In this thesis, we present our original theoretical investigations of SiC microstruc-tures for extreme light control in the Reststrahlen band of Silicon Carbide (SiC), that occurs in the Mid-IR spectral regime. In this frequency regime, most of the light will be reflected from bulk SiC, due to the extreme permittivity response of SiC. However, we demonstrate that it is possible to control light to be absorbed or ultra refracted within the microstructures constructed from SiC in the Reststrahlen band of SiC. In particular, we show that this high reflective behaviour of SiC can be over-come via different mechanisms: by achieving a Photonic Crystal (PC) band-edge reflectionless condition in a SiC terminated one-dimensional (1D)-PC, by tailoring the effective phonon-polariton gap in SiC-based effective metamaterials, or by cou-pling to cavity modes in SiC structures made of rectangular-cross-section pillars. Furthermore, we demonstrate that by varying the thickness of SiC layers and filling ratio throughout SiC 1D-PC structures or by using SiC pillars of different size in a pyramid arrangement, we can achieve a broad absorption bandwidth with the SiC microstructures. This absorption control provides insight for the design of efficient thermal emitters, which can be used in thermal conversion devices. Moreover, us-ing the concept of Bloch impedance, we find that translucent spectral regions can exist in SiC 1D-PCs. This possibility is highly desirable for constructing optical components in the Mid-IR spectrum where suitable bulk highly refractive materials are rare. In addition, we also present a complete theory of propagation in lossy 1D-PCs, by systematically extending the comprehensive theory for lossless 1D-PCs. Relying on this theory, we report superbending of light, beyond 90 0 in a judiciously designed superprism constructed with a SiC 1D-PC. Since, the findings reported in this thesis are in principle applicable to any polar material, we believe that our work will inspire the design of a variety of absorptive/emissive and ultra-refractive devices across the THz/Mid-IR spectrum.

Absorption plays a critical role in a variety of optical applications – sometimes it is desirable to minimize it as in optical fibers and waveguides, or to enhance it as in solar cells and photodetectors. We describe here a new optical scheme that controllably produces high optical absorption over a broad wavelength range (hundreds of nm) in systems that have low intrinsic absorption over the same range. This effect, 'coherent perfect absorption' or CPA, arises from a subtle interplay between interference and absorption of two beams incident on a weakly absorbing medium. In the first part of this study, we present an analytical model that captures the relevant physics of CPA in one-dimensional photonic structures. This model elucidates an absorption-mediated interference effect that underlies CPA – an effect that is normally forbidden in Hermitian systems, but is allowed when conservation of energy is violated due to the inclusion of loss. As a concrete example, we consider a Fabry-Pérot resonator containing a lossy dielectric and confirm this model through a computational study of a 1-micron-thick silicon layer in a cavity formed of dispersive mirrors with aperiodic multilayer design. We confirm that one may achieve 100% absorption in this thin silicon layer (whose intrinsic absorption is only ~ 3%) in the near-infrared. We then design two device models using few-micron-thick aperiodic planar dielectric mirrors and demonstrate (computationally, as well as experimentally) spectrally flat, coherently enhanced absorption at the theoretical limit in a 2-micron-thick film of polycrystalline silicon embedded in symmetric and asymmetric cavities. This coherent effect is observed over an octave-spanning wavelength range of ~800 – 1600 nm utilizing incoherent light in the near-infrared, exploiting mirrors that have wavelength-dependent reflectivity devised to counterbalance the decline in silicon's intrinsic absorption at long wavelengths. We anticipate that the design principles established here may be extended to other materials, broader spectral ranges, and large surface areas. Finally, we study the effect of the angle of incidence on CPA in planar structures. The results of this study point to a path for realizing CPA in such systems continuously over large bandwidths.

