Practical THz Metamaterials and Applications

by Prof. Phil Mauskopf (University of Cardiff Department of Physics and Astronomy)

Thursday 17 Sept 2009, 10:00 → 11:00 Europe/Rome

Aula Conversi (Dip. di Fisica - Edificio G. Marconi)

I will descibe the design and fabrication of artificial materials (metamaterials) for use at THz frequencies. These materials are based on stacked layers of periodic metallic structures patterned on thin layers of plastic. This technology has been used for many years to make quasioptical components (e.g. filters and polarizers) for astronomical instruments such as the ESA satellites PLANCK and HERSCHEL. However, traditional components are not true metamaterials in that their electromagnetic properties are not independent of their thickness. We have now designed, fabricated and characterized components that have properties corresponding to a bulk index of refraction, n, up to 5. We have also applied this technology to fabricating improved antireflection coatings for quartz and sapphire waveplates. Using the same techniques we can design and fabricate a number of other materials with other properties such as birefringence (i.e. artificial waveplates), dispersion (i.e. artificial THz prisms) and the ever popular negative index of refraction components.