Storage and Retrieval of Electromagnetic Waves in Metamaterials by Dynamical Control of EIT-Like Effect

Abstract

The storage of light is one of the most significant applications of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effects in atomic systems. It is also possible to mimic the EIT effect using artificial media, or metamaterials, which are based on coupled resonators. This chapter focuses on metamaterials that realize the storage and retrieval of electromagnetic waves in the same way as the atomic EIT system. We introduce tunable metamaterials that are loaded with variable capacitors, which realize dynamical modulation of the EIT-like effects and the control of asymmetric spectra unique to the Fano resonance. Experiments are performed to show that electromagnetic waves are stored and released coherently in a multi-layered metamaterial designed for the operation in the microwave region. In addition, we show the frequency conversion of the stored waves and the extension of the storage time using parametric amplification.