Active Metamaterials Research Articles

Graphene-Based Active Random Metamaterials for Cavity-Free Lasing.

Manipulating and controlling the optical energy flow inside random media is a research frontier of photonics and the basis of novel laser designs. Here, we show that a metamaterial consisting of randomly dispersed graphene nanoflakes embedded within an optically pumped gain medium (rhodamine 6G) can operate as a cavity-free laser thanks to its extraordinarily low threshold for saturable absorption. The emitted light is self-organized into a well-determined spatial pattern, which depends on the graphene flake density and can be externally controlled through the optical pump. We provide different examples of tunable laser operation ranging from stable single-mode to chaoticlike behavior. Our metamaterial design holds great potential for the optical control of light amplification, as well as for the development of single-mode beam-engineered cavity-free lasers.

Electrically tunable terahertz metamaterials with embedded large-area transparent thin-film transistor arrays.

Engineering metamaterials with tunable resonances are of great importance for improving the functionality and flexibility of terahertz (THz) systems. An ongoing challenge in THz science and technology is to create large-area active metamaterials as building blocks to enable efficient and precise control of THz signals. Here, an active metamaterial device based on enhancement-mode transparent amorphous oxide thin-film transistor arrays for THz modulation is demonstrated. Analytical modelling based on full-wave techniques and multipole theory exhibits excellent consistent with the experimental observations and reveals that the intrinsic resonance mode at 0.75 THz is dominated by an electric response. The resonant behavior can be effectively tuned by controlling the channel conductivity through an external bias. Such metal/oxide thin-film transistor based controllable metamaterials are energy saving, low cost, large area and ready for mass-production, which are expected to be widely used in future THz imaging, sensing, communications and other applications.

Controlling sound with acoustic metamaterials

Acoustic metamaterials can manipulate and control sound waves in ways that are not possible in conventional materials. Metamaterials with zero, or even negative, refractive index for sound offer new possibilities for acoustic imaging and for the control of sound at subwavelength scales. The combination of transformation acoustics theory and highly anisotropic acoustic metamaterials enables precise control over the deformation of sound fields, which can be used, for example, to hide or cloak objects from incident acoustic energy. Active acoustic metamaterials use external control to create effective material properties that are not possible with passive structures and have led to the development of dynamically reconfigurable, loss-compensating and parity–time-symmetric materials for sound manipulation. Challenges remain, including the development of efficient techniques for fabricating large-scale metamaterial structures and converting laboratory experiments into useful devices. In this Review, we outline the designs and properties of materials with unusual acoustic parameters (for example, negative refractive index), discuss examples of extreme manipulation of sound and, finally, provide an overview of future directions in the field. Acoustic metamaterials can be used manipulate sound waves with a high degree of control. Their applications include acoustic imaging and cloaking. This Review outlines the designs and properties of these materials, discussing transformation acoustics theory, anisotropic materials and active acoustic metamaterials.

Point interactions, metamaterials, and [formula omitted]-symmetry

We express the boundary conditions for TE and TM waves at the interfaces of an infinite planar slab of homogeneous metamaterial as certain point interactions and use them to compute the transfer matrix of the system. This allows us to demonstrate the omnidirectional reflectionlessness of Veselago’s slab for waves of arbitrary wavelength, reveal the translational and reflection symmetry of this slab, explore the laser threshold condition and coherent perfect absorption for active negative-index metamaterials, introduce a point interaction modeling phase-conjugation, determine the corresponding antilinear transfer matrix, and offer a simple proof of the equivalence of Veselago’s slab with a pair of parallel phase-conjugating plates. We also study the connection between certain optical setups involving metamaterials and a class of PT-symmetric quantum systems defined on wedge-shape contours in the complex plane. This provides a physical interpretation for the latter.

Reversible switching of structural and plasmonic properties of liquid-crystalline gold nanoparticle assemblies.

Hybrid materials built of spherical gold nanoparticles with three different sizes covered with (pro)mesogenic molecules have been prepared. Small-angle X-ray diffraction studies showed that after thermal annealing most of the obtained materials formed long-range ordered assemblies. Variation of the (pro)mesogenic ligand architecture enabled us to achieve a switchable material, which could be reversibly reconfigured between 3D long-range ordered structures with tetragonal and face centred cubic symmetries. This structural reconfiguration induces changes to the plasmonic response of the material. This work demonstrates that it is possible to use LC-based self-assembling phenomena to prepare dynamic materials with structural properties important for the development of active plasmonic metamaterials.

