Nanostructured hyperbolic metamaterials: physics and devices

纳米技术为人工材料铺平了道路，这些材料具有超出自然界中通常发现的电磁，机械，热和声学特性。根据许多已发表的技术路线图，合并光子学和纳米技术有希望：-迎来新一代的成像设备的生物医学应用，推动纳米光子学研究，以维持摩尔定律，甚至解决太阳能收集的迫切社会需求。这项研究提案的中心主题是理解基于纳米制造超材料的新光子器件的基本物理学，根据组成的纳米结构构建块，大块宏观材料的特性可以随意控制和定制。 超材料是一种人工结构介质，它允许在纳米和宏观尺度上对光的流动进行前所未有的控制。作为该提案的一部分，将研究的人工纳米结构介质是双曲超材料（Hubbolic Metamaterials），其性质来自于自然界中未发现的违反直觉的电磁响应。该研究计划的目的是双重的：了解HMM的基本特性，同时探索基于HMM的设备在三个看似脱节的应用：成像，量子光学和可再生能源。 在成像方面，我们将研究人工材料如何扩展传统显微镜的功能;在量子光学方向上，我们将研究在纳米尺度上利用光的有效方法，沿着可再生能源方向，我们将探索在人工纳米结构介质的帮助下可以有效收集太阳能的设备。围绕这些应用的中心主题是双曲超材料独特的电磁状态特性。

Nanotechnology has paved the way for artificial materials which have electromagnetic, mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties beyond those which are ordinarily found in nature. According to many published technological roadmaps, merging photonics and nanotechnologies holds the promise:- to usher in a new generation of imaging devices for biomedical applications, to drive nanophotonics research for sustaining Moore's law and even address pressing societal needs of solar energy harvesting. The central theme of this research proposal is the understanding of the essential physics for new photonic devices based on nanofabricated metamaterials, where the bulk macroscopic material properties are governed and tailored at will, according to the constituent nanostructured building blocks. Metamaterials are artificial structured media which allow unprecedented control over the flow of light at the nano and macro scales. The artificial nanostructured media to be investigated as part of this proposal are Hyperbolic Metamaterials (HMMs) which derive their properties from a counterintuitive electromagnetic response, not found in nature. The aim of this research program is twofold: to understand fundamental properties of HMMs and simultaneously explore HMM based devices in three seemingly disconnected applications: imaging, quantum optics and renewable energy. On the imaging front, we will look at how artificial materials can extend the capabilities of conventional microscopes; in the quantum optics direction we will look at efficient ways of harnessing light at the nanoscale and along the renewable energy direction we will explore devices which can efficiently harvest solar energy when assisted by artificial nanostructured media. The central theme surrounding these applications is the unique electromagnetic states characteristic of Hyperbolic Metamaterials.