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Constructing metamaterials from subwavelength pixels with constant indices product.
Optics Express
|April 4, 2015
Summary
We discovered a conservation law for effective refractive indices in metamaterials. This principle allows for the creation of reconfigurable metamaterials with tunable anisotropy, useful for advanced optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Optics
Background:
- Metamaterials offer unique optical properties not found in natural materials.
- Controlling the effective refractive index is key to designing advanced optical devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a conservation law for effective indices in two-dimensional metamaterials.
- To demonstrate the construction of reconfigurable metamaterials using this principle.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a conservation law based on the product of refractive indices.
- Implementing metamaterial structures with tunable pixel orientations.
- Assembling pixels into an array to achieve reconfigurable anisotropy.
Main Results:
- A constant product of effective refractive indices is achieved when mixing anisotropic materials.
- Metamaterial pixel orientation dictates the principal axis direction.
- An array of pixels enables reconfigurable effective medium anisotropy.
Conclusions:
- The findings enable the design of reconfigurable metamaterials and transformation media.
- This approach is useful for creating area-preserving optical transformations.
