Arrays of gold split rings with a 50-nm minimum feature size and with an LC resonance at 200 THz frequency (1:5 m wavelength) are fabricated. For normal-incidence conditions, they exhibit a pronounced fundamental magnetic mode, arising from a coupling via the electric component of the incident light. For oblique incidence, a coupling via the magnetic component is demonstrated as well. Moreover, we identify a novel higher-order magnetic resonance at around 370 THz (800 nm wavelength) that evolves out of the Mie resonance for oblique incidence. Comparison with theory delivers good agreement and also shows that the structures allow for a negative magnetic permeability.

We discuss realization, properties and performance of the adaptive finite element approach to the design of nano-photonic components. Central issues are the construction of vectorial finite elements and the embedding of bounded components into the unbounded and possibly heterogeneous exterior. We apply the finite element method to the optimization of the design of a hollow core photonic crystal fiber. Thereby we look at the convergence of the method and discuss automatic and adaptive grid refinement and the performance of higher order elements.

Nonlocal material response distinctively changes the optical properties of nano-plasmonic scatterers and waveguides. It is described by the nonlocal hydrodynamic Drude model, which -in frequency domain -is given by a coupled system of equations for the electric field and an additional polarization current of the electron gas modeled analogous to a hydrodynamic flow. Recent attempt to simulate such nonlocal model using the finite difference time domain method encountered difficulties in dealing with the grad-div operator appearing in the governing equation of the hydrodynamic current. Therefore, in these studies the model has been simplified with the curl-free hydrodynamic current approximation; but this causes spurious resonances. In this paper we present a rigorous weak formulation in the Sobolev spaces H(curl) for the electric field and H(div) for the hydrodynamic current, which directly leads to a consistent discretization based on Nédélec's finite element spaces. Comparisons with the Mie theory results agree well. We also demonstrate the capability of the method to handle any arbitrary shaped scatterer.

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We introduce a theory to analyze the behavior of light emitters in nanostructured environments rigorously. Based on spectral theory, the approach opens the possibility to quantify precisely how an emitter decays to resonant states of the structure and how it couples to a background, also in the presence of general dispersive media. Quantification on this level is essential for designing and analyzing topical nanophotonic setups, e.g., in quantum technology applications. We use a numerical implementation of the theory for computing modal and background decay rates of a single-photon emitter in a diamond nanoresonator.