Generalized Kerker Effects in Nanophotonics and Meta-Optics

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development and broadening of Kerker effects in nanophotonics, emphasizing their applications in meta-optics, including scattering, reflection, and absorption control through multipole interference.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the physics, manifestations, and recent advancements in generalized Kerker effects within nanophotonics and meta-optics.

Findings

Kerker effects have been expanded and generalized.

Interference of electromagnetic multipoles is central to new phenomena.

Applications include manipulation of scattering, reflection, and absorption.

Abstract

The original Kerker effect was introduced for a hypothetical magnetic sphere, and initially it did not attract much attention due to a lack of magnetic materials required. Rejuvenated by the recent explosive development of the field of metamaterials and especially its core concept of optically-induced artificial magnetism, the Kerker effect has gained an unprecedented impetus and rapidly pervaded different branches of nanophotonics. At the same time, the concept behind the effect itself has also been significantly expanded and generalized. Here we review the physics and various manifestations of the generalized Kerker effects, including the progress in the emerging field of meta-optics that focuses on interferences of electromagnetic multipoles of different orders and origins. We discuss not only the scattering by individual particles and particle clusters, but also the manipulation of reflection, transmission, diffraction, and absorption for metalattices and metasurfaces, revealing how various optical phenomena observed recently are all ubiquitously related to the Kerker's concept.