Probing the magnetic field of light at optical frequencies.
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.
Burresi
M
M
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. burresi@amolf.nl
van Oosten
D
D
Kampfrath
T
T
Schoenmaker
H
H
Heideman
R
R
Leinse
A
A
Kuipers
L
L