A simple light-trapping device from a hyperbolic metamaterial on a catenoid

Abstract

By using both ray and wave optics, we show that a simple device which consists on a film of hyperbolic metamaterial on the surface of a catenoid can be used to trap light. From the study of the trajectories, we observe a tendency for the light rays to wrap, and eventually be trapped, around the neck of the device. The wave equation appears to have an effective attractive potential, and their solutions confirm the bound states suggested by the trajectories. The relevant equations are solved numerically using neural networks.