  Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMM) are of great interest due to their ability to
break the diffraction limit for imaging and enhance near-field radiative heat
transfer. Here we demonstrate that an annular, transparent HMM enables
selective heating of a sub-wavelength plasmonic nanowire by controlling the
angular mode number of a plasmonic resonance. A nanowire emitter, surrounded by
an HMM, appears dark to incoming radiation from an adjacent nanowire emitter
unless the second emitter is surrounded by an identical lens such that the
wavelength and angular mode of the plasmonic resonance match. Our result can
find applications in radiative thermal management.
