Nonlocal modification and quantum optical generalization of effective-medium theory for metamaterials

Martijn Wubs (Invited author), Wei Yan (Invited author), Ehsan Amooghorban (Invited author), N. Asger Mortensen (Invited author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalConference articleResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    A well-known challenge for fabricating metamaterials is to make unit cells significantly smaller than the operating wavelength of light, so one can be sure that effective-medium theories apply. But do they apply? Here we show that nonlocal response in the metal constituents of the metamaterial leads to modified effective parameters for strongly subwavelength unit cells. For infinite hyperbolic metamaterials, nonlocal response gives a very large finite upper bound to the optical density of states that otherwise would diverge. Moreover, for finite hyperbolic metamaterials we show that nonlocal response affects their operation as superlenses, and interestingly that sometimes nonlocal theory predicts the better imaging. Finally, we discuss how to describe metamaterials effectively in quantum optics. Media with loss or gain have associated quantum noise, and the question is whether the effective index is enough to describe this quantum noise effectively. We show that this is true for passive metamaterials, but not for metamaterials where loss is compensated by linear gain. For such loss-compensated metamaterials we present a quantum optical effective medium theory with an effective noise photon distribution as an additional parameter. Interestingly, we find that at the operating frequency, metamaterials with the same effective index but with different amounts of loss compensation can be told apart in quantum optics.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number88061F
    JournalProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
    Volume8806
    Number of pages10
    ISSN0277-786X
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    EventSPIE Optical Engineering + Applications 2013 - San Diego, United States
    Duration: 25 Aug 201329 Aug 2013

    Conference

    ConferenceSPIE Optical Engineering + Applications 2013
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CitySan Diego
    Period25/08/201329/08/2013

    Keywords

    • Nanoplasmonics
    • Hyperbolic medium
    • Spontaneous emission
    • Quantum optics
    • Metamaterials
    • Effective medium
    • Balanced homodyne detection

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Nonlocal modification and quantum optical generalization of effective-medium theory for metamaterials'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this