Reconfigurable flat optics

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The objective of this research is to develop a new class of reconfigurable flat optical components that are able to dynamically mold optical wavefronts into arbitrary shapes with subwavelength resolution and fast speed. It focuses on the technologically important mid-infrared spectral range (wavelength 2-30?Ým), which is uniquely positioned to solve a number of important issues in security, health, and environment. The approach is to use active medium such as graphene, which has tunable optical conductivity in the mid-infrared, to shift the resonance of plasmonic antennas, leading to large and controllable changes to the amplitude and phase of the scattered light. Flat optical components will be created by assembling arrays of tunable plasmonic antennas.The intellectual merit of this research is that it addresses the fundamental problem of optical modulation: how to obtain considerable and tunable changes to the amplitude and phase of light, given a certain material perturbation. The broader impacts of this program lie in education, outreach, and implication for mid-infrared technology. The program provides unique educational opportunities in device design, modeling, fabrication and characterization for students of all levels through lab training and research. The program will also promote a collaborative effort between scientists and artists in producing artistic illustrations of scientific discoveries that are more accessible to the general public. The device prototypes developed in this program will have great promise for a variety of applications, such as mid-infrared light ranging and detection, free-space communication, security screening, and biomedical imaging.