We discuss the possibility of realizing utlrabroadband omnidirectional absorbers and angularly selective coherent thermal emitters based on properly patterned plasmonic metastructures. Instead of relying on resonant concentration effects that inherently limit the bandwidth, we base our design on the combination of two inherently nonresonant effects: plasmonic Brewster funneling and adiabatic plasmonic focusing. Using this approach, we propose compact, broadband absorption and emission spanning terahertz, infrared, and optical frequencies, ideal for various energy and defense applications.

• Received 20 November 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.205112