Demonstration of zero optical backscattering from single nanoparticles

We present the first experimental demonstration of zero backscattering from nanoparticles at op- tical frequencies as originally discussed by Kerker et. al. [M. Kerker, D. Wang, and C. Giles, J. Opt. Soc. A 73, 765 (1983)]. GaAs pillars were fabricated on a fused silica substrate and the spectrum of the backscattered radiation was measured in the wavelength range 600-1000 nm. Suppression of backscattering occurred at ~725 nm, agreeing with calculations based on the discrete dipole approximation. Particles with zero backscattering provide new functionality for metamaterials and optical antennas.