Chiral mirrors
Top Cited Papers
- 1 June 2015
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 106 (22)
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4921969
Abstract
Mirrors are used in telescopes, microscopes, photo cameras, lasers, satellite dishes, and everywhere else, where redirection of electromagnetic radiation is required making them arguably the most important optical component. While conventional isotropic mirrors will reflect linear polarizations without change, the handedness of circularly polarized waves is reversed upon reflection. Here, we demonstrate a type of mirror reflecting one circular polarization without changing its handedness, while absorbing the other. The polarization-preserving mirror consists of a planar metasurface with a subwavelength pattern that cannot be superimposed with its mirror image without being lifted out of its plane, and a conventional mirror spaced by a fraction of the wavelength from the metasurface. Such mirrors enable circularly polarized lasers and Fabry-Pérot cavities with enhanced tunability, gyroscopic applications, polarization-sensitive detectors of electromagnetic waves, and can be used to enhance spectroscopies of chiral media.Keywords
Funding Information
- MOE Singapore (MOE2011-T3-1-005)
- The Leverhulme Trust
- The Royal Society
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/G060363/1)
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