Complex modes and near-zero permittivity in 3D arrays of plasmonic nanoshells: loss compensation using gain [Invited]

We report on the possibility of adopting active gain materials (specifically, made of fluorescent dyes) to mitigate the losses in a 3D periodic array of dielectric-core metallic-shell nanospheres. We find the modes with complex wavenumber in the structure, and describe the composite material in terms of homogenized effective permittivity, comparing results from modal analysis and Maxwell Garnett theory. We then design two metamaterials in which the epsilon-near-zero frequency region overlaps with the emission band of the adopted gain media, and we show that metamaterials with effective parameters with low losses are feasible, thanks to the gain materials. Even though fluorescent dyes embedded in the nanoshells' dielectric cores are employed in this study, the formulation provided is general, and could account for the usage of other active materials, such as semiconductors and quantum dots. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America