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At least 19 records

Deep Learning the Electromagnetic Properties of Metamaterials—A Comprehensive Review

Deep neural networks (DNNs) are empirically derived systems that have transformed traditional research methods, and are driving scientific discovery. Here, artificial electromagnetic materials (AEMs)—including electromagnetic metamaterials, photonic crystals, and plasmonics—are research fields where DNN results valorize the data driven approach; especially in cases where conventional methods have failed. In view of the great potential of deep learning for the future of artificial electromagnetic materials research, the status of the field with a focus on recent advances, key limitations, and future directions is reviewed. Strategies, guidance, evaluation, and limits of using deep networks for both forward and inverse AEM problems are presented.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Metamaterials as a Platform for the Development of Novel Materials for Energy Applications

To explore the fundamental properties of metamaterials (MMs) / metasurfaces and their potential for control of energy at the sub‐wavelength scale in support of the mission of the Department of Energy and the office of Basic Energy Sciences. Electromagnetic metamaterials provide a platform for the discovery and design of new materials with novel structures, functions, and properties. The PI proposes to advance the knowledge base of these materials through fundamental investigations of the experimental and theoretical properties of metamaterials for the discovery, prediction and design of new materials with novel structures, functions, and properties. The proposed research activities emphasize a complete basic research program including the conceptual / computational design, fabrication / synthesis of the materials, and the characterization and analysis of their electromagnetic properties. The proposed project explores the fundamental properties of metamaterials / metasurfaces and their potential for energy applications. There are three main topics which will be investigated: 1) Dispersion engineering with metamaterials and metasurfaces, 2) Epsilon near zero metamaterial absorbers and emitters, and 3) All dielectric metamaterials. The program implements a complete basic research program consisting of theory / design, modeling, characterization, and analysis, in order to fully characterize metamaterials and metasurfaces, while at the same time minimizing iterations necessary to achieve the proposal goals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Transfer learning for metamaterial design and simulation

Abstract We demonstrate transfer learning as a tool to improve the efficacy of training deep learning models based on residual neural networks (ResNets). Specifically, we examine its use for study of multi-scale electrically large metasurface arrays under open boundary conditions in electromagnetic metamaterials. Our aim is to assess the efficiency of transfer learning across a range of problem domains that vary in their resemblance to the original base problem for which the ResNet model was initially trained. We use a quasi-analytical discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method to simulate electrically large metasurface arrays to obtain ground truth data for training and testing of our deep neural network. Our approach can save significant time for examining novel metasurface designs by harnessing the power of transfer learning, as it effectively mitigates the pervasive data bottleneck issue commonly encountered in deep learning. We demonstrate that for the best case when the transfer task is sufficiently similar to the target task, a new task can be effectively trained using only a few data points yet still achieve a test mean absolute relative error of 3 % with a pre-trained neural network, realizing data reduction by a factor of 1000.

Peng, Rixi↗

Fundamental absorption bandwidth to thickness limit for transparent homogeneous layers

Abstract Past work has considered the analytic properties of the reflection coefficient for a metal-backed slab. The primary result established a fundamental relationship for the minimal layer thickness to bandwidth ratio achievable for an absorber. There has yet to be establishment of a similar relationship for non-metal-backed layers, and here we present the universal result based on the Kramers–Kronig relations. Our theory is validated with transfer matrix calculations of homogeneous materials, and full-wave numerical simulations of electromagnetic metamaterials. Our results place more general fundamental limits on absorbers and thus will be important for both fundamental and applied studies.

Padilla, Willie J.↗

Laser heating of ferroelectric cubes for tunable electromagnetic properties in metamaterials

In this experimental study, we demonstrate the feasibility of a thermally tunable, resonant dielectric microwave metasurface based on sub-wavelength Mie resonances of ferroelectric dielectric cubes (Calcium titanate, CaTiO 3 ) in which the temperature of the meta-atoms can be locally and dynamically controlled by heating with an optical laser beam over a large range of temperatures and, consequently, values of the dielectric constant of the cube and corresponding resonance frequency of the meta-atoms. Further, this avoids any interference of otherwise necessary heating elements or power supply wires with the propagation of the microwave signal and can be made spatially addressable. The concept scales at least to the THz domain. This contactless approach opens up an alternative avenue to tunability and active control of metamaterials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Nonlocal elastic metasurfaces: Enabling broadband wave control via intentional nonlocality

