{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T18:07:46Z","timestamp":1785434866295,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Optica Publishing Group","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]],"date-time":"2026-02-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771372800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1364\/OA_License_v2#VOR-OA"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]],"date-time":"2026-02-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771372800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/opg.optica.org\/policies\/opg-tdm-policy.json"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2004298"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2004298"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2004422"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2004422"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["opg.optica.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Opt. Express"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The ability to control the spatial distribution of light, particularly in deep sub-wavelength areas, is important for a range of materials science, microscopy, and communications applications. Separately, materials science and communications rely on the ability to temporally shape the evolution of electromagnetic pulses. In this work, we investigate theoretically the propagation of ultrafast pulses inside hyperbolic metamaterials-based photonic funnels, which have been recently used to achieve a deep subwavelength (wavelength\/30) concentration of monochromatic mid-infrared light. By analyzing the complex spatio-temporal dynamics of the pulse-funnel interaction, we show that photonic funnels, in general, broaden bandwidth-limited ultrafast Gaussian pulses. We demonstrate that this broadening can be mitigated by pre-chirping the incoming light, realizing simultaneous intensity enhancement and spatio-temporal compression of mid-wave IR light in the all-semiconductor \u201cdesigner metal\u201d funnel platform. Our analysis suggests that, in combination with linear chirp, designer-metal-based photonic funnels can be utilized with 100\u2009fs bandwidth- and diffraction-limited pulses to produce wavelength\/30-scale signals of \u223c200\u2009fs duration, with intensity enhancement on the order of 5. Lowering material absorption can further enhance the peak intensity. The results presented can be used to assess the perspectives of ultrafast sub-diffraction light manipulation in other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum by adjusting the (meta)material composition of the funnels.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1364\/oe.581430","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T02:00:10Z","timestamp":1765504810000},"page":"6858","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1364\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Subdiffractive confinement of ultrashort mid-IR pulses with photonic funnels"],"prefix":"10.1364","volume":"34","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8095-838X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"J.","family":"LaMountain","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03hamhx47","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-5499-8637","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"A.","family":"Raju","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Texas at Austin"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3234-0803","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"D.","family":"Wasserman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Texas at Austin"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9907-758X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"V. A.","family":"Podolskiy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03hamhx47","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"285","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R1","first-page":"322,339","volume":"8","author":"Landau","year":"2013"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4529","DOI":"10.1021\/nl501558t","type":"journal-article","volume":"14","author":"Wagner","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nano Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2413748","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.202413748","type":"journal-article","volume":"37","author":"Luo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Adv. Mater."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"514","DOI":"10.1364\/PRJ.416633","type":"journal-article","volume":"9","author":"Qin","year":"2021","journal-title":"Photonics Res."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2276","DOI":"10.1364\/OL.424491","type":"journal-article","volume":"46","author":"Novikov","year":"2021","journal-title":"Opt. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1137","DOI":"10.1021\/acsphotonics.0c01940","type":"journal-article","volume":"8","author":"Wang","year":"2021","journal-title":"ACS Photonics"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7517","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-022-11501-4","type":"journal-article","volume":"12","author":"Mareev","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2523","DOI":"10.1364\/OL.489652","type":"journal-article","volume":"48","author":"Duan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Opt. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1559","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-021-21835-8","type":"journal-article","volume":"12","author":"Lee","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat. Commun."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11316","DOI":"10.1021\/acsnano.8b06026","type":"journal-article","volume":"12","author":"Ma","year":"2018","journal-title":"ACS Nano"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"946","DOI":"10.1038\/nmat2033","type":"journal-article","volume":"6","author":"Hoffman","year":"2007","journal-title":"Nat. Mater."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"890","DOI":"10.1364\/OL.34.000890","type":"journal-article","volume":"34","author":"Thongrattanasiri","year":"2009","journal-title":"Opt. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8247","DOI":"10.1364\/OE.14.008247","type":"journal-article","volume":"14","author":"Jacob","year":"2006","journal-title":"Opt. Express"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"075103","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevB.74.075103","type":"journal-article","volume":"74","author":"Salandrino","year":"2006","journal-title":"Phys. Rev. B"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1686","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1137368","type":"journal-article","volume":"315","author":"Liu","year":"2007","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"542","DOI":"10.1021\/acsnano.7b07185","type":"journal-article","volume":"12","author":"Sun","year":"2018","journal-title":"ACS Nano"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"155108","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevB.73.155108","type":"journal-article","volume":"73","author":"Govyadinov","year":"2006","journal-title":"Phys. Rev. B"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2001321","DOI":"10.1002\/adom.202001321","type":"journal-article","volume":"8","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"Adv. Opt. Mater."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4625","DOI":"10.1515\/nanoph-2024-0213","type":"journal-article","volume":"13","author":"LaMountain","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nanophotonics"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"F38","DOI":"10.1364\/JOSAB.36.000F38","type":"journal-article","volume":"36","author":"Takayama","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Opt. Soc. Am. B"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"812","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijhydene.2024.07.303","type":"journal-article","volume":"81","author":"Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Hydrogen Energy"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3264","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.201205076","type":"journal-article","volume":"25","author":"Naik","year":"2013","journal-title":"Adv. Mater."