Manipulation of the polarization of Terahertz wave in subwavelength regime

Abstract

By generalizing the concept of spoof surface Plasmons (Science 305, 847), we analytically demonstrate that subwavelength quarter-wave and half-wave plates can be realized in a metal hole array (MHA) sandwiched by two thin-layer materials, whose optical responses can be characterized by their optical conductivities. These abilities of polarization conversion can be attributed to the novel eigenstates induced by the hybridization of the spoof surface plamsons with the current generated in the thin-layer. Due to this mechanism, the robustness of the system is promised. The analytic predictions are verified numerically by modeling the thin-layer material as an experimentally feasible topological-insulator/SiO2 multilayer. Moreover, the possibility of extending the principle to a broad range of materials is dicussed.