While elastic metasurfaces offer a remarkable and very effective approach to the subwavelength control of stress waves, their use in practical applications is severely hindered by intrinsically narrow band performance. In applications to electromagnetic and photonic metamaterials, some success in extending the operating dynamic range was obtained by using nonlocality. However, while electronic properties in natural materials can show significant nonlocal effects, even at the macroscales, in mechanics, nonlocality is a higher-order effect that becomes appreciable only at the microscales. This study introduces the concept of intentional nonlocality as a fundamental mechanism to design passive elastic metasurfaces capable of an exceptionally broadband operating range. The nonlocal behavior is achieved by exploiting nonlocal forces, conceptually akin to long-range interactions in nonlocal material microstructures, between subsets of resonant unit cells forming the metasurface. These long-range forces are obtained via carefully crafted flexible elements, whose specific geometry and local dynamics are designed to create remarkably complex transfer functions between multiple units. The resulting nonlocal coupling forces enable achieving phase-gradient profiles that are functions of the wavenumber of the incident wave. The identification of relevant design parameters and the assessment of their impact on performance are explored via a combination of semianalytical and numerical models. The nonlocal metasurface concept is tested, both numerically and experimentally, by embedding a total-internal-reflection design in a thin-plate waveguide. Results confirm the feasibility of the intentionally nonlocal design concept and its ability to achieve a fully passive and broadband wave control.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

MIRaGE-Lite V.4.X

SAND2022-4254 O The goal of Multiscale Inverse Rapid Group-theory for Engineered-metamaterials (MIRaGE), funded under the DARPA EXTREME program, is to create a group theory-based multiscale simulation tool that enables the inverse design of metamaterials exhibiting exotic electromagnetic behaviors beyond the limits of conventional optics. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

El-Kady, Ihab↗

Spontaneous emission dynamics of Eu 3+ ions coupled to hyperbolic metamaterials

We show that sub-wavelength nanostructured systems with tunable electromagnetic properties, such as hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs), provide a useful platform to tailor spontaneous emission processes. Here, we investigate a system comprising Eu 3+ (NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O nanocrystals on an HMM structure featuring a hexagonal array of Ag nanowires in a porous Al2O 3 matrix. The HMM-coupled Eu 3+ ions exhibit up to a 2.4 fold increase in their decay rate, accompanied by an enhancement of the emission rate of the 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 transition. Using finite-difference time-domain modeling, we corroborate these observations with the increase in the photonic density of states seen by the Eu 3+ ions in the proximity of the HMM. Our results indicate that HMMs can serve as a valuable tool to control the emission from weak transitions and, hence, hint at a route toward more practical applications of rare-earth ions in nanoscale optoelectronics and quantum devices.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Optimization of three-dimensional metamaterials for terahertz energy harvesting

This work focuses on finite element modeling (FEM) of a three-dimensional metamaterial used as an absorber for terahertz energy harvesting. The metamaterial consists of patterned pillars of an SU-8 dielectric photoresist coupled to a copper metal overlayer. Here, our study shows that the electromagnetic performance of the metamaterial is dependent on the following characteristic design parameters of the SU-8 dielectric: pillar height, bottom side length, and spacing between adjacent pillars. Using FEM, the metamaterial geometry is successfully optimized and the surface plasmon can be tuned to a peak frequency of 1.2 THz and a maximum terahertz absorption amplitude of 30%.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Exceptional coupling in photonic anisotropic metamaterials for extremely low waveguide crosstalk

Electromagnetic coupling is ubiquitous in photonic systems and transfers optical signals from one device to the other, creating crosstalk between devices. While this allows the functionality of some photonic components such as couplers, it limits the integration density of photonic chips, and many approaches have been proposed to reduce the crosstalk. However, due to the wave nature of light, complete elimination of crosstalk between closely spaced, identical waveguides is believed to be impossible and has not been observed experimentally. Here we show an exceptional coupling that can completely suppresses the crosstalk utilizing highly anisotropic photonic metamaterials. The anisotropic dielectric perturbations in the metamaterial mutually cancel the couplings from different field components, resulting in an infinitely long coupling length. We demonstrate the extreme suppression of crosstalk via exceptional coupling on a silicon-on-insulator platform, which is compatible with a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process. The idea of exceptional coupling with anisotropic metamaterials can be applied to many other electromagnetic devices, and it could drastically increase the integration density of photonic chips.

