pages, to be published in Physical Review