Dielectric metasurfaces have moved to the forefront of nanophotonics, offering flat, low-loss alternatives to conventional bulk optical elements for controlling the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light. These structures are of growing interest to researchers and engineers working on sensing, energy harvesting, and flat optics, as their performance hinges on precisely engineered optical resonances. Full-wave finite element simulation, combined with semianalytical multipole decomposition in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, gives us a way to not only predict these resonances but also uncover their underlying physical origins.
In this webinar, Dr. Pavel Terekhov, postdoctoral researcher at National Institute of Standards and Technology, will trace how a single quadrumer meta-atom, originally studied for its magnetic octupole response, evolves into two distinct light manipulation regimes. He will first revisit the foundational single-particle results that motivated this work, then show how arranging quadrumers into a periodic crystalline silicon metasurface produces anomalous absorption enhancement, governed by two independent multipole mechanisms coexisting in the same structure. Building on this, he will then introduce ongoing work on a gallium nitride metasurface, where the complex interplay of four different multipoles is used to sculpt reflection and transmission spectra including the quasi-bound-states-in-the-continuum (q-BIC) manipulation.
Attendees will see how COMSOL Multiphysics® and multipole decomposition connect full-wave simulation and analytical insight, turning abstract resonance behavior into physically interpretable design rules. The broader takeaway is that multipole-based simulation is not just a diagnostic tool but a design strategy: It enables the on-demand tailoring of absorption, reflection, and transmission in dielectric metasurfaces, with direct relevance to sensing, energy harvesting, and future optical device applications.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn about modeling multipole resonances in dielectric metasurfaces using full-wave finite element simulation and semianalytical multipole decomposition in COMSOL Multiphysics®.
- See how multipole-based simulation can be used to understand and control absorption, reflection, and transmission in silicon and gallium nitride metasurfaces.
- Explore how different multipole mechanisms, including quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs), can be engineered to tailor optical responses for sensing, energy harvesting, and flat optics.
- Gain insights into how simulation and multipole decomposition can help researchers and engineers turn complex resonance behavior into practical design strategies for future optical devices.
