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Coherent perfect absorbers: linear control of light with light

Nature Reviews Materials volume 2, Article number: 17064 (2017) Cite this article

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Abstract

The absorption of electromagnetic energy by a material is a phenomenon that underlies many applications, including molecular sensing, photocurrent generation and photodetection. Typically, the incident energy is delivered to the system through a single channel, for example, by a plane wave incident on one side of an absorber. However, absorption can be made much more efficient by exploiting wave interference. A coherent perfect absorber is a system in which the complete absorption of electromagnetic radiation is achieved by controlling the interference of multiple incident waves. Here, we review recent advances in the design and applications of such devices. We present the theoretical principles underlying the phenomenon of coherent perfect absorption and give an overview of the photonic structures in which it can be realized, including planar and guided-mode structures, graphene-based systems, parity-symmetric and time-symmetric structures, 3D structures and quantum-mechanical systems. We then discuss possible applications of coherent perfect absorption in nanophotonics, and, finally, we survey the perspectives for the future of this field.

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Figure 1: Conceptual basis of coherent perfect absorption.
Figure 2: Realization of coherent perfect absorbers in planar structures.
Figure 3: Coherent perfect absorption in PT-symmetric structures.
Figure 4: Coherent perfect absorption in guided-mode structures.
Figure 5: Coherent perfect absorption in the quantum regime.
Figure 6: Applications of coherent perfect absorbers.

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Acknowledgements

D.G.B. and T.S. acknowledge support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. D.G.B. acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (3.1668.2017/4.6). T.S. acknowledges financial support from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsområdet, grant no. 2012–0414). A.A. and A.K. acknowledge support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (grant no. FA9550-17-1-0002) and the Welch Foundation (grant no. F-1802). Y.D.C. is grateful to A.D. Stone, H. Cao, L. Ge and A. Cerjan for numerous stimulating and deep discussions, and acknowledges support from the Singapore MOE Academic Research Fund Tier 2 (grant no. MOE2015-T2-2-008) and the Singapore MOE Academic Research Fund Tier 3 (grant no. MOE2011-T3-1-005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 412 96, Sweden

    Denis G. Baranov & Timur Shegai

  2. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia

    Denis G. Baranov

  3. ITMO University, St. Petersburg, 197101, Russia

    Denis G. Baranov

  4. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, Texas, USA

    Alex Krasnok & Andrea Alù

  5. Centre for Disruptive Photonic Technologies and School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637371, Singapore

    Yidong Chong

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  1. Denis G. Baranov
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All authors contributed equally to the preparation of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Denis G. Baranov or Yidong Chong.

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Baranov, D., Krasnok, A., Shegai, T. et al. Coherent perfect absorbers: linear control of light with light. Nat Rev Mater 2, 17064 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/natrevmats.2017.64

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