Controlling the electric field enhancement factor of photonic nanojets by using the magneto-optical effect

Abstract

In recent years, many researchers have studied photonic nanojets. These nanojets are created when an incident plane wave is focused into a narrow and high intensity emerging optical beam leaving a micro-object (e.g. microcylinder). These narrow beams may find applications in particle imaging and detection, optical sensors, enhanced Raman scattering, and particle manipulation. They also allow the projection of a particle to the far-field where it can be easily visualized. In this paper, it is shown that the electric field enhancement factor can be dynamically controlled by the application of an external intense magnetic flux density.