Diffraction-free surface waves by metasurfaces

We propose a method to design and realize planar Bessel lens using artificial metasurfaces to produce diffraction-free surface waves. The planar Bessel lens is composed of two sublenses: a half Maxwell fisheye lens which can shape the surface cylindrical waves to surface plane waves, and an inhomogeneous flat lens which can convert the surface plane waves into approximate diffraction-free surface waves in a diamond-shaped focusing area. Through the planar Bessel lens, a point source on the metasurface directly radiates the diffraction-free surface waves. In realization, we construct the inhomogeneous metasurfaces by subwavelength metallic patches printed on a grounded dielectric substrate. Simulation and experimental results have good agreements, which jointly show the formation of the diffraction- free surface waves in the microwave band. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America