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journal article Apr 10, 2026

Critical coupling–assisted extraordinary electromagnetic transmission unrestricted by aperture size

Wenjia Li ORCID Aidan L Zhang ORCID Qiuyi Lyu ORCID Xiaobo Yin ORCID
Science Advances Vol. 12 No. 15 · American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
View at Publisher Save 10.1126/sciadv.aea4450
Abstract
Extraordinary electromagnetic transmission is a captivating physical phenomenon that exhibits enhanced transmission efficiencies through metal films with subwavelength apertures. Although various mechanisms exist to achieve this effect, attaining ultrahigh extraordinary transmission through very small apertures in a metal film remains a challenge. Here, based on the principle of critical coupling, we demonstrate near-unity extraordinary electromagnetic transmission using a wire-through-hole metasurface. The extraordinary transmission effect is not constrained by the size of the metal aperture, which, in principle, can be arbitrarily small. The maximum transmission at the critical coupling condition can reach 100% in numerical simulations and 93.7% in experiments. The polarization of the transmitted wave can be rotated with an arbitrary angle without sacrificing the transmission efficiency by simply bending the metal wires. Our work introduces a mechanism for extraordinary electromagnetic transmission and lays the foundation for the development of advanced devices, such as high-efficiency sensors, filters, and communication systems.
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References
41
[18]
Mimicking Surface Plasmons with Structured Surfaces

J. B. Pendry, L. Martín-Moreno, F. J. García-Vidal

Science 10.1126/science.1098999
[27]
Tunneling of Electromagnetic Energy through Subwavelength Channels and Bends usingε-Near-Zero Materials

Mário Silveirinha, Nader Engheta

Physical Review Letters 10.1103/physrevlett.97.157403
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Citations
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References
Details
Published
Apr 10, 2026
Vol/Issue
12(15)
Authors
W
Wenjia Li

Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.

A
Aidan L Zhang

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.

Q
Qiuyi Lyu

Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.; Kadoorie Centre, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.

X
Xiaobo Yin

Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.; Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.; Kadoorie Centre, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.; State Key Laboratory of Optical Quantum Materials, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.

Funding
Hong Kong Research Grants Council Award: STG3/E-704/23-N
New Cornerstone Science Foundation Award: XPLORER Prize
Cite This Article
Wenjia Li, Aidan L Zhang, Qiuyi Lyu, et al. (2026). Critical coupling–assisted extraordinary electromagnetic transmission unrestricted by aperture size. Science Advances, 12(15). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aea4450
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