Linear control of light scattering with multiple coherent light excitation

With the wave interferometric approach, we study how extrinsically multiple coherent waves excitation can dramatically alter the overall scattering states, resulting in tailoring the energy assignment among radiation and dissipation. To explore the concept, we derive the corresponding formulas for dissipation and scattering powers for cylindrical passive systems encountered by general configurations of incident waves with various illuminating directions, phases, and intensities. We demonstrate that a linear superposition of incident waves extrinsically interferes the target channels in a desirable way. Moreover, the interferometric results can be irrespective to the inherent system configurations like size, materials, and structures. The extrinsic interfering waves pave a non-invasive solution to manipulate light and matter interaction, with potential applications in metasurfaces, nanophotonics, and metadevices.