Bianisotropic Metasurfaces: Ultra-thin Surfaces for Complete Control of Electromagnetic Wavefronts

Abstract

Complete control of electromagnetic fields requires particles that exhibit bianisotropic constituent parameters (i.e. permittivity, permeability, and chirality). Here, methods to analyze and synthesize two-dimensional, bianisotropic metamaterials (metasurfaces) are presented. First, closed-form expressions are derived relating the reflection and transmission coefficients of a general bianisotropic metasurface to its constituent surface parameters. Next, a systematic method to design bianisotropic metasurfaces is presented. It is analytically shown that cascading anisotropic, patterned metallic sheets (electric sheet admittances) can provide electric, magnetic, and chiral responses. To demonstrate the utility of the design procedure, four devices exhibiting exotic polarization transformations are presented: a polarization rotator, an asymmetric circular polarizer, an asymmetric linear polarizer, and a symmetric circular polarizer. The optimal performance at centimeter, millimeter, and micrometer wavelengths highlights the versatility of the design process.