Nonreciprocal Transmission in Nonlinear PT-Symmetric Metamaterials Using Epsilon-near-Zero Media Doped with Defects

Abstract

Nonreciprocal transmission forms the basic operation mechanism of optical diodes and isolators and requires the tantalizing task of breaking the Lorentz reciprocity law. In this work, strong nonreciprocal transmission is demonstrated by using a compact nonlinear parity-time (PT) symmetric system based on epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials photonically doped with gain and loss defects and separated by an ultrathin air gap. The nonlinear response of this scalable configuration is triggered at relatively low optical intensities due to the strong electric field confinement in the defects. The extreme asymmetric field distribution achieved upon excitation from opposite incident directions, combined with the enhanced nonlinear properties of the proposed system, result in a pronounced self-induced nonreciprocal transmission. Cascade configurations with optimized geometrical dimensions are used to achieve self-induced nonreciprocal transmission with a maximum contrast, ideal for the design of new all-optical diodes. The presented robust nonreciprocal response occurs by operating at a frequency slightly shifted off the exceptional point but without breaking the PT-symmetric phase, different compared to previous works. The findings of this work can have a plethora of applications, such as nonreciprocal ultrathin coatings for the protection of sources or other sensitive equipment from external pulsed signals, circulators, and isolators.

References in corpus (27)

• Real Spectra in Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians Having PT Symmetry
• Nonreciprocal light transmission in parity-time-symmetric whispering-gallery microcavities
• Unidirectional Invisibility induced by PT-Symmetric Periodic Structures
• Nonlinear waves in $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric systems
• Coherent Perfect Absorbers: Time-reversed Lasers
• Dynamically encircling exceptional points in a waveguide: asymmetric mode switching from the breakdown of adiabaticity
• Loss-induced suppression and revival of lasing
• Topological energy transfer in an optomechanical system with exceptional points
• Spawning rings of exceptional points out of Dirac cones
• Unidirectional Nonlinear PT-symmetric Optical Structures
• What is Nonreciprocity?
• Physical realization of $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric potential scattering in a planar slab waveguide
• Design of Matched Zero-Index Metamaterials Using Non-Magnetic Inclusions in Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) Media
• All-Passive Nonreciprocal Metasurface
• Giant nonlinearity via breaking parity-time symmetry: a route to low-threshold phonon diodes
• Electromagnetic wave analogue of electronic diode
• Enhanced third harmonic generation with graphene metasurfaces
• Parity-Time Anti-Symmetric Parametric Amplifier
• PT Symmetry Breaking and Nonlinear Optical Isolation in Coupled Microcavities
• Regularization of the spectral singularity in $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric systems by all order nonlinearities: Nonreciprocity and optical isolation
• Exceptional points and spectral singularities in active epsilon-near-zero plasmonic waveguides
• Tunable nonlinear coherent perfect absorption with epsilon-near-zero plasmonic waveguides
• Enhanced four-wave mixing with nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces
• Exceptional Points in three-dimensional Nanostructures
• Controlling collective spontaneous emission with plasmonic waveguides
• Asymmetric Transmission and Isolation in Nonlinear Devices: Why They Are Different
• Broadband and Wide-Angle Nonreciprocity with a Nonhermitian Metamaterial

Cited by in corpus (16)

• Efficient single-photon pair generation by spontaneous parametric down-conversion in nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces
• Self-induced passive nonreciprocal transmission by nonlinear bifacial dielectric metasurfaces
• Nonreciprocal Elasticity
• Nonreciprocal transmission of electromagnetic waves with nonlinear active plasmonic metasurfaces
• Recent advances in terahertz photonic technologies based on graphene and their applications
• Hybrid Graphene-Plasmon Gratings
• Multiqubit entanglement and quantum phase gates with epsilon-near-zero plasmonic waveguides
• Near-zero-sidelobe optical subwavelength asymmetric focusing lens with dual-layer metasurfaces
• Exceptional points in parity-time symmetric plasmonic Huygens metasurfaces
• Zero-index and Hyperbolic Metacavities: Fundamentals and Applications
• Topological Mechanics of Micromorphic Metamaterials
• Self-induced nonreciprocity from asymmetric photonic topological insulators
• Strong self-induced nonreciprocal transmission by using nonlinear PT-symmetric epsilon-near-zero metamaterials
• Controlling asymmetric absorption of metasurfaces via non-Hermitian doping
• Mechanical activity and odd elasticity of passive, 2D chiral metamaterials
• Arbitrary Reflectionless Optical Routing via Non-Hermitian Zero-Index Networks