Electromagnetic polarization controlled perfect switching effect with high refractive index dimers. the beam-splitter configuration

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a polarization-controlled perfect switching effect in a dielectric dimer, achieved through electric/magnetic interactions, with potential applications across various frequency ranges including visible and nanometric scales.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of a perfect switching effect in dielectric dimers driven by polarization, expanding understanding of directional scattering beyond traditional forward/backward analysis.

Findings

Perfect switching observed out of traditional directions

Switching controlled by excitation polarization

Results scalable to visible and nanometric scales

Abstract

High Refractive Index (HRI) dielectric particles smaller than the wavelength, isolated or forming a designed ensemble are ideal candidates as new multifunctional elements for building optical devices. Their directionality effects are traditionally analyzed through forward and backward measurements, even if these directions are not suitable for practical purposes. Here we present unambiguous experimental evidence in the microwave range that, for a dimer of HRI spherical particles, a perfect switching effect (perfect means off = null intensity) is observed out of those directions as a consequence of the mutual particle electric/magnetic interaction. The binary state depends on the excitation polarization (polarization switching). Its analysis is performed through the linear polarization degree of scattered radiation at a detection direction perpendicular to the incident direction: the beam-splitter configuration. The scaling property of Maxwell equations allows generalizing our results to other frequency range and dimension scales, for instance, the visible and the nanometric scale.