This work demonstrates control over unidirectional light in photonic structures, indicating potential for advanced beam manipulation applications.
Bound states in the continuum (BICs) are waves exhibiting theoretically infinite quality factors, offering a powerful mechanism for extreme light confinement in photonic structures.Although breaking vertical structural symmetry in BICs-supporting systems can induce asymmetric radiation, the radiated power typically remains partitioned between opposing half-spaces.Furthermore, achieving arbitrary control over the amplitude ratio and phase difference of these counter-propagating beams presents a significant challenge, thereby limiting sophisticated beam manipulation within a single half-space.In this work, we delve into BICs within the superwavelength regime, where photonic structures inherently support multiple diffraction orders.We systematically investigate the far-field polarization states and associated topological properties of these individual diffraction channels.Critically, by engineering a configuration that supports two co-propagating diffraction orders directed into the same half-space, we demonstrate comprehensive and continuous control over the resulting unidirectional guided resonances (UGRs).Full tunability of both the directionality (spanning from -1 to 1) and the relative phase difference (spanning from - to ) between these two co-propagating beams is achieved.This versatile manipulation of multiple beams radiating concertedly into a specific direction opens new avenues for various advanced applications.
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Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.
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