Partnership for Research and Education in Materials: Partnership for Photonic Metamaterials

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The team of investigators from the Center for Materials Research (CMR) at Norfolk State University (NSU), the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR), as well as the Birck Nanotechnology Center (BNC) and Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) at Purdue University establish the Partnership for Photonic Metamaterials. The Director of the Partnership is Mikhail A. Noginov (NSU). The central research theme is mutual enhancement of (i) optical gain and other optical responses in dielectric media and (ii) surface plasmons (SPs) in metallic particles and aggregates. Compensation of loss in metal by optical gain in dielectric will be further developed in application to low-loss in metal by optical gain in dielectric will be further developed in application to low-loss Negative Index Materials (NIMs). An enhancement of effective absorption and stimulated emission cross sections by SPs will be extended to the studies of lasers, in which active media are modified by metallic particles and aggregates. The studies of nonlinear optical phenomena enhanced by SPs will include two-photon absorption and nonlinear magneto-optics. Theoretical modeling of electrodynamics of metamaterials and ab initio studies of new physical and chemical states of metal-dielectric interfaces will support and guide all experimental efforts. The goal of the education program of the Partnership is to establish a pipeline starting from attracting high school students from the underrepresented minority groups to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines (especially Materials Science), and finishing with preparation of the PhD candidates for careers in Materials Science in academia, industry, and government. The proposed effort involving development of educational materials, class-work, research training, and mentoring will heavily rely on the exchange programs within the Partnership.