Metasurfaces on Metamaterials: Surface Modes Induce Linear Dichroism in Gyroid Optical Metamaterials

ORAL

Abstract

Optical metamaterials offer the possibility of accessing extraordinary optical properties depending on the arrangement of sub-wavelength structural units. Gyroid-structured optical metamaterials possess a chiral, cubic, and triply-periodic bulk morphology, and exhibit both a circular and linear dichroism, the latter of which is not yet well understood. We have found a strong correlation between the symmetry of the gyroid surface and its polarization-dependent reflectivitiy. Depending on the cutting-plane, the surface terminations break the cubic symmetry of the gyroid, giving rise to the observed dichroism. Our results show that incident light couples into not only localized and propagating plasmonic modes but also nanocavities that form for specific cutting-planes, giving rise to the strong optical anisoptropy. This pronounced surface sensitivity of nanostructured metamaterials has significant consequences for both the design and application of optical metamaterials.

*This research was supported through the Swiss National Science Foundation, National Center of Competence in Research Bio-Inspired Materials, Adolphe Merkle Foundation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and European Research Council.

Presenters

  • James Dolan

    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory

Authors

  • James Dolan

    • Institute for Molecular Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory
  • Raphael Dehmel

    • Department of Physics, University of Cambridge
  • Angela Demetriadou

    • Department of Physics, Imperial College
  • Ilja Gunkel

    • Adolphe Merkle Institute
    • Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg
  • Yibei Gu

    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University
  • Ulrich Wiesner

    • Cornell University
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University
    • Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, Cornell University
    • Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell Univ
  • Timothy Wilkinson

    • Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge
  • Ortwin Hess

    • Department of Physics, Imperial College
  • Jeremy Baumberg

    • Department of Physics, University of Cambridge
  • Ullrich Steiner

    • Adolphe Merkle Institute
    • University Fribourg
    • Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg
  • Matthias Saba

    • Department of Physics, Imperial College
  • Bodo Wilts

    • Adolphe Merkle Institute
    • University Fribourg
    • Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg