Multipolar interference for non-reciprocal nonlinear generation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how nonlinear multipolar interference can enable non-reciprocal and unidirectional nonlinear light generation in nanoelements, allowing control over the directionality of nonlinear signals through interference effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach leveraging nonlinear multipolar interference to achieve non-reciprocal nonlinear optical responses in nano-scale structures.

Findings

Nonlinear multipolar interference enables non-reciprocal light generation.

Direction of nonlinear emission can be decoupled from excitation beams.

Numerical demonstration with plasmonic dimer confirms the concept.

Abstract

We show that nonlinear multipolar interference allows achieving not only unidirectional, but also non-reciprocal nonlinear generation from a nanoelement, with the direction of the nonlinearly produced light decoupled from that of at least one or several of the excitation beams. Alternatively, it may allow inhibiting the specified nonlinear response in a nanoelement or in its periodic arrangement by reversing the direction of one of the pumps. The described phenomena exploit the fact that, contrary to the linear response case, nonlinear magneto-electric interference stems from a combination of additive and multiplicative processes and includes an interference between various terms within the electric and magnetic partial waves themselves. We demonstrate the introduced concept numerically using an example of a plasmonic dimer geometry with realistic material parameters.