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1755","DOI":"10.1021\/acsphotonics.9b00485","type":"journal-article","volume":"6","author":"Bouras","year":"2019","journal-title":"ACS Photonics"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10568","DOI":"10.1038\/ncomms10568","type":"journal-article","volume":"7","author":"Chang","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat. Commun."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2612","DOI":"10.1109\/TAP.2003.817542","type":"journal-article","volume":"51","author":"Balmain","year":"2003","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"146","DOI":"10.1109\/LAWP.2002.807565","type":"journal-article","volume":"1","author":"Balmain","year":"2002","journal-title":"Antennas Wirel. Propag. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2201986","DOI":"10.1002\/adom.202201986","type":"journal-article","volume":"11","author":"Gan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Adv. Opt. Mater."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"181105","DOI":"10.1063\/1.4710548","type":"journal-article","volume":"100","author":"Jacob","year":"2012","journal-title":"Appl. Phys. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"205","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1219171","type":"journal-article","volume":"336","author":"Krishnamoorthy","year":"2012","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1863","DOI":"10.1364\/OL.35.001863","type":"journal-article","volume":"35","author":"Noginov","year":"2010","journal-title":"Opt. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e16273","DOI":"10.1038\/lsa.2016.273","type":"journal-article","volume":"6","author":"Ginzburg","year":"2016","journal-title":"Light: Sci. Appl."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s43593-021-00008-6","type":"journal-article","volume":"2","author":"Lee","year":"2022","journal-title":"eLight"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3858","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.nanolett.6b01341","type":"journal-article","volume":"16","author":"Giles","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nano Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"eabp8486","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.abp8486","type":"journal-article","volume":"8","author":"\u00c1lvarez-P\u00e9rez","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci. Adv."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2549","DOI":"10.1021\/acsphotonics.7b01182","type":"journal-article","volume":"5","author":"Lee","year":"2018","journal-title":"ACS Photonics"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3291","DOI":"10.1038\/srep03291","type":"journal-article","volume":"3","author":"Sreekanth","year":"2013","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"295","DOI":"10.1515\/nanoph-2020-0466","type":"journal-article","volume":"10","author":"Palermo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Nanophotonics"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4545","DOI":"10.1515\/nanoph-2025-0315","type":"journal-article","volume":"14","author":"Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nanophotonics"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"948","DOI":"10.1038\/nphoton.2013.243","type":"journal-article","volume":"7","author":"Poddubny","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nat. Photonics"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12155","DOI":"10.1364\/OE.20.012155","type":"journal-article","volume":"20","author":"Law","year":"2012","journal-title":"Opt. Express"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"052601","DOI":"10.1116\/1.4891170","type":"journal-article","volume":"32","author":"Law","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Vac. Sci. & Technol. B"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"223902","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevLett.97.223902","type":"journal-article","volume":"97","author":"Govyadinov","year":"2006","journal-title":"Phys. Rev. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pquantelec.2015.07.001","type":"journal-article","volume":"43","author":"Pires","year":"2015","journal-title":"Prog. Quantum Electron."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"182","DOI":"10.1016\/j.infrared.2018.04.008","type":"journal-article","volume":"91","author":"Petersen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Infrared Phys. & Technol."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20955","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-022-25365-1","type":"journal-article","volume":"12","author":"Miyagawa","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"067402","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevLett.88.067402","type":"journal-article","volume":"88","author":"Stockman","year":"2002","journal-title":"Phys. Rev. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233003","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevLett.114.233003","type":"journal-article","volume":"114","author":"Levin","year":"2015","journal-title":"Phys. Rev. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R48","first-page":"87,412","author":"Weiner","year":"2011"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"191109","DOI":"10.1063\/1.2737935","type":"journal-article","volume":"90","author":"Elser","year":"2007","journal-title":"Appl. Phys. Lett."},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nanoen.2018.10.046","type":"journal-article","volume":"54","author":"Prajapati","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nano Energy"},{"key":"oe-34-4-6858-R51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1675","DOI":"10.1364\/PRJ.432030","type":"journal-article","volume":"9","author":"Sun","year":"2021","journal-title":"Photonics Res."}],"container-title":["Optics Express"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/opg.optica.org\/viewmedia.cfm?URI=oe-34-4-6858","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/opg.optica.org\/viewmedia.cfm?URI=oe-34-4-6858&seq=0","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T13:06:27Z","timestamp":1778677587000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/opg.optica.org\/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-34-4-6858"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1364\/oe.581430","relation":{},"ISSN":["1094-4087"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1094-4087","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]]},"assertion":[{"value":"Optica Publishing Group","name":"publisher","label":"This article is maintained by"},{"value":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1364\/OE.581430","name":"articlelink","label":"Crossref DOI link to publisher maintained version"},{"value":"research-article","name":"content_type","label":"Article type"},{"value":"Screened by Similarity Check","name":"cross_check","label":"Similarity check"},{"value":"Yes","order":0,"name":"peer_reviewed","label":"Peer reviewed","group":{"name":"peer_review","label":"Peer review"}},{"value":"Single blind","order":1,"name":"review_process","label":"Review process","group":{"name":"peer_review","label":"Peer review"}},{"value":"29 October 2025","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"11 December 2025","order":1,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"18 February 2026","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"\u00a9 2026 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement","name":"copyright","label":"Copyright"}]}}