Active Phase Transition via Loss Engineering in a Terahertz MEMS Metamaterial

Controlling the phase of local radiation by using exotic metasurfaces has enabled promising applications in a diversified set of electromagnetic wave manipulation such as anomalous wavefront deflection, flat lenses, and holograms. Here, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate an active phase transition in a micro‐electromechanical system‐based metadevice where both the phase response and the dispersion of the metamaterial cavity are dynamically tailored. The phase transition is determined by the radiative and the absorptive losses in a metal–insulator–metal cavity that obeys the coupled‐mode theory. The complete understanding of the phase diagram in a reconfigurable configuration would open up avenues for designing multifunctional metadevices that can be actively switched between different phases leading to a plethora of applications in polarization control, beam deflectors, and holographic metamaterials.     

Implantable,Degradable, Therapeutic Terahertz Metamaterial Devices

Metamaterial (MM) sensors and devices, usually consisting of artificially structured composite materials with engineered responses that are mainly determined by the unit structure rather than the bulk properties or composition, offer new functionalities not readily available in nature. A set of implantable and resorbable therapeutic MM devices at terahertz (THz) frequencies are designed and fabricated by patterning magnesium split ring resonators on drug‐loaded silk protein substrates with controllable device degradation and drug release rates. To demonstrate proof‐of‐concept, a set of silk‐based, antibiotics‐loaded MM devices, which can serve as degradable antibacterial skin patches with capabilities to monitor drug‐release in real time are fabricated. The extent of drug release, which correlates with the degradation of the MM skin patch, can be monitored by analyzing the resonant responses in reflection during degradation using a portable THz camera. Animal experiments are performed to demonstrate the in vivo degradation process and the efficacy of the devices for antibacterial treatment. Thus, the implantable and resorbable therapeutic MM devices do not need to be retrieved once implanted, providing an appealing alternative for in‐vivo sensing and in situ treatment applications.     

A New Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3–Silicon Hybrid Metamaterial Device in Terahertz Regime

Metamaterials, offering unprecedented functionalities to manipulate electromagnetic waves, have become a research hotspot in recent years. Through the incorporation of active media, the exotic electromagnetic behavior of metamaterials can be dramatically empowered by dynamic control. Many ferroelectric materials such as BaSrTiO₃ (abbreviated as BST), exhibiting strong response to external electric field, hold great promise in both microwave and terahertz tunable devices. A new active Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃–silicon hybrid metamaterial device, namely, a SRR (square split‐ring resonator)–BaSrTiO₃ thin film‐silicon three‐layer structure is fabricated and intensively studied. The active Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ thin film hybrid metamaterial, with nanoscale thickness, delivers a transmission contrast up to ≈79% due to electrically enabled carrier transport between the ferroelectric thin film and silicon substrate. This work has significantly increased the low modulation rate of ferroelectric based devices in terahertz range, a major problem in this field remaining unresolved for many years. The proposed BST metamaterial is promising in developing high‐performance real world photonic devices for terahertz technology.     

The Exact Interface Model for Wetting in the Two-Dimensional Ising Model

We use exact methods to derive an interface model from an underlying microscopic model, i.e., the Ising model on a square lattice. At the wetting transition in the two-dimensional Ising model, the long Peierls contour (or interface) gets depinned from the substrate. Using exact transfer-matrix methods, we find that on sufficiently large length scales (i.e., length scales sufficiently larger than the bulk correlation length) the distribution of the long contour is given by a unique probability measure corresponding to a continuous interface model. The interface binding potential is a Dirac delta function with support on the substrate and, therefore, a distribution rather than a function. More precisely, critical wetting in the two-dimensional Ising model, viewed on length scales sufficiently larger than the bulk correlation length, is described by a reflected Brownian motion with a Dirac perturbation on the substrate so that exactly at the wetting transition the substrate is a perfectly reflecting surface; otherwise there exists a perturbation. A lattice solid-on-solid model was found to give identical results (albeit with modified parameters) on length scales sufficiently larger than the lattice spacing, thus demonstrating the universality of the continuous interface model.     

