Probing the Magnetic Field of Light at Optical Frequencies

Year: 2009

Authors: Burresi M., Van Oosten D., Kampfrath T., Schoenmaker H., Heideman R., Leinse A., Kuipers L.

Autors Affiliation: Center for Nanophotonics, Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM) Institute–FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF), Science Park 104,1098 XG Amsterdam, Netherlands; LioniX B.V., University of Twente, de Veldmaat 10, 7500 AH Enschede, Netherlands

Abstract: Light is an electromagnetic wave composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, the one never occurring without the other. In light-matter interactions at optical frequencies, the magnetic component of light generally plays a negligible role. When we \”see\” or detect light, only its electric field is perceived; we are practically blind to its magnetic component. We used concepts from the field of metamaterials to probe the magnetic field of light with an engineered near-field aperture probe. We visualized with subwavelength resolution the magnetic- and electric-field distribution of propagating light.

Journal/Review: SCIENCE

Volume: 326 (5952)      Pages from: 550  to: 553

More Information: We gratefully thank M. Hammer and A. Ivanova for providing useful calculations, and J. C. Prangsma and M. Spasenovic for support and discussions. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Smart Mix Programme of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This work is part of the research program of FOM, which is financially supported by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO). Support by the NWO (Vici grant) is gratefully acknowledged. This work is also supported by NanoNed, a nanotechnology program of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The authors declare to have no competing financial interests.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1177096

Citations: 206
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