电磁编码超材料的理论与应用

本文系统地对编码超材料、数字超材料及现场可编程超材料的新进展进行了综述,讨论其对电磁波的实时调控和构造多功能器件的能力。首先,引入1-bit编码超材料,由"0"和"1"两种编码单元构成,分别对应于相位相反的电磁响应。通过控制不同的"0"和"1"编码序列,可以调控电磁波,并实现不同功能。这种1-bit编码超材料可以扩展到2-bit,甚至更高比特。其次,介绍了一种由开关二极管来控制的数字编码超材料,每个编码单元可通过二极管的开和关来获得不同的相位响应,进而获得不同的数字态。结合现场可编程门阵列(FPGA)控制系统,实现了对数字超材料的实时可编程设计,构造出现场可编程超材料。最后,研究了编码超材料对太赫兹波的调控,包括太赫兹波宽带漫散射及其对目标雷达散射截面(RCS)的缩减、各向异性编码超材料对太赫兹波的极化调控和波束调控等。数值仿真和实验测试结果吻合很好,验证了编码超材料的出色性能,展示了编码超材料调控电磁波的多功能性。编码超材料对微波及太赫兹波的实时控制可用于制作波束分离、波束偏折、极化转换等功能器件,也可在宽带范围内有效缩减目标RCS。     

Conversion from constitutive parameters to dispersive transmission line parameters for multi-band metamaterials

Abstract

In this study, we explain an approach including conversion from constitutive parameters to dispersive transmission line parameters using the double-band DNG (double-negative) properties of the circular type fishnet metamaterials. After designing the metamaterial structure, the numerical calculations and the composite right/left-handed (CRLH) modeling of circular-type metamaterials are realized in free space. Detailed dispersion characteristics give us the opportunity to explain the true behavior of the inclusions during the analysis stage. By combining the results coming from the standard retrieval procedure with the conventional CRLH theory, we calculate the actual values of the transmission line parameters for all frequency regimes. The constitutive parameters of an equivalent CRLH transmission line are derived and shown to be negative values. It is shown that the constitutive parameters present the same behavior for all negative refractive index regimes. The double-negative properties and the phase advance/lag behavior of metamaterials are observed based on the dispersive transmission line parameters.     

Acoustic absorbers at low frequency based on split-tube metamaterials

The remarkable properties of acoustic metamaterials have attracted massive researches and applications, especially on low-frequency sound absorptions. Currently, most of the acoustic metamaterial absorbers employ resonances in plastic cavities, and their structural strengths are important in many circumstances, especially in harsh environment. However, studies of metamaterials including this point are very scarce. Here, we propose an acoustic metamaterial for low-frequency (<500 Hz) absorptions, composed of three nested square split tubes with inverted opening directions. The efficiency of the absorber is investigated both numerically and experimentally, and absorptions at the peeks are found to exceed 90% and the frequency can be effectively adjusted by tuning its geometric parameters. We further test its yield strength under compression and confirm its buckling behavior happens from the outmost layer. This tunable acoustic metamaterial with a fairly good mechanical strength may lead to broad applications in noise reduction.     

Dynamics of amplification in a nanoplasmonic metamaterial

Plasmonic metamaterials form an exciting new class of engineered media that promise a range of important applications, such as subwavelength focusing, cloaking and slowing/stopping of light. Recently it has been shown that the internal losses due to the natural absorption of metals at optical frequencies can be compensated by gain. Here, we employ a Maxwell–Bloch methodology which allows us to study the dynamics of the coherent plasmon-gain interaction, nonlinear saturation, field enhancement and radiative damping. Using numerical pump-probe experiments on a double-fishnet metamaterial with dye-molecule inclusions we investigate the buildup of the inversion and the formation of the plasmonic modes in the low-Q fishnet cavity. We find that loss compensation occurs in the negative-refractive-index regime and that, due to the loss compensation and the associated sharpening of the resonance, the real part of the refractive index of the metamaterial becomes more negative compared to the passive case. Furthermore, we investigate the behavior of the metamaterial above the lasing threshold, and we identify the occurrence of a far-field lasing burst and gain depletion. Our results provide deep insight into the internal processes that affect the macroscopic properties of active metamaterials. This could guide the development of amplifying and lasing plasmonic nanostructures.     

