Nonlinear optics with resonant metasurfaces

The field of nonlinear optics is a well-established discipline that relies on macroscopic media and employs propagation distances longer than a wavelength of light. Recent progress with electromagnetic metamaterials has allowed for the expansion of this field into new directions of new phenomena and novel functionalities. In particular, nonlinear effects in thin, artificially structured materials such as metasurfaces do not rely on phase-matching conditions and symmetry-related selection rules of natural materials; they may be substantially enhanced by strong local and collective resonances of fields inside the metasurface nanostructures. Consequently, nonlinear processes may extend beyond simple harmonic generation and spectral broadening due to electronic nonlinearities. This article provides a brief review of basic concepts and recent results in the field of nonlinear optical metasurfaces.