Abstract
Nonradiating sources are nontrivial charge–current distributions that do not generate fields outside the source domain. The pursuit of their possible existence has fascinated several generations of physicists and triggered developments in various branches of science ranging from medical imaging to dark matter. Recently, one of the most fundamental types of nonradiating sources, named anapole states, has been realized in nanophotonics regime and soon spurred considerable research efforts and widespread interest. A series of astounding advances have been achieved within a very short period of time, uncovering the great potential of anapole states in many aspects such as lasing, sensing, metamaterials, and nonlinear optics. In this review, we provide a detailed account of anapole states in nanophotonics research, encompassing their basic concepts, historical origins, and new physical effects. We discuss the recent research frontiers in understanding and employing optical anapoles and provide an outlook for this vibrant field of research.
Highlights
Conventional wisdom, even to this day, states that accelerating charges should radiate electromagnetic energy [1]
Recent studies have found its general existence in nanophotonics and subsequently unveiled its promising potential in many related areas such as cloaking, lasing, sensing, spectroscopies, metamaterials, and nonlinear optics
We provide a bird’s-eye view on anapole states in nanophotonics research and hope that our timely review is able to show the vibrancy of the field
Summary
Conventional wisdom, even to this day, states that accelerating charges should radiate electromagnetic energy [1] This notion has stimulated the development of a diverse set of modern technologies, ranging from consumer electronics to large-scale particle accelerators. Advances in precise nanofabrication and metamaterials enabled the unveiling of such phenomena in a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum, spanning from microwave to near-infrared and visible frequencies [15,16,17,18] In these welldesigned structures, the existence of anapole states brings in suppression in far-field radiation and enhancements in near-field energy, which may facilitate many physical processes and open new venues for a variety of relevant applications such as cloaking, sensing, metamaterials, and nonlinear optics. We conclude our discussions and provide an outlook for the outstanding opportunities in this rapidly developing field
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