Magnetic response of split ring resonator metamaterials: From effective medium dispersion to photonic band gaps

On systematically investigating the electromagnetic response of periodic split-ring resonator (SRR) metamaterials as a function of the size-to-wavelength (a/λ) ratio, we find that the stop bands due to the geometric resonances of the SRR weaken with increasing (a/λ) ratio, and are eventually replaced by stop bands due to Bragg scattering. Our study traces the behaviour of SRR-based metamaterials as the resonance frequency increases and the wavelength of the radiation finally becomes comparable to the size of the unit cell of the metamaterial. In the intermediate stages, the dispersion of the SRR metamaterial can still be described as due to a localized magnetic resonances while Bragg scattering finally becomes the dominant phenomenon as a/λ∼1/2.     

Two new designs of lamp-type piezoelectric metamaterials for active wave propagation control

A major limitation of current metamaterials is that they control the wave propagation depending on their structure. Active metamaterials in this paper are designed whose physical structure is fixed, yet the position where they control the wave propagation can be changed by piezoelectric conditions. Two kinds of lamp-type piezoelectric metamaterials were assembled from an aluminum base, rubber plate and steel column, the piezoelectric patches were attached on both sides of the steel column, which can change the equivalent elastic modulus of the whole structure when the pair of patches are accessed by an LC circuit. The equivalent elastic modulus becomes zero or negative when the frequency of the circuit varies between 29,000 Hz and 30,000 Hz, in this case the two kinds of lamp-type piezoelectric metamaterials behave as a wave localization and a wave guide, respectively. The advantage of the lamp-type piezoelectric metamaterials is that we can control the wave propagation actively, as long as we change the position of the piezoelectric patches or choose the kind of lamp-type piezoelectric metamaterial. This is more flexible than a traditional passive metamaterial and provides a new way for us to design some acoustic equipment, such as acoustic cloaking, an acoustic black hole, filter or wave guide.     

Metamaterials and their application in microwaves: A review

A metamaterial is a composite material that has attracted the attention of researchers since the late 1990s-early 2000s. This material contains an artificial periodic structure, which modifies its permittivity and permeability and, thereby, makes it possible to control the dispersion, refraction, and reflection of electromagnetic waves in the metamaterial. Analytical and experimental studies of the properties of metamaterials, as well as their applications, cover a wide frequency range from radio waves to the visible range. In recent years, considerable progress has been made toward the application of these materials in the microwave range (1–100 GHz). Works on development and application of metamaterials in the microwave range published over the last 8–10 years are reviewed. Artificial transmission lines as 1D metamaterials are discussed. Resonators, filters, and phase shifters based on the “metamaterial philosophy” are considered. Special attention is given to the application of metamaterials in the antenna technology.     

太赫兹人工电磁媒质研究进展

近年来, 随着太赫兹科学技术的发展, 越来越多的科学家向太赫兹间隙这一传统空白领域发起挑战. 其中, 人工电磁媒质因为能够设计太赫兹波段中紧缺的功能器件而受到广泛关注. 近年来, 对人工电磁媒质尤其是太赫兹方面的研究进展突飞猛进. 人工电磁媒质的性质不仅仅由其构成材料决定, 更与其结构单元的形状和空间排布密切相关. 本文介绍了人工电磁媒质在太赫兹波段的发展、原理、设计和应用, 并着重介绍完美吸波器和人工表面等离激元, 为太赫兹波段功能器件的研究提供了参考, 并对可能的发展方向予以展望.     

Plasmonic nanoparticle monomers and dimers: from nanoantennas to chiral metamaterials

We review the basic physics behind light interaction with plasmonic nanoparticles. The theoretical foundations of light scattering on one metallic particle (a plasmonic monomer) and two interacting particles (a plasmonic dimer) are systematically investigated. Expressions for the effective particle susceptibility (polarizability) are derived, and applications of these results to plasmonic nanoantennas are outlined. In the long-wavelength limit, the effective macroscopic parameters of an array of plasmonic dimers are calculated. These parameters are attributable to an effective medium corresponding to a dilute arrangement of nanoparticles, i.e., a metamaterial where plasmonic monomers or dimers have the function of “meta-atoms”. It is shown that planar dimers consisting of rod-like particles generally possess elliptical dichroism and function as atoms for planar chiral metamaterials. The fabricational simplicity of the proposed rod-dimer geometry can be used in the design of more cost-effective chiral metamaterials in the optical domain.     

