Practical Limits of Achieving Artificial Magnetism and Effective Optical Medium by Using Self-Assembly of Metallic Colloidal Clusters

TL;DR

This paper investigates the practical limitations of using self-assembled metallic colloidal clusters to create optical magnetic metamaterials, highlighting challenges in achieving effective optical media with this approach.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of the constraints in fabricating optical magnetic metamaterials through self-assembly of plasmonic metamolecules.

Findings

Self-assembly limits the size and uniformity of plasmonic metamolecules.

Achieving a continuous effective optical medium remains highly challenging.

Theoretical insights guide future design of optical metamaterials using self-assembly.

Abstract

The self-assembly of metallic colloidal clusters (so called plasmonic metamolecules) has been viewed as a versatile, but highly effective approach for the materialization of the metamaterials exhibiting artificial magnetism at optical frequencies (including visible and near infrared (NIR) regimes). Indeed, several proofs of concepts of plasmonic metamolecules have been successfully demonstrated in both theoretical and experimental ways. Nevertheless, this self-assembly strategy has barely been used and still remains an underutilized method. For example, the self-assembly and optical utilization of the plasmonic metamolecules have been limited to the discrete unit of the structure; the materialization of effective optical medium made of plasmonic metamolecules is highly challenging. In this work, we theoretically exploited the practical limits of self-assembly technology for the fabrication of optical magnetic metamaterials.