An Active Wideband and Wide-Angle Electromagnetic Absorber at Microwave Frequencies

Two-dimensional (2-D) metamaterials (MTMs) can be used to create perfect electromagnetic absorbers. In this letter, a novel active MTM absorber with non-Foster loads is proposed. For obliquely incident plane waves with both transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) polarizations, its effective circuit model is analytically demonstrated, accounting the material losses. Based on the circuit model, a stability characterization is introduced to give the design principles for the non-Foster elements to achieve a wideband and wide-angle metamaterial absorber (MA). These active elements are achieved by a two-port non-Foster circuit based on the resonant tunneling diodes. For the purpose of verification, a sample active MA design is presented, exhibiting a high electromagnetic absorption rate for wideband and wide-angle incidence for both TE and TM polarizations at microwave frequencies, as compared to its passive counterpart.

Design and Full Characterization of Planar Active Magnetic RF Metamaterials

Applications of metamaterials have been limited by parasitic resistive losses. We present the design and measurement of split ring resonators with embedded active field effect transistor circuits comprising a magnetic metamaterial. We show that the imaginary part of the effective permeability changes sign within the bandwidth of the negative differential resistance region, creating a stable gain medium. We present experimental reflection and transmission measurements showing a sign change in the permeability loss term and two applications of such a metamaterial. use as a mu-negative near field parasitic element for small magnetic antennas and as an amplifying material in free space. We show the active metamaterial can provide property enhancement compared with related passive structures in both applications, providing a path to overcoming parasitic loss in previously demonstrated metamaterial structures.

Magnesium as Novel Material for Active Plasmonics in the Visible Wavelength Range.

Investigating new materials plays an important role for advancing the field of nanoplasmonics. In this work, we fabricate nanodisks from magnesium and demonstrate tuning of their plasmon resonance throughout the whole visible wavelength range by changing the disk diameter. Furthermore, we employ a catalytic palladium cap layer to transform the metallic Mg particles into dielectric MgH2 particles when exposed to hydrogen gas. We prove that this transition can be reversed in the presence of oxygen. This yields plasmonic nanostructures with an extinction spectrum that can be repeatedly switched on or off or kept at any intermediate state, offering new perspectives for active plasmonic metamaterials.

Gain Incorporated Split-Ring Resonator Structures for Active Metamaterials

We present a systematic study of split-ring resonator (SRR) structures that are used as the basic building blocks of active metamaterials with incorporated gain. The active split-ring resonator (aSRR) structures with gain elements can in theory have similar unusual electromagnetic responses such as negative effective permeability near their resonance of the artificial magnetic response just like their passive counterparts. At the same time aSRRs can have reversed imaginary part of the effective permeability and, therefore, mitigate the loss of passive SRRs. We explored in detail both passive and active SRRs through analytic theory, numerical simulations, and lab experimentation and demonstrated that aSRRs can have the similar negative effective permeability responses while reducing and even reversing the loss.

Enhancing the band gap of an active metamaterial

Metamaterials have been the subject of significant interest over the past decade due to their ability to produce novel acoustic behaviour beyond that seen in naturally occurring media. As well as their potential in acoustic cloaks and lenses, of particular interest is the appearance of band gaps which lead to very high levels of attenuation across the material within narrow frequency ranges. Unlike traditional periodic materials which have been employed at high frequencies, the resonant elements within metamaterials allow band gaps to form within the long wavelength limit; at low frequencies where it is most difficult to design satisfactory passive isolation solutions. Hence, metamaterials may provide a path to high-performance isolation at low frequencies. Passively these band gaps occur over a narrow bandwidth, however the inclusion of active elements provide a method for enhancing this behaviour and producing attenuation over a broad band. A new type of active viscoelastic metamaterial is presented that achieves double negativity and could be employed as a high-performance vibration isolator at low frequencies. A mathematical method for manipulating the band gap profile is developed and a prototype is produced. The passive band gap is confirmed in the laboratory, and then by applying active control using optimised feedback filters it is shown that the region at which attenuation occurs around the band gap could be greatly enhanced whilst retaining the peak passive band gap performance. The active metamaterial demonstrates that a unified design philosophy matching the best features of active and passive functionality can achieve high levels of attenuation over wide frequency bands.

