Control of absorption with hyperbolic metamaterials

We show that absorption of thin dye-doped polymeric films can be tuned and enhanced (nearly threefold) by metallic and lamellar metal-dielectric hyperbolic metamaterial substrates. The effect can be controlled by a combination of the substrate’s geometry and composition. As the enhancement of absorption is sustained over large range of incidence angles, the demonstrated phenomenon can lead to a variety of important applications, including solar cell technology.