Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-14-2016

Abstract

Relying on abrupt phase discontinuities, metasurfaces characterized by a transversely inhomogeneous surface impedance profile have been recently explored as an ultrathin platform to generate arbitrary wave fronts over subwavelength thicknesses. Here, we outline fundamental limitations of passive gradient metasurfaces in molding the impinging wave and show that local phase compensation is essentially insufficient to realize arbitrary wave manipulation, but full-wave designs should be considered. These findings represent a critical step towards realistic and highly efficient conformal wave manipulation beyond the scope of ray optics, enabling unprecedented nanoscale light molding.

Comments

This article was originally published in Physical Review X, volume 6, issue 4, in 2016. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.6.041008

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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