Nonperturbative Effective Magnetic Nonlinearity in ENZ Media Doped with Kerr Dielectric Inclusions

Abstract

Nonlinear metamaterials enable the enhancement of the usually weak optical nonlinear response of matter, as well as the design of a particular nonlinear material response. Here, we theoretically demonstrate that a nonperturbative magnetic nonlinearity can be effectively induced by introducing resonant nonlinear dielectric inclusions into a two-dimensional (2D) epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) host; furthermore, we investigate how such characteristics may be affected by the presence of loss in the ENZ host. Following the concept of photonic doping, nonlinear inclusions immersed in ENZ media do not obey the conventional effective medium theories and allow for interesting features not attainable with traditional nonlinear metamaterials. These include single-unit cell nonlinear metamaterials, homogenization in the vicinity of the inclusions’ resonance, and effective material responses that recover subwavelength near-field effects. The combination of these factors provide an interesting playground in which to explore nonperturbative effective magnetic nonlinearities at any frequency for which an ENZ host and Kerr dielectric are available, with potential applications in the realization of nanophotonic switches and modulators.