Non-resonant hyperlens in the visible range (Presentation Recording)

Abstract

A metamaterial hyperlens offers a unique solution to overcome the diffraction limit by transforming evanescent waves responsible for imaging subwavelength features of an object into propagating waves. However, the first realizations of optical hyperlenses were limited by a narrow working bandwidth and significant resonance-induced loss. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of a non-resonant waveguide-coupled hyperlens operating in the visible wavelength range that was fabricated using a combination of top-down and bottom-up fabrication approaches. A detailed investigation of various materials systems proves that a radial fan-shaped configuration is superior to the concentric layer-based configuration in that it relies on non-resonant negative dielectric response, and, as a result, enables broadband and low-loss performance in the visible range. While the majority of applications of a hyperlens is expected to be in optical frequency range, the challenge of fabricating non-resonant radial structures at optical frequencies has not been overcome until now.