• DOI:10.1126/science.1210713
• Corpus ID: 10156200

Light Propagation with Phase Discontinuities: Generalized Laws of Reflection and Refraction

@article{Yu2011LightPW,
  title={Light Propagation with Phase Discontinuities: Generalized Laws of Reflection and Refraction},
  author={Nanfang Yu and Patrice Genevet and Mikhail A. Kats and Francesco Aieta and Jean‐Philippe Tetienne and Federico Capasso and Zeno Gaburro},
  journal={Science},
  year={2011},
  volume={334},
  pages={333 - 337}
}

• N. Yu, P. Genevet, +4 authors Z. Gaburro
• Published 21 October 2011
• Physics
• Science

Light propagation can be controlled with plasmonic interfaces that introduce abrupt phase shifts along the optical path. Conventional optical components rely on gradual phase shifts accumulated during light propagation to shape light beams. New degrees of freedom are attained by introducing abrupt phase changes over the scale of the wavelength. A two-dimensional array of optical resonators with spatially varying phase response and subwavelength separation can imprint such phase discontinuities on propagating light as it traverses the interface between two media. Anomalous reflection and refraction phenomena are observed in this regime in optically thin arrays of metallic antennas on silicon with a linear phase variation along the interface, which are in excellent agreement with generalized laws derived from Fermat’s principle. Phase discontinuities provide great flexibility in the design of light beams, as illustrated by the generation of optical vortices through use of planar designer metallic interfaces.