An Efficient Method for Light Beaming from Subwavelength Slits Surrounded by Surface Gratings

Subwavelength beam focusing by multiple-metal slits surrounded by chirped dielectric surface gratings

Beaming light from a subwavelength aperture.

Light usually diffracts in all directions when it emerges from a subwavelength aperture, which puts a lower limit on the size of features that can be used in photonics. This limitation can be overcome by creating a periodic texture on the exit side of a single aperture in a metal film. The transmitted light emerges from the aperture as a beam with a small angular divergence (approximately +/-3 ...

Subwavelength surface-relief gratings for stellar coronagraphy.

We present a new design of a phase mask coronagraph implemented with subwavelength diffractive optical elements consisting of optimized surface-relief gratings. Phase mask coronagraphy is a recent technique that seeks to accommodate both high dynamic and high angular resolution imaging of faint sources around bright astrophysical objects such as exoplanets orbiting their host stars. The origina...

Efficient directional beaming from small apertures using surface-plasmon diffraction gratings

Beaming matter waves from a subwavelength aperture

We show theoretically that the shape of a beam of matter waves cold atoms emerging from one subwavelength aperture pierced in a film can be collimated within a few degrees. By means of an external laser field, a potential well for the atoms in the direction perpendicular to the surface is created. In this way, a running surface matter wave can be excited when atoms diffract from the aperture. I...