Resonance-trapped bound states in the continuum in metallic THz metasurfaces

Opt Lett. 2021 Jan 15;46(2):162-165. doi: 10.1364/OL.410791.

Abstract

The realization of bound states in the continuum (BICs) in optical systems has been relying mainly on symmetry breaking. In contrast, another mechanism, known as resonance-trapped (or Friedrich-Wintgen) scenario, has been reported in the limited scope of dielectric resonant inclusions or at off-Γ points. In this Letter, we demonstrate that the coupling coefficient between two coplanar metallic split-ring resonators can be tuned to satisfy the Friedrich-Wintgen BIC condition with normal terahertz (THz) incidence when metals are modeled as perfect electric conductors. Temporal coupled-mode theory is applied to validate the results. Experimentally, a BIC-induced cloaking effect has been observed, owing to the intrinsic dissipation loss of the constitutive materials. Our findings suggest an alternative strategy to construct BICs in metallic metasurfaces apart from conventional symmetry-breaking methods.