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions un métamatériau inspiré de la paille de blé pour l'absorption parfaite du son. Une botte de paille estidéalisée comme un milieu poreux anisotrope, composé d’un arrangement périodique très concentré de tubes creux cylindriques. L’approche théorique de ce métamatériau repose sur l'homogénéisation asymptotique à deux échelles d'un réseau perméable de résonateursparfaitement rigides dont la physique est enrichi par des résonances internes. Les principales caractéristiques de ce milieu poreux sont lacompressibilité effective négative autour de la résonance du tube et la réduction drastique de la vitesse de propagation du son (slowsound) à très basse fréquence. Une configuration optimale est conçue, basée sur la condition de couplage critique, pour laquelle la fuited’énergie du système résonnant ouvert est parfaitement compensée par les pertes intrinsèques induites par les pertes viscothermiques.Des mesures en tube à impédance sont effectuées sur des échantillons fabriqués par impression additive pour valider les résultatsthéoriques. Nous montrons que ce métamatériau est un absorbeur sub-longueur d'onde capable d’une absorption parfaite à très bassefréquence et d'introduire une quasi-bande interdite autour de la résonance du tube. De plus, la nature anisotrope de ce matériau conduit àune absorption globalement élevée à basse fréquence et ce pour toutes les incidences. Cette étude offre la possibilité de concevoir unabsorbeur acoustique sélectif en angle et en fréquence. Pour conclure, les résultats de cette thèse montrent que la paille est un boncandidat pour une absorption acoustique parfaite. / Straw-inspired metamaterials for sound absorption are investigated in this Thesis. A straw stack is idealized as a highly concentratedresonant anisotropic porous medium constituted of a periodic arrangement of densely packed cylindrical hollow tubes. The approach tothis metamaterial relies on the two-scale asymptotic homogenization of a permeable array of perfectly rigid resonators, where the physicsis further enriched by tailoring inner resonances. The main features of such sound absorbing medium are the possibility for the effectivecompressibility to become negative around the tube resonance and the drastic reduction of the effective sound speed (slow sound) at verylow frequency in the system. Moreover, an optimal configuration for sound absorption is designed, based on the critical couplingcondition, in which the energy leakage out of the open resonant system is perfectly compensated by the intrinsic losses induced by thevisco-thermal losses both in the anisotropic matrix and in the resonators. Impedance tube measurements are performed on 3-D printedsamples with controlled parameters to validate the theoretical results. This metamaterial is a sub-wavelength absorber that can achievetotal absorption at a very low frequency and possesses a quasi-band-gap around the tube resonance. Furthermore, the anisotropic nature ofthe configuration gives rise to high absorption at low-frequency range for all incidences and diffuse field excitation. It paves the way tothe design of angular and frequency selective sound absorber. To conclude, the results of this Thesis show that straw is a good candidatefor perfect sound absorption.

We are using organic small molecules as absorbing material to investigate coherent perfect absorption in layered thin-film structures. Therefore we realize strongly asymmetric resonator structures with a high optical quality dielectric distributed Bragg reflector and thermally evaporated wedged organic materials on top. We investigate the optical properties of these structures systematically by selective optical pumping and probing of the structure. By shifting the samples along the wedge, we demonstrate how relations of phase and amplitude of all waves can be tuned to achieve coherent perfect absorption. Thus almost all incident radiation dissipates in the thin organic absorbing layer. Furthermore, we show how these wedged structures on a high-quality reflective dielectric mirror can be used to determine optical dispersion relations of absorbing materials in a broad spectral range. This novel approach does not require any specific a priori knowledge on the absorbing film.