Giant circular dichroism in extrinsic chiral metamaterials excited by off-normal incident laser beams

Recently it was shown by experiments that circular dichroism (CD) can be observed in the metamaterials of non-chiral structures when they were subjected to obliquely incident light (E. Plum, et al., Physical Review Letters 102, 113902, 2009). By far, external chirality simulation was only done for a particle array embedded in a homogenous medium (V. Yannopapas, Optics Letters 34, 5, 2009); no attempt has been made on simulating and modelling of circular dichroism in layered metamaterials (e.g., thin film on substrate structure). In this paper, we present the simulation of CD effect in layered external chiral metamaterials using CST software, theoretically investigate this intriguing phenomenon through a frequency domain finite integration technique, and optimize the metamaterial unit cell configurations (size, periodicity and film thickness) to maximize the CD phenomenon in near-infrared spectrum range. We show that the CD effect can be enhanced by five times using an optimized unit cell configuration, which is more than three times higher than the existing maximum theoretical results. The CD generation mechanism was elaborated with the help of induced surface current distributions.     

Manipulate light polarizations with metamaterials: From microwave to visible

Polarization is an important characteristic of electromagnetic (EM) waves, and efficient manipulations over EM wave polarizations are always desirable in practical applications. Here, we review the recent efforts in controlling light polarizations with metamaterials, at frequencies ranged from microwave to visible. We first presented a 4 × 4 version transfer matrix method (TMM) to study the scatterings by an anisotropic metamaterial of EM waves with arbitrary propagating directions and polarizations. With the 4 × 4 TMM, we discovered several amazing polarization manipulation phenomena based on the reflection geometry and proposed corresponding model metamaterial systems to realize such effects. Metamaterial samples were fabricated with the help of finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) simulations, and experiments were performed to successfully realize these ideas at both microwave and visible frequencies. Efforts in employing metamaterials to manipulate light polarizations based on the transmission geometry are also reviewed.     

Manipulate light polarizations with metamaterials: From microwave to visible

Polarization is an important characteristic of electromagnetic (EM) waves, and efficient manipulations over EM wave polarizations are always desirable in practical applications. Here, we review the recent efforts in controlling light polarizations with metamaterials, at frequencies ranged from microwave to visible. We first presented a 4 × 4 version transfer matrix method (TMM) to study the scatterings by an anisotropic metamaterial of EM waves with arbitrary propagating directions and polarizations. With the 4 × 4 TMM, we discovered several amazing polarization manipulation phenomena based on the reflection geometry and proposed corresponding model metamaterial systems to realize such effects. Metamaterial samples were fabricated with the help of finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) simulations, and experiments were performed to successfully realize these ideas at both microwave and visible frequencies. Efforts in employing metamaterials to manipulate light polarizations based on the transmission geometry are also reviewed.     

Slow light in a simple metamaterial structure constructed by cut and continuous metal strips

Recently, slow light in metamaterials has been investigated based on the coupling between two quasi-bound states, in classic analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency in atomic systems. Here we demonstrate the feasibility in achieving slow light in metamaterials, based on the mechanism of coupling between a quasi-bound state and a continuum state. The theoretical prediction by a two-particle model is in good agreement with the experimental result in the metamaterial composed of the cut and continuous metal strips. The present work illustrates the versatility of metamaterials, implying the great potential in many applications.     

Hybridization effect in coupled metamaterials

Although the invention of the metamaterials has stimulated the interest of many researchers and possesses many important applications, the basic design idea is very simple: composing effective media from many small structured elements and controlling its artificial EM properties. According to the effective-media model, the coupling interactions between the elements in metamaterials are somewhat ignored; therefore, the effective properties of metamaterials can be viewed as the “averaged effect” of the resonance property of the individual elements. However, the coupling interaction between elements should always exist when they are arranged into metamaterials. Sometimes, especially when the elements are very close, this coupling effect is not negligible and will have a substantial effect on the metamaterials’ properties. In recent years, it has been shown that the interaction between resonance elements in metamaterials could lead to some novel phenomena and interesting applications that do not exist in conventional uncoupled metamaterials. In this paper, we will give a review of these recent developments in coupled metamaterials. For the “metamolecule” composed of several identical resonators, the coupling between these units produces multiple discrete resonance modes due to hybridization. In the case of a “metacrystal” comprising an infinite number of resonators, these multiple discrete resonances can be extended to form a continuous frequency band by strong coupling. This kind of broadband and tunable coupled metamaterial may have interesting applications. Many novel metamaterials and nanophotonic devices could be developed from coupled resonator systems in the future.     

基于石墨烯编码超构材料的太赫兹波束多功能动态调控

提出了一种基于石墨烯带的太赫兹波段的1 bit编码超构材料,可以实现太赫兹波束的数目、频率、幅度等参数多功能动态调控.该结构由金属薄膜、聚酰亚胺、硅、二氧化硅、石墨烯带组成.通过对石墨烯带施加两种不同的电压,可以实现一定频率范围内相位差接近180?的"0"和"1"数字编码单元,进而构成1 bit动态可控的编码超构材料.全波仿真结果表明,不同序列的编码超构材料能够实现波束数目从单波束、双波束、多波束到宽波束的调控.相同序列的编码超构材料,通过施加石墨烯带的不同电压能够实现宽频段波束频率的偏移.对于000000或者111111周期序列的编码超构材料,通过施加石墨烯带的不同电压还能够实现波束幅度的调控.因此这种基于石墨烯带的编码超构材料为灵活调控太赫兹波提供了一种新的途径,将在雷达隐身、成像、宽带通信等方面具有重要的意义.     

Near-field light localization using subwavelength apertures incorporated with metamaterials

We report strong near-field electromagnetic localization by using subwavelength apertures and metamaterials that operate at microwave frequencies. We designed split ring resonators with distinct configurations in order to obtain extraordinary transmission results. Furthermore, we analyzed the field localization and focusing characteristics of the transmitted evanescent waves. The employed metamaterial configurations yielded an improvement on the transmission efficiency on the order of 27 dB and 50 dB for the deep subwavelength apertures. The metamaterial loaded apertures are considered as a total system that offered spot size conversion ratios as high as 7.12 and 9.11 for the corresponding metamaterial configurations. The proposed system is shown to intensify the electric fields of the source located in the near-field. It also narrows down the electromagnetic waves such that a full width at half maximum value of λ/29 is obtained.     

Optical properties for topological insulators with metamaterials

The two fields of topological insulators and metamaterials are independent. In this Letter, we firstly investigate the Fresnel coefficients for the reflected and refracted electromagnetic waves across the interface between topological insulators and left-handed metamaterials. Then, we derive the exact analytic expressions for Kerr and Faraday rotations. By way of multiple reflections method, we demonstrate that perfect lens with left-handed metamaterials slab and topological insulators can be designed. On the other hand, the processes of reflection and refraction are investigated in the case of topological insulator and chiral metamaterial. Then, we give the reflection and transmission coefficients of topological insulator with a chiral medium slab. Lastly, the potential applications of these results are discussed.     

Explicit expression of the pseudo-Brewster angle for anisotropic metamaterials

In the conventional optics, the pseudo-Brewster angle (PBA) mainly depends on the permittivity of the optical materials. However, the recent development of metamaterials in the optical wavelength has put magnetic permeability on equal footing. Thus, the conventional PBA needs to be revisited to include the permeability for metamaterial applications in the optical region. By taking into account the loss and anisotropy of the metamaterials, we present the explicit expression of PBA in terms of complex permittivity and permeability through rigorous analysis. Based on the explicit expression, some interesting features and potential applications of the PBA are discussed.     

Circular polarization converters based on bi-layered asymmetrical split ring metamaterials

In this paper, a kind of bi-layered asymmetrical split ring metamaterial was proposed as a circular polarization converter. Simulations and experiments at the microwave regime showed that the proposed structures can achieve the conversions from right-handed circularly polarized electromagnetic waves to left-handed ones and the reversed conversions in the opposite propagating direction. The linear to circular polarization transmission coefficients and the surface currents were investigated to understand the mechanism of the circular polarization conversions. Moreover, we optimized the proposed metamaterials by increasing the distance between the two metal layers. The proposed circular polarization converters have applications in microwave wave plates and metamaterial antennas.