Singularity-driven second- and third-harmonic generation at ε-near-zero crossing points

We show an alternative path to efficient second- and third-harmonic generation in proximity of the zero crossing points of the dielectric permittivity in conjunction with low absorption. Under these circumstances, any material, either natural or artificial, will show similar degrees of field enhancement followed by strong harmonic generation, without resorting to any resonant mechanism. The results presented in this paper provide a general demonstration of the potential that the zero-crossing-point condition holds for nonlinear optical phenomena. We investigate a generic Lorentz medium and demonstrate that a singularity-driven enhancement of the electric field may be achieved even in extremely thin layers of material. We also discuss the role of nonlinear surface sources in a realistic scenario where a 20-nm layer of CaF 2 is excited at 21 μm, where ε ∼ 0. Finally, we show similar behavior in an artificial composite material that includes absorbing dyes in the visible range, provide a general tool for the improvement of harmonic generation using the ε ∼ 0 condition, and illustrate that this singularity-driven enhancement of the field lowers the thresholds for a plethora of nonlinear optical phenomena. ©2011 American Physical Society.