<p>Similar to thermodynamic phase transitions in matter, readily apparent changes in optical response arise in the transition from isotropic to anisotropic optical phases. Treating the anisotropy of the dielectric permittivity as a control parameter, which changes continuously from zero to a nonzero finite value at the transition, in this work we describe the resulting effect on light propagation. </p> <p><br></p> <p>We begin by investigating a simple case of the manifestations of such optical transition in lossy media. In the presence of loss, isotropic materials do not support Brewster phenomenon, however, if one changes the anisotropy continuously, the exact zero in the reflection at the Brewster incidence angle is recovered. Next, in the case of uniaxial anisotropy, we uncover dramatic changes in far-field thermal radiation induced by the transitions between metal, dielectric, and hyperbolic optical regimes that can be observed in the same material. We demonstrate that continuous evolution between different ''phases'' in the electromagnetic response imprints a characteristic signature in the far-field thermal emission. Finally, we show that the evolution of the optical anisotropy from uniaxial to biaxial symmetry brings qualitatively new optical modes which are different from the conventional propagating and evanescent fields. These emergent ''ghost'' waves offer a unique way to control mode interactions in optical systems. Our work uncovers the connection between the macroscopic properties of the optical materials and the transitions between different regimes of the electromagnetic response in these media. At last, we propose a range of potential applications of the resulting phenomena, from perfect absorption in lossy media to thermal radiation and optical sensing.</p>

Le contrôle des vibrations à basse fréquence adapté aux structures légères est un défi scientifique ettechnologique en raison de contraintes économiques et écologiques de plus en plus strictes. De récentes études enacoustique ont portées sur l’absorption totale d’ondes basses fréquences à l’aide d’absorbeurs parfaits sublongueursd’onde. Ces métamatériaux sont obtenus en exploitant la condition de couplage critique. Unegénéralisation de cette méthode pour le domaine élastodynamique serait d’un grand intérêt pour répondre auxexigences du contrôle des vibrations de structures légères à basse fréquence.Cette thèse vise à adapter le problème d’absorption parfaite des ondes de flexion dans des systèmes 1D et 2D avecdes résonateurs locaux en utilisant la condition de couplage critique. Une étude préliminaire sur des systèmes 1D àgéométries simples sont d’abord proposée. Celle-ci propose une méthode de conception de résonateurs simplespour une absorption efficace des ondes de flexion. Une complexification du système 1D est ensuite considérée avecl’étude du couplage critique de Trou Noir Acoustique (TNA) 1D. Ceci a motivé l’interprétation de l’effet TNA à l’aidedu concept de couplage critique afin de présenter des outils clés à de futures procédures d’optimisation pour ce typede terminaisons. La condition de couplage critique est ensuite étendue aux systèmes 2D. L’absorption parfaite parle premier mode axisymétrique d’un résonateur circulaire inséré dans une plaque mince infinie est analysée. Ladiffusion multiple par une ligne de résonateurs circulaires insérés dans une plaque mince 2D infinie ou semi-infinie,appelée métaplaque, est aussi considérée dans l’optique de se rapprocher d’une application industrielle. A traverscette thèse, des modèles analytiques, des simulations numériques et des expériences sont présentés pour valider lecomportement physique des systèmes présentés. / The vibration control adapted to light structures is a scientific and technological challenge due toincreasingly stringent economic and ecological standards. Meanwhile, recent studies in audible acoustics havefocused on broadband wave absorption at low frequencies by means of subwavelength perfect absorbers. Suchmetamaterials can totally absorb the energy of an incident wave. The generalisation of this method for applicationsin elastodynamics could be of great interest for the vibration control of light structures.This thesis aims at adapting the perfect absorption problem for flexural waves in 1D and 2D systems with localresonators using the critical coupling condition. A study of 1D systems with simple geometries is first proposed. Thisprovides methods to design simple resonators for an effective absorption of flexural waves. The 1D systems thenbecome more complex by studying the critical coupling of 1D Acoustic Black Holes (ABH). The ABH effect is theninterpreted using the concept of critical coupling, and key features for future optimisation procedures of ABHs arepresented. The critical coupling condition is then extended to 2D systems. The perfect absorption by the firstaxisymmetric mode of a circular resonator inserted in a thin plate is analysed. Multiple scattering by an array ofcircular resonators inserted in an infinite or semi-infinite 2D thin plate, called metaplate, is also considered to getclose to practical applications. Through this thesis, analytical models, numerical simulations and experiments areshown to validate the physical behaviour of the systems presented.