Open AccessRole of surface electromagnetic waves in metamaterial absorbers
Author(s) -
Wen-Chen Chen,
Andrew Cardin,
Machhindra Koirala,
Xianliang Liu,
Talmage Tyler,
Keld West,
Chris Bingham,
Tatiana Starr,
Anthony F. Starr,
N.M. Jokerst,
Willie J. Padilla
Publication year - 2016
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.24.006783
Subject(s) - metamaterial , optics , electromagnetic radiation , polarization (electrochemistry) , transverse plane , wavelength , metamaterial absorber , physics , absorption (acoustics) , metamaterial cloaking , materials science , tunable metamaterials , chemistry , structural engineering , engineering
Metamaterial absorbers have been demonstrated across much of the electromagnetic spectrum and exhibit both broad and narrow-band absorption for normally incident radiation. Absorption diminishes for increasing angles of incidence and transverse electric polarization falls off much more rapidly than transverse magnetic. We unambiguously demonstrate that broad-angle TM behavior cannot be associated with periodicity, but rather is due to coupling with a surface electromagnetic mode that is both supported by, and well described via the effective optical constants of the metamaterial where we achieve a resonant wavelength that is 19.1 times larger than the unit cell. Experimental results are supported by simulations and we highlight the potential to modify the angular response of absorbers by tailoring the surface wave.