  Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), belonging to the class of van der
Waals materials, are promising materials for optoelectronics and photonics. In
particular, their giant optical anisotropy may enable important optical effects
when employed in nanostructures with finite thickness. In this paper, we
theoretically and numerically study light scattering behavior from anisotropic
MoS2 nanocylinders, and highlight its distinct features advantageous over the
response of conventional silicon particles of the same shape. We establish two
remarkable phenomena, appearing in the same MoS2 particle with optimized
geometry. The first one is a pure magnetic dipole scattering associated with
the excitation of the electric-dipole anapole states. Previously reported in
core-shell hybrid (metal/dielectric) systems only, it is now demonstrated in an
all-dielectric particle. The second phenomenon is the super-deflection in the
far field: the maximum scattering may occur over a wide range of directions,
including forward-, backward- and side-scattering depending on the mutual
orientation of the MoS2 nanocylinder and the incident wave. In contrast to the
well-known Kerker and anti-Kerker effects, which appear in nanoparticles at
different frequencies, the super-deflection can be achieved by rotating the
particle at a constant frequency of incident light. Our results facilitate the
development of functional optical devices incorporating nanostructured
anisotropic TMDCs and may encourage further research in meta-optics based on
highly anisotropic materials.

Optics