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Fabrication and Test of an Optical Magnetic MirrorTraditional mirrors at optical wavelengths use thin metalized or dielectric layers of uniform thickness to approximate a perfect electric field boundary condition. The electron gas in such a mirror configuration oscillates in response to the incident photons and subsequently re-emits fields where the propagation and electric field vectors have been inverted and the phase of the incident magnetic field is preserved. We proposed fabrication of sub-wavelength-scale conductive structures that could be used to interact with light at a nano-scale and enable synthesis of the desired perfect magnetic-field boundary condition. In a magnetic mirror, the interaction of light with the nanowires, dielectric layer and ground plate, inverts the magnetic field vector resulting in a zero degree phase shift upon reflection. Geometries such as split ring resonators and sinusoidal conductive strips were shown to demonstrate magnetic mirror behavior in the microwave and then in the visible. Work to design, fabricate and test a magnetic mirror began in 2007 at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) under an Internal Research and Development (IRAD) award Our initial nanowire geometry was sinusoidal but orthogonally asymmetric in spatial frequency, which allowed clear indications of its behavior by polarization. We report on the fabrication steps and testing of magnetic mirrors using a phase shifting interferometer and the first far-field imaging of an optical magnetic mirror.
Document ID
20180001176
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Hagopian, John G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Roman, Patrick A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Shiri, Shahram
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Wollack, Edward J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Roy, Madhumita
(Army Research Lab. Adelphi, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
February 13, 2018
Publication Date
August 21, 2011
Publication Information
Publication: Proceedings of SPIE, Plasmonics: Metallic Nanostructures and Their Optical Properties IX
Volume: 8096
Subject Category
Optics
Report/Patent Number
LEGNEW-OLDGSFC-GSFC-LN-1162
Meeting Information
Meeting: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) 2011 Conference: Optics and Photonics: Nanoscience and Engineering
Location: San Diego, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: August 21, 2011
End Date: August 25, 2011
Sponsors: International Society for Optical Engineering
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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