Active terahertz metamaterials based on the phase transition of VO2 thin films

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films were prepared on single crystal sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition. VO2 films exhibited a significant resistivity drop (>104Ω-cm) and large optical transmittance change (>60%) in the near-infrared region across their semiconductor-to-metal transition. Hybrid metamaterial devices designed for the THz frequency regime were fabricated by combining double split-ring resonators (SRRs) with phase changing VO2 films. By changing the conductivity of VO2 via temperature, the behavior of the SRR gap was adjusted from capacitive to resistive in order to modulate the THz beam transmission at their resonance frequencies. A modulation efficiency greater than 50% was achieved at the magnetic resonance frequencies (0.3THz and 0.7THz) in these hybrid SRR–VO2 metamaterial devices.

MEMS for Plasmon Control of Optical Metamaterials

Metamaterials have attracted a great deal of attention as artificial electromagnetic materials having unique optical characteristics, and various innovative optical applications have been expected. Micro electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based reconfigurable metamaterials are candidate technologies for active optical control. In this paper, we focus on MEMS-based reconfigurable metamaterials operated in the optical region between visible and near-infrared wavelengths. A brief overview of static optical metamaterials and active optical metamaterials driven by MEMS actuators is presented. Moreover, points to be considered for a micromachining process of optical metamaterials are discussed with results of calculations.

Active acoustic metamaterials reconfigurable in real time

A major limitation of current acoustic metamaterials is that their acoustic properties are either locked into place once fabricated or are only modestly tunable, tying them to the particular application for which they are designed. We present a design approach that yields active metamaterials whose physical structure is fixed, yet their local acoustic response can be changed almost arbitrarily and in real time by configuring the digital electronics that control the metamaterial acoustic properties. We demonstrate this approach experimentally by designing a metamaterial slab configured to act as a very thin acoustic lens that manipulates differently three identical, consecutive pulses incident on the lens. Moreover, we show that the slab can be configured to simultaneously implement various roles, such as that of a lens and a beam steering device. Finally, we show that the metamaterial slab is suitable for efficient second harmonic acoustic imaging devices capable of overcoming the diffraction limit of linear lenses. These advantages demonstrate the versatility of this active metamaterial and highlight its broad applicability, in particular, to acoustic imaging.

A design of active elastic metamaterials for control of flexural waves using the transformation method

The ability to control flexural wave propagation is of fundamental interest in many areas of structural engineering and physics. Metamaterials have shown a great potential in subwavelength wave propagation control due to their inherent local resonance mechanism. In this study, we propose a transformation method to derive the material properties of a flexural waveguide and implement the functionality based on a design of active elastic metamaterials. The numerically demonstrated flexural waveguide can not only steer an elastic wave beam as predicted from the transformation method but also exhibit various unique properties including extraordinary wave beam deflection and tunabilities over a broad frequency range and various steering directions. The waveguide is equipped with an array of active elastic metamaterials composed of the electrorheological elastomer subjected to adjustable electric fields. Such metamaterial-based waveguides provide a new design methodology for guided wave signal modulation devices and could be useful for applications such as tunable beam steering, high signal-to-noise sensors, and structural health monitoring.

Active elastic metamaterials for subwavelength wave propagation control

Recent research activities in elastic metamaterials demonstrate a significant potential for subwavelength wave propagation control owing to their interior locally resonant mechanism. The growing technological developments in electro/magnetomechanical couplings of smart materials have introduced a controlling degree of freedom for passive elastic metamaterials. Active elastic metamaterials could allow for a fine control of material physical behavior and thereby induce new functional properties that cannot be produced by passive approaches. In this paper, two types of active elastic metamaterials with shunted piezoelectric materials and electrorheological elastomers are proposed. Theoretical analyses and numerical validations of the active elastic metamaterials with detailed microstructures are presented for designing adaptive applications in band gap structures and extraordinary waveguides. The active elastic metamaterial could provide a new design methodology for adaptive wave filters, high signal-to-noise sensors, and structural health monitoring applications.

