METATUNE · TUNABLE NONLINEAR METAMATERIALS

A metamaterial is a material which gains its properties from its structure rather than directly from its materials composition. Within the context of photonics, such compounds are engineered composites that exhibit superior, designed properties that are not found in nature and not observed in the constituent materials. They have demonstrated many intriguing properties and applications for control over electromagnetic waves such as negative refraction, superlensing, and cloaking devices. Metamaterials have the potential to develop into a highly disruptive technology over the whole electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from more efficient radiofrequency antennas to the marriage of nanoscience and photonics for a whole new generation of optoelectronic devices. Since the first studies on negative-index metamaterials, the attention of most researchers has been focused on the passive control and linear properties of these composite structures, where the effective parameters of the structure do not depend on the intensity of the applied field or propagating electromagnetic waves. However, to achieve the full potential of the unique properties of the metamaterials requires the ability to dynamically control the material’s properties in real time through either direct external tuning or nonlinear responses.