Programmable photonic nanojets via phase-only time-reversal: a numerical study

TL;DR

This paper introduces a phase-only time-reversal method to steer photonic nanojets precisely, using simulations to demonstrate robustness, subwavelength confinement, and insensitivity to boundary variations.

Contribution

It presents a novel phase-only time-reversal framework for controlling photonic nanojets without mechanical or amplitude modulation, validated through comprehensive simulations.

Findings

Robust lateral and axial nanojet steering demonstrated via FDFD simulations.

Nanojet formation is insensitive to moderate boundary variations.

The method shows robustness against fabrication and alignment errors.

Abstract

We present a phase-only time-reversal framework for steering photonic nanojets without mechanical motion or amplitude modulation. Time-reversed radiation by a synthetic source placed at the target PNJ location helps define a phase-only modulation on a control line, compatible with a spatial light modulator, that produces the desired PNJ. Full-wave finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) simulations demonstrate robust lateral and axial steering with subwavelength confinement and low sidelobes. A parametric study of microelement geometries shows that nanojet formation is largely insensitive to moderate boundary variations, with simple shapes providing competitive performance. Robustness to fabrication and alignment errors is confirmed via uncertainty analysis.