Rare Earth-Ion/Nanosilicon Ultrathin Layer: A Versatile Nanohybrid Light-Emitting Building Block for Active Optical Metamaterials

We fabricate an Er3+/nano-Si ultrathin (≈ 4 nm) layer and explore its optical response from the near-UV to the near-IR, in the linear and nonlinear regimes. This nanohybrid layer combines the tunable broad-band light harvesting properties of nano-Si with the robust and sharp Er3+ light emission. Its unique nanostructure enables efficient nanometer-range transfer of the harvested energy to the Er3+ ions. Therefore, clear 1.54 μm Er3+ photoluminescence (PL) is observed under excitation at any photon energy (Eexc) from the visible to the near-UV, despite the small amount of Er3+ ions in the layer (<2.5% of atomic monolayer). In the linear regime, the Er3+ PL intensity can be tuned to a maximum by setting the amount of nano-Si (QSi) in the layer at a suitable value, independent of Eexc. In the nonlinear regime, adjustment of QSi allows the dependence of the Er3+ PL intensity on Eexc to be tuned and achievement of nonconventional saturation properties not reported so far in Er3+:nano-Si systems. Based on this characteristic tunability, at sufficiently low QSi the nanohybrid layer is an ideal candidate for efficient near-IR emission under intense near UV–visible broad-band excitation. Furthermore, the nanohybrid layers with high enough QSi show an interesting potential for the optical modulation of the PL intensity by using UV light in a pump–probe configuration. Therefore, this nanohybrid layer is an outstanding candidate as a pure-color light-emitting building block for the development of advanced multiscale active optical metamaterials.

Gigantic Optical Nonlinearity: Laser-Induced Change of Dielectric Permittivity of the Order of Unity

A possibility to tune optical properties of materials on demand is of great importance to both fundamental science and applications. We show that nanosecond laser pumping can significantly depopulate the ground state of AF455 dye nanoparticles, resulting in gigantic change of dielectric permittivity of the order of unity. Such extreme nonlinearity (χ(3) = 1.3 × 10–5 esu), evidenced by increase of the Mie scattering efficiency, places AF455 dye among the most efficient χ(3) nonlinear optical materials, extends the limits of active metamaterials and plasmonics, and paves the way to ultimate control of photonic devices and systems.

Controllable near-field intensity and spot size of hybrid terahertz metamaterial.

We report controllable near fields around split-ring resonator (SRR) gaps of an active terahertz metamaterial. As extension of parallel-plate capacitors, patterned VO2 is integrated into the metallic SRRs to manipulate the near-field intensity and hot spot size through its metal-insulator transition. This design enhances the device reliability by preventing VO2 dielectric breakdown at a strongly enhanced near field. The near-field intensity and spot size are tunable in broad ranges, and the device is demonstrated to be capable of compensating resonant frequency drift arisen from different interactions due to near-field coupling. It provides an effective method to actively manipulate the light-matter interaction through the strongly enhanced and tunable near fields.

Imaging with reconfigurable active acoustic metamaterials

We present a design procedure to obtain active metamaterial structures that cover a large range of linear and non-linear acoustic responses, and whose flexibility makes it suitable to numerous applications. The presentation will briefly outline the types of material properties enabled, and then focus on the potential of this approach to various imaging applications. The design method is illustrated experimentally using a very thin metamaterial slab whose functionality is set electronically. This ensures that multiple imaging techniques can be demonstrated using the same physical slab by simply swapping the electronic modules that determine the metamaterial behavior. Using this method, we implement a thin acoustic lens whose focal length can be controlled at will. In addition, we show how time reversal imaging techniques can be implemented in real-time and in a continuous manner. Finally, the slab is configured to act as an acoustic multiplexer that takes sound incident from multiple directions and funnels it in exactly one direction.

Active hyperbolic metamaterials: enhanced spontaneous emission and light extraction

Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) have recently garnered much attention because they possess the potential for broadband manipulation of the photonic density of states and subwavelength light confinement. These exceptional properties arise due to the excitation of electromagnetic states with high momentum (high-k modes). However, a major hindrance to practical applications of HMMs is the difficulty in coupling light out of these modes because they become evanescent at the surface of the metamaterial. Here we report the first demonstration, to our knowledge, of simultaneous spontaneous emission enhancement and outcoupling of high-k modes in an active HMM using a high-index-contrast bullseye grating. Quantum dots embedded inside the metamaterial are used for local excitation of high-k modes. This demonstration could pave the way for the development of photonic devices such as single-photon sources, ultrafast LEDs, and true nanoscale lasers.