Multi-color and multidirectional-steerable Smith-Purcell radiation from 2D sub-wavelength hole arrays

Abstract

We proposed and investigated, by theoretical analyses and simulations, a multi-color and multi-directional radiation by using sheet electron-beams to drive two-dimensional (2D) sub-wavelength hole arrays (SHAs). Each sub-wavelength hole is a resonant and radiative unit, which is successively excited by the electron-beam, such that the 2D SHA becomes a 2D array of radiating units and generates coherent Smith-Purcell radiation in specific directions where the radiation from all the units constructively interferes. The multi-color radiation is obtained when several resonant modes are excited. Each resonant mode could simultaneously radiate at several directions due to the multiple periodicity of the 2D SHA, and the radiation could be steered to any directions in the three dimensional space by adjusting the arrangement of 2D SHA and the electron energy. This radiation could promisingly be developed as radiation sources and devices with broad applications.