Mia, Md Borhan (ORCID:0000000320851331)↗

Mie-Resonant Three-Dimensional Metacrystals

Optical metamaterials, engineered to exhibit electromagnetic properties not found in natural materials, may enable new light-based applications including cloaking and optical computing. While there have been significant advances in the fabrication of two-dimensional metasurfaces, planar structures create nontrivial angular and polarization sensitivities, making omnidirectional operation impossible. Although three-dimensional (3D) metamaterials have been proposed, their fabrication remains challenging. In this work, we use colloidal crystal engineering with DNA to prepare isotropic 3D metacrystals from Au nanocubes. We show that such structures can exhibit refractive indices as large as ~8 in the mid-infrared, far greater than that of common high-index dielectrics. Additionally, we report the first observation of multipolar Mie resonances in metacrystals with well-formed habits, occurring in the mid-infrared for sub-micron metacrystals, which we measured using synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy. Finally, we predict that arrays of metacrystals could exhibit negative refraction. The results present a promising platform for engineering devices with unnatural optical properties.

3D metamaterials↗

Active and tunable nanophotonic metamaterials

Abstract Metamaterials enable subwavelength tailoring of light–matter interactions, driving fundamental discoveries which fuel novel applications in areas ranging from compressed sensing to quantum engineering. Importantly, the metallic and dielectric resonators from which static metamaterials are comprised present an open architecture amenable to materials integration. Thus, incorporating responsive materials such as semiconductors, liquid crystals, phase-change materials, or quantum materials (e.g., superconductors, 2D materials, etc.) imbue metamaterials with dynamic properties, facilitating the development of active and tunable devices harboring enhanced or even entirely novel electromagnetic functionality. Ultimately, active control derives from the ability to craft the local electromagnetic fields; accomplished using a host of external stimuli to modify the electronic or optical properties of the responsive materials embedded into the active regions of the subwavelength resonators. We provide a broad overview of this frontier area of metamaterials research, introducing fundamental concepts and presenting control strategies that include electronic, optical, mechanical, thermal, and magnetic stimuli. The examples presented range from microwave to visible wavelengths, utilizing a wide range of materials to realize spatial light modulators, effective nonlinear media, on-demand optics, and polarimetric imaging as but a few examples. Often, active and tunable nanophotonic metamaterials yield an emergent electromagnetic response that is more than the sum of the parts, providing reconfigurable or real-time control of the amplitude, phase, wavevector, polarization, and frequency of light. The examples to date are impressive, setting the stage for future advances that are likely to impact holography, beyond 5G communications, imaging, and quantum sensing and transduction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anomalous absorption of electromagnetic waves by 2D transition metal carbonitride Ti 3 CNT x (MXene)

Lightweight, ultrathin, and flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are needed to protect electronic circuits and portable telecommunication devices and to eliminate cross-talk between devices and device components. Here, we show that a two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbonitride, Ti 3 CNT x MXene, with a moderate electrical conductivity, provides a higher shielding effectiveness compared with more conductive Ti 3 C 2 T x or metal foils of the same thickness. This exceptional shielding performance of Ti 3 CNT x was achieved by thermal annealing and is attributed to an anomalously high absorption of electromagnetic waves in its layered, metamaterial-like structure. These results provide guidance for designing advanced EMI shielding materials but also highlight the need for exploring fundamental mechanisms behind interaction of electromagnetic waves with 2D materials.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Inverse deep learning methods and benchmarks for artificial electromagnetic material design

In this work we investigate the use of deep inverse models (DIMs) for designing artificial electromagnetic materials (AEMs) – such as metamaterials, photonic crystals, and plasmonics – to achieve some desired scattering properties (e.g., transmission or reflection spectrum). DIMs are deep neural networks (i.e., deep learning models) that are specially-designed to solve ill-posed inverse problems. There has recently been tremendous growth in the use of DIMs for solving AEM design problems however there has been little comparison of these approaches to examine their absolute and relative performance capabilities. In this work we compare eight state-of-the-art DIMs on three unique AEM design problems, including two models that are novel to the AEM community. Our results indicate that DIMs can rapidly produce accurate designs to achieve a custom desired scattering on all three problems. Although no single model always performs best, the Neural-Adjoint approach achieves the best overall performance across all problem settings. As a final contribution we show that not all AEM design problems are ill-posed, and in such cases a conventional deep neural network can perform better than DIMs. We recommend that a deep neural network is always employed as a simple baseline approach when addressing AEM design problems. Furthermore, we publish python code for our AEM simulators and our DIMs to enable easy replication of our results, and benchmarking of new DIMs by the AEM community.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Finite-difference time-domain methods

The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is a widespread numerical tool for full-wave analysis of electromagnetic fields in complex media and for detailed geometries. Applications of the