Space-Time Photonic Metamaterials: From Design and Materials to Device Concepts
Abstract
Overview and Challenge: Recent breakthroughs in nanophotonics including discoveries ofengineered meta-materials (MMs) with exotic properties enable exploration of light-matterinteractions in previously unavailable regimes and length scales paving the way to novel photonic,optoelectronic and hybrid photonic/electronic device concepts. Most often MMs are built bynanostructuring and utilize a limited set of materials that cannot be tailored and dynamically tuned,are soft and unstable under realistic operational conditions. Presently, the knowledge of tunablematerials that would enable both temporally and spatially engineered photonic media is missing.Research Objective: Building upon PI and co-PIs’ pioneering demonstrations of optical MMs,metasurfaces, and new plasmonic materials the program aims at unveiling novel space-time metamaterials (ST-MMs) that have optical properties modulated both in space and time withunprecedentedly high resolution. To achieve this goal, emerging photonic/plasmonic materials andoptical designs will be studied to enable robust, tunable operation and unparalleled spatiotemporalengineering of the dielectric permittivity.Technical Approach: This project will i) explore tailorable plasmonic materials with the focuson transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) and transition metal nitrides and carbides; ii) developexperiment-fitted theory for design and dynamic control of materials’ optical responses and theirdependence on operational conditions (temperature, strain/stress) and composition(doping/alloying); iii) explore optically- and electrically switchable materials’ response forachieving ST-MMs; iv) demonstrate ultra-fast dynamic ST-MMs and metasurfaces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2018
- Source ID
- FA95501810002
Entities
People
- Vladimir Shalaev
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Virginia