Enhanced nonlinear effects in pulse propagation through epsilon-near-zero media

Ciattoni, A., Rizza, C., Marini, A., Falco, A. D., Faccio, D. and Scalora, M. (2016) Enhanced nonlinear effects in pulse propagation through epsilon-near-zero media. Laser and Photonics Reviews, 10(3), pp. 517-525. (doi: 10.1002/lpor.201500326)

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Abstract

In recent years, unconventional metamaterial properties have triggered a revolution of electromagnetic research which has unveiled novel scenarios of wave-matter interaction. A very small dielectric permittivity is a leading example of such unusual features, since it produces an exotic static-like regime where the electromagnetic field is spatially slowly-varying over a physically large region. The so-called epsilon-near-zero metamaterials thus offer an ideal platform where to manipulate the inner details of the “stretched” field. Here we theoretically prove that a standard nonlinearity is able to operate such a manipulation to the point that even a thin slab produces a dramatic nonlinear pulse transformation, if the dielectric permittivity is very small within the field bandwidth. The predicted non-resonant releasing of full nonlinear coupling produced by the epsilon-near-zero condition does not resort to any field enhancement mechanism and opens novel routes to exploiting matter nonlinearity for steering the radiation by means of ultra-compact structures.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:A.C. and C.R. acknowledge support fromU.S. Army International Technology Center Atlantic for financialsupport (Grant No. W911NF-14-1-0315). A.D.F. acknowledgessupport from EPSRC (EP/I004602/1). D.F. acknowledges sup-port from the European Research Council under the EuropeanUnions Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERCGA 306559.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Faccio, Professor Daniele
Authors: Ciattoni, A., Rizza, C., Marini, A., Falco, A. D., Faccio, D., and Scalora, M.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
Journal Name:Laser and Photonics Reviews
Publisher:Wiley
ISSN:1863-8880
ISSN (Online):1863-8899
Published Online:17 April 2016

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