Scattering measurements of cylindrically symmetric microstructures
Back/forward scattering of dielectric particles and transmission through nanoholes to probe symmetry, helicity and material response.
The scattering of light by microscopic structures—such as dielectric particles or nanoholes— is a central topic in modern optics. We study both back- and forward-scattered light from dielectric microspheres and the transmission through arrays of nanoholes with different diameters fabricated on gold films.
For spherical particles, our analysis is grounded in Mie theory(1). We observe structured backscattering patterns that correlate directly with particle size and refractive index, providing a sensitive route to optical sizing and index retrieval.
In nanohole transmission(2), the breaking of electromagnetic duality during the light–matter interaction becomes a useful handle to understand the response of subwavelength apertures. Our measurements confirm an increasing helicity transformation of the transmitted light as the hole diameter decreases.
Looking ahead, we aim to explore these scattering and transformation effects at cryogenic temperatures, where changes in the electronic properties of the materials can strongly impact the optical response.
Keywords: Mie scattering, backscattering, forward scattering, nanoholes, helicity, duality breaking.