Shaping Light in Backward-Wave Nonlinear Hyperbolic Metamaterials

Abstract

Backward electromagnetic waves are extraordinary waves with contra-directed phase velocity and energy flux. Unusual properties of the coherent nonlinear optical coupling of the phase-matched ordinary and backward electromagnetic waves with contra-directed energy fluxes are described which enable greatly-enhanced frequency and propagation direction conversion, parametrical amplification, as well as control of shape of the light pulses. Extraordinary transient processes that emerge in such metamaterials in pulsed regimes are described. The results of the numerical simulation of particular plasmonic metamaterials with hyperbolic dispersion are presented, which prove the possibility to match phases of such coupled guided ordinary and backward electromagnetic waves. Particular properties of the outlined processes in the proposed metamaterial are demonstrated through numerical simulations. Potential applications include ultra-miniature amplifiers, frequency changing reflectors, modulators, pulse shapers, and remotely actuated sensors.

Plasmonic Mirrorless Optical Parametric Oscillator

“…Alternatively, it was also shown that the phasematching problem for such backward nonlinear processes can be eliminated using negative-index metal materials, 11 zeroindex materials, 12 or hyperbolic materials. 13 Here, we propose and analyze a plasmonic mirrorless parametric oscillator in which the nonlinear interaction between counter-propagating surface plasmons is pumped by a free-propagating plane wave. We show that, in such a plasmonic MOPO, phase-matching conditions can be readily obtained on a smooth metal film without any periodic structuring.…”