Open AccessImproving the signal-to-noise ratio for circular polarizers consisting of helical metamaterials
Author(s) -
Zhenyu Yang,
Ming Zhao,
Peixiang Lu
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.004255
Subject(s) - polarizer , extinction ratio , optics , metamaterial , materials science , circular polarization , aspect ratio (aeronautics) , signal to noise ratio (imaging) , physics , optoelectronics , birefringence , wavelength , microstrip
In this paper, we proposed new structured metamaterials with multi-helical nanowires to construct circular polarizers with higher S/N ratios. Compared with the single-helical ones reported by J. K. Gansel et al. [Science 325, 1513 (2009), Opt. Express 18, 1059 (2010)], which has a lower S/N ratio (~10 dB) due to the high intensity conversion, the circular polarizers with the multi-helical structures have average two orders higher S/N ratios (~35 dB). Simultaneously, other optical performances, such as operation bands, average extinction ratios, are also improved.