Experimental Probing of Photonic Density of States in Hyperbolic Metamaterial

TL;DR

This paper experimentally demonstrates a significant reduction in dye emission lifetime on hyperbolic metamaterials, confirming the predicted high photonic density of states in such structures.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of the high photonic density of states in hyperbolic metamaterials through lifetime measurements.

Findings

Six-fold reduction in dye emission lifetime observed.

Confirmation of high photonic density of states in hyperbolic metamaterials.

Experimental validation of theoretical predictions.

Abstract

In the metamaterial with hyperbolic dispersion (an array of silver nanowires in alumina membrane) we have observed six-fold reduction of the emission life-time of dye deposited onto the metamaterials surface. This serves as the evidence of the earlier predicted high density of photonic states in hyperbolic metamaterials.