Superlens induced loss-insensitive optical force

Xiaohan Cui, Shubo Wang, and C. T. Chan

A slab with relative permittivity ɛ = -1+iδ and permeability μ = ‑1+iδ has a critical distance away from the slab where a small particle will either be cloaked or imaged depending on whether it is located inside or outside that critical distance. We find that the optical force acting on a small cylinder under plane wave illumination reaches a maximum value at this critical distance. Contrary to the usual observation that superlens systems should be highly loss-sensitive, this maximum optical force remains a constant when loss is changed within a certain range. For a fixed particle-slab distance, increasing loss can even amplify the optical force acting on the small cylinder, contrary to the usual belief that loss compromises the response of supenlens.

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