Coherent Virtual Absorption in Dielectric Metasurfaces

Through temporal shaping of the excitation signal, the complex-frequency scattering zeros of a lossless structure can be accessed, enabling a storage-release mechanism referred to as coherent virtual absorption. Practical demonstrations of this mechanism, however, have been limited to simple configurations such as slabs and spheres, where analytical solutions allow accurate prediction of the complex-frequency scattering zeros. Here, we extend this concept into the realm of metasurfaces and demonstrate coherent virtual absorption in realistic and dispersive metasurface configurations. Through a combination of full-wave analysis and rational approximation, we present a practical scheme to identify suitable complex-frequency zeros and achieve coherent virtual absorption successfully. Our approach can be implemented in arbitrary metasurface configurations with any number of ports, providing a robust framework for optimized energy storage, memories, optical sensing, and modulation in practical photonic systems.