Control of absorption with hyperbolic metamaterials

We show that absorption of thin dye-doped polymeric films can be tuned and enhanced ( nearly threefold) by metallic and lamellar metal-dielectric hyperbolic metamaterial substrates. The effect can be controlled by a combination of the substrate\u27s geometry and composition. As the enhancement of absorption is sustained over large range of incidence angles, the demonstrated phenomenon can lead to a variety of important applications, including solar cell technology. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4703931