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We reveal that an isotropic, homogeneous, subwavelength particle with high refractive index can produce ultra-small total scattering. This effect, which follows from the inhibition of the electric dipole radiation, can be identified as a Fano resonance in the scattering efficiency and is associated with the excitation of an anapole mode in the particle. This anapole mode is non-radiative and emerges from the destructive interference of electric and toroidal dipoles. The invisibility effect could be useful for the design of highly transparent optical materials. This article is part of the themed issue 'New horizons for nanophotonics'.

We demonstrate experimentally a new type of order in optical magnetism resembling the staggered structure of spins in antiferromagnetic ordered materials. We study hybrid electromagnetic metasurfaces created by assembling hybrid meta-atoms formed by metallic split-ring resonators and dielectric particles with a high refractive index, both supporting optically-induced magnetic dipole resonances of different origin. Each pair (or 'metamolecule') is characterized by two interacting magnetic dipole moments with the distance-dependent magnetization resembling the spin exchange interaction in magnetic materials. By directly mapping the structure of the electromagnetic fields, we demonstrate experimentally that strong coupling between the optically-induced magnetic moments of different origin can flip the magnetisation orientation in a metamolecule creating an antiferromagnetic lattice of staggered optically-induced magnetic moments in hybrid metasurfaces.

Polarization is a key property defining the state of light. It was discovered by Brewster, while studying light reflected from materials at different angles. This led to the first polarizers, based on Brewsters effect. Now, one of the trends in photonics is the study of miniaturized devices exhibiting similar, or improved, functionalities compared with bulk optical elements. In this work, it is theoretically predicted that a properly designed all-dielectric metasurface exhibits a generalized Brewsters effect potentially for any angle, wavelength and polarization of choice. The effect is experimentally demonstrated for an array of silicon nanodisks at visible wavelengths. The underlying physics is related to the suppressed scattering at certain angles due to the interference between the electric and magnetic dipole resonances excited in the nanoparticles. These findings open doors for Brewster phenomenon to new applications in photonics, which are not bonded to a specific polarization or angle of incidence.