Directional Coupling to a λ/5000 Nanowaveguide.

Silicon-based microdevices are considered promising candidates for consolidating several terahertz technologies into a common and practical platform. The practicality stems from the relatively low loss, device compactness, ease of fabrication, and wide range of available passive and active functionalities. Nevertheless, typical device footprints are limited by diffraction to several hundreds of micrometers, which hinders emerging nanoscale applications at terahertz frequencies.

Subwavelength terahertz imaging via virtual superlensing in the radiating near field.

Imaging with resolutions much below the wavelength λ - now common in the visible spectrum - remains challenging at lower frequencies, where exponentially decaying evanescent waves are generally measured using a tip or antenna close to an object. Such approaches are often problematic because probes can perturb the near-field itself. Here we show that information encoded in evanescent waves can be probed further than previously thought, by reconstructing truthful images of the near-field through selective amplification of evanescent waves, akin to a virtual superlens that images the near field without perturbing it.

Plasmonic Sensors beyond the Phase Matching Condition: A Simplified Approach.

The conventional approach to optimising plasmonic sensors is typically based entirely on ensuring phase matching between the excitation wave and the surface plasmon supported by the metallic structure. However, this leads to suboptimal performance, even in the simplest sensor configuration based on the Otto geometry. We present a simplified coupled mode theory approach for evaluating and optimizing the sensing properties of plasmonic waveguide refractive index sensors.

Direct growth of monolayer MoS on nanostructured silicon waveguides.

We report for the first time the direct growth of molybdenum disulfide (MoS) monolayers on nanostructured silicon-on-insulator waveguides. Our results indicate the possibility of utilizing the Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) on nanostructured photonic devices in a scalable process. Direct growth of 2D material on nanostructures rectifies many drawbacks of the transfer-based approaches.

Bend losses in flexible polyurethane antiresonant terahertz waveguides.

One important shortcoming of terahertz technology is the relative absence of convenient, flexible, and reconfigurable waveguides with low attenuation and small bend losses. While recent years have been marked by remarkable progress in lowering the impact of material losses using hollow-core guidance, such waveguides often have centimeter-scale diameter and are therefore not flexible. Here we experimentally and numerically investigate antiresonant dielectric waveguides made of thermoplastic polyurethane, a commonly used dielectric with a low Young's modulus.

Omnidirectional field enhancements drive giant nonlinearities in epsilon-near-zero waveguides.

Bulk materials with a relative electric permittivity close to zero exhibit giant Kerr nonlinearities. However, harnessing this response in guided-wave geometries is not straightforward, due to the extreme and counterintuitive properties of such epsilon-near-zero materials. Here we investigate, through rigorous calculations of the nonlinear coefficient, how the remarkable nonlinear properties of such materials can be exploited in several structures, including bulk films, plasmonic nanowires, and metal nanoapertures.

Scalable Functionalization of Optical Fibers Using Atomically Thin Semiconductors.

Atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides are highly promising for integrated optoelectronic and photonic systems due to their exciton-driven linear and nonlinear interactions with light. Integrating them into optical fibers yields novel opportunities in optical communication, remote sensing, and all-fiber optoelectronics. However, the scalable and reproducible deposition of high-quality monolayers on optical fibers is a challenge.

Establishing the nonlinear coefficient for extremely lossy waveguides.

The nonlinear coefficient is central to the study of cubically nonlinear optical guided-wave structures. It is well understood for lossless waveguides, but less so for lossy systems. A number of methods for calculating in lossy systems have been proposed, each resulting in different expressions.

Modular nonlinear hybrid plasmonic circuit.

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are revolutionizing nanotechnology, with far-reaching applications in telecommunications, molecular sensing, and quantum information. PIC designs rely on mature nanofabrication processes and readily available and optimised photonic components (gratings, splitters, couplers). Hybrid plasmonic elements can enhance PIC functionality (e.

Tuning the Effective PT Phase of Plasmonic Eigenmodes.

We experimentally observe an effective PT-phase transition through the exceptional point in a hybrid plasmonic-dielectric waveguide system. Transmission experiments reveal fundamental changes in the underlying eigenmode interactions as the environmental refractive index is tuned, which can be unambiguously attributed to a crossing through the plasmonic exceptional point. These results extend the design opportunities for tunable non-Hermitian physics to plasmonic systems.

Simple model for orthogonal and angled coupling in dielectric-plasmonic waveguides.

We numerically and analytically study orthogonal and angled coupling schemes between a dielectric slab waveguide and a plasmonic slot waveguide for a large range of geometric and material parameters. We obtain high orthogonal coupling transmission efficiencies (up to 78% for 2D calculations, and 54% for 3D calculations) over a wide range of refractive indices, and provide simple analytic arguments that explain the underlying trends. The insights obtained point to angled couplers with even higher coupling efficiencies (up to 86% in 2D, and 61% in 3D).

Hybrid-Mode-Assisted Long-Distance Excitation of Short-Range Surface Plasmons in a Nanotip-Enhanced Step-Index Fiber.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a monolithic nanowire-enhanced fiber-based nanoprobe for the broadband delivery of light (550-730 nm) to a deep subwavelength scale using short-range surface plasmons. The geometry is formed by a step index fiber with an integrated gold nanowire in its core and a protruding gold nanotip with sub-10 nm apex radius. We present a novel coupling scheme to excite short-range surface plasmons, whereby the radially polarized hybrid mode propagating inside the nanowire section excites the plasmonic mode close to the fiber endface, which is in turn superfocused down to nanoscale dimensions at the tip apex.

Removing image artefacts in wire array metamaterials.

Hyperlenses and hyperbolic media endoscopes can overcome the diffraction limit by supporting propagating high spatial frequency extraordinary waves. While hyperlenses can resolve subwavelength details far below the diffraction limit, images obtained from them are not perfect: resonant high spatial frequency slab modes as well as diffracting ordinary waves cause image distortion and artefacts. In order to use hyperlenses as broad-band subwavelength imaging devices, it is thus necessary to avoid or correct such unwanted artefacts.

Tailored loss discrimination in indefinite metamaterial-clad hollow-core fibers.

We analyze the modal attenuation properties of silica hollow-core fibers with a gold-wire based indefinite metamaterial cladding at 10.6 µm. We find that by varying the metamaterial feature sizes and core diameter, the loss discrimination can be tailored such that either the HE, TE or TM mode has the lowest loss, which is particularly difficult to achieve for the radially polarized mode in commonly used hollow-core fibers.

Broadband efficient directional coupling to short-range plasmons: towards hybrid fiber nanotips.

We present a broadband and efficient short-range plasmonic directional coupler design, for the delivery and collection of deeply sub-wavelength radiation to tapered plasmonic nanowires. We show a proof-of-concept design using a planar geometry operating at wavelengths between 1.2 -2.

Broadband azimuthal polarization conversion using gold nanowire enhanced step-index fiber.

We show broadband azimuthal polarization state conversion using an entirely connectorized step-index fiber with a central gold nanowire. This device provides broadband polarization discrimination of the low-loss TE01 fiber mode with respect to all other modes, and converts light into the azimuthal polarization state, resulting in a high beam quality and an azimuthal conversion efficiency of 37%. The device is monolithically integrated into fiber circuitry, representing a new platform for plasmonics and fiber optics and enabling important applications in super-resolution microscopy, laser tweezing, and plasmonic superfocussing.

Two-dimensional imaging in hyperbolic media-the role of field components and ordinary waves.

We study full vector imaging of two dimensional source fields through finite slabs of media with extreme anisotropy, such as hyperbolic media. For this, we adapt the exact transfer matrix method for uniaxial media to calculate the two dimensional transfer functions and point spread functions for arbitrary vector fields described in Cartesian coordinates. This is more convenient for imaging simulations than the use of the natural, propagation direction-dependent TE/TM basis, and clarifies which field components contribute to sub-diffraction imaging.

Ultrathin niobium nanofilms on fiber optical tapers--a new route towards low-loss hybrid plasmonic modes.

Due to the ongoing improvement in nanostructuring technology, ultrathin metallic nanofilms have recently gained substantial attention in plasmonics, e.g. as building blocks of metasurfaces.

Imaging performance of finite uniaxial metamaterials with large anisotropy.

Metamaterials with extreme anisotropy overcome the diffraction limit by supporting the propagation of otherwise evanescent waves. Recent experiments in slabs of wire media have shown that images deteriorate away from the longitudinal Fabry-Perot resonances of the slab. Existing theoretical models explain this using nonlocality, surface waves, and additional boundary conditions.

Metamaterial fibres for subdiffraction imaging and focusing at terahertz frequencies over optically long distances.

Using conventional materials, the resolution of focusing and imaging devices is limited by diffraction to about half the wavelength of light, as high spatial frequencies do not propagate in isotropic materials. Wire array metamaterials, because of their extreme anisotropy, can beat this limit; however, focusing with these has only been demonstrated up to microwave frequencies and using propagation over a few wavelengths only. Here we show that the principle can be scaled to frequencies orders of magnitudes higher and to considerably longer propagation lengths.

Fabricating metamaterials using the fiber drawing method.

Metamaterials are man-made composite materials, fabricated by assembling components much smaller than the wavelength at which they operate (1). They owe their electromagnetic properties to the structure of their constituents, instead of the atoms that compose them. For example, sub-wavelength metal wires can be arranged to possess an effective electric permittivity that is either positive or negative at a given frequency, in contrast to the metals themselves (2).

Spatial dispersion in three-dimensional drawn magnetic metamaterials.

We characterize spatial dispersion in longitudinally invariant drawn metamaterials with a magnetic response at terahertz frequencies, whereby a change in the angle of the incident field produces a shift in the resonant frequency. We present a simple analytical model to predict this shift. We also demonstrate that the spatial dispersion is eliminated by breaking the longitudinal invariance using laser ablation.

Stacked-and-drawn metamaterials with magnetic resonances in the terahertz range.

We present a novel method for producing drawn metamaterials containing slotted metallic cylinder resonators, possessing strong magnetic resonances in the terahertz range. The resulting structures are either spooled to produce a 2-dimensional metamaterial monolayer, or stacked to produce three-dimensional multi-layered metamaterials. We experimentally investigate the effects of the resonator size and number of metamaterial layers on transmittance, observing magnetic resonances between 0.

Weaving the invisible thread: design of an optically invisible metamaterial fibre.

We present the design of an invisible metamaterial fibre operating at optical frequencies, which could be fabricated by adapting existing fibre drawing techniques. The invisibility is realised by matching the refractive index of the metamaterial fibre with the surroundings. We present a general recipe for the fabrication of such fibres, and numerically characterise a specific example using hexagonally arranged silver nanowires in a silica background.