Metamaterial Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers

The advent of negative index materials has spawned extensive research into metamaterials over the past decade. Metamaterials are attractive not only for their exotic electromagnetic properties, but also their promise for applications. A particular branch–the metamaterial perfect absorber (MPA)–has garnered interest due to the fact that it can achieve unity absorptivity of electromagnetic waves. Since its first experimental demonstration in 2008, the MPA has progressed significantly with designs shown across the electromagnetic spectrum, from microwave to optical. In this Progress Report we give an overview of the field and discuss a selection of examples and related applications. The ability of the MPA to exhibit extreme performance flexibility will be discussed and the theory underlying their operation and limitations will be established. Insight is given into what we can expect from this rapidly expanding field and future challenges will be addressed.     

电磁超材料在微波吸波材料中的应用探索

人工电磁超材料具有自然界材料所不具备的电磁参数,并且拥有可设计性和可灵活调节的性质,可实现对电磁波传播性能进行新的调控,是近年来国际物理学、材料学和信息科学领域的研究热点。首先介绍了人工电磁超材料的概念内涵和近年来的发展概况,简要分析了国外人工电磁超材料研究的发展水平,以及美欧军事强国对超材料研究的重视和支持情况。重点介绍了南京大学开展的一些人工电磁超材料在微波吸波材料结构中的应用探索,包括超材料微波吸波结构的设计和分析、基于人工手征超材料结构的吸波结构设计、吸波频带可调节及可切换的微波吸波结构设计等。这些材料和结构运用人工超材料的特殊物理特性和参数的可设计性,与传统微波吸波材料相比,具有可调节的优势,有效提高了对电磁波的调控能力。     

Left-Handed Characteristics Tunable C-Shaped Varactor Loaded Textile Metamaterial for Microwave Applications

This paper presents a textile-based C-shaped split-ring resonators (SRR) metamaterial (MTM) unit cells with an electrical tunability function. The proposed MTM was composed of two symmetrical C-shaped SRR combined with a central diagonal metal bar, whereas the RF varactor diode is placed on the backside of the splitted ground plane. Stopband behavior of single and array MTM unit cells were analyzed while the achieved negative index physical characteristics were widely studies. Though four different MTM arrays (i.e., 1 × 1, 1 × 2, 2 × 1, and 2 × 2) were analyzed in simulation, a 2 × 2-unit cell array was chosen to fabricate, and it was further undergone experimental validation. This proposed tunable MTM exhibits double negative (DNG)/left-handed properties with an average bandwidth of more than 2.8 GHz. Furthermore, attainable negative permittivity and negative permeability are within 2.66 to 9.59 GHz and within 2.77 to 15 GHz, respectively, at the frequency of interest (between 1 and 15 GHz). Moreover, the proposed tunable MTM also showed tunable transmission coefficient characteristics. The proposed electrically tunable textile MTM might function in a dynamic mode, making it suitable for a variety of microwave-wearable applications. A satisfactory agreement between simulations and experiments were achieved, demonstrating that the proposed MTM can operate over a wide bandwidth.     

Photonic Metamaterial Absorbers: Morphology Engineering and Interdisciplinary Applications

Recent advances in nanofabrication technologies have spurred many breakthroughs in the field of photonic metamaterials that provide efficient ways of manipulating light–matter interaction at subwavelength scales. As one of the most important applications, photonic metamaterials can be used to implement novel optical absorbers. First the morphology engineering of various photonic metamaterial absorbers is discussed, which is highly associated with impendence matching conditions and resonance modes of the absorbers, thus directly determines their absorption efficiency, operational bandwidth, incident angle, and polarization dependence. Then, the recent achievements of various interdisciplinary applications based on photonic metamaterial absorbers, including structural color generation, ultrasensitive optical sensing, solar steam generation, and highly responsive photodetection, are reviewed. This report is expected to provide an overview and vision for the future development of photonic metamaterial absorbers and their applications in novel nanophotonic systems.     

Identification of ground-state spin ordering in antiferromagnetic transition metal oxides using the Ising model and a genetic algorithm

Abstract

We identify ground-state collinear spin ordering in various antiferromagnetic transition metal oxides by constructing the Ising model from first-principles results and applying a genetic algorithm to find its minimum energy state. The present method can correctly reproduce the ground state of well-known antiferromagnetic oxides such as NiO, Fe₂O₃, Cr₂O₃ and MnO₂. Furthermore, we identify the ground-state spin ordering in more complicated materials such as Mn₃O₄ and CoCr₂O₄.