Coherent perfect absorption in deeply subwavelength films in the single-photon regime

• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8031
• Publication Date: 2015-05-20T11:46:25Z
• Authors: Thomas Roger; Stefano Vezzoli; Eliot Bolduc; Joao Valente; Julius J. F. Heitz; John Jeffers; Cesare Soci; Jonathan Leach; Christophe Couteau; Nikolay I. Zheludev; Daniele Faccio
• Keywords: Two-Photon Absorption; Standing wave

The technologies of heating, photovoltaics, water photocatalysis and artificial photosynthesis depend on the absorption light novel approaches such as coherent from a standing wave promise total dissipation energy. Extending control down to very low levels eventually single photon regime is great interest yet remains largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate photons in deeply sub-wavelength 50% absorber. We show that while travelling probabilistic, can be observed deterministically, with nearly unitary probability coupling into mode material, e.g. localised plasmon when this metamaterial excited at resonance. These results bring better understanding process, which central importance for harvesting, detection, sensing photonic data processing applications.