Geometrical tuning of light-matter interaction in atomic trimer antennas: A symmetry-resolved modal analysis

Atomic trimers constitute the smallest geometry in which collective electric and magnetic responses emerge from coupled electric dipoles. We present a theoretical study of collective mode excitation in atomic trimers as the geometry is continuously tuned from linear to equilateral, using the coupled-dipole method with a multipole expansion formulated about the optimal scattering center. By combining eigenmode analysis and symmetry classification, we provide a complete symmetry-resolved map of the six in-plane and three out-of-plane modes, revealing how symmetry reduction across the $D_{\infty h}$, $C_{2v}$, and $D_{3h}$ configurations governs the evolution of eigenmodes and their spectral features, lifting degeneracies, activating dark modes, and enabling full access to the modal spectrum. Based on this modal understanding, we demonstrate that forward-backward scattering can be switched solely by frequency detuning in a nearly linear trimer, without geometric reconfiguration. Furthermore, a linear trimer under s-polarized excitation supports a magnetic mode with a strongly enhanced magnetic field and a large Purcell factor, making it a promising platform for probing magnetic dipole transitions in atoms, with emission preferentially directed into the transverse plane. These results establish atomic trimers as a minimal platform where symmetry-controlled electric-magnetic mode engineering can be fully resolved and exploited for tailoring light-matter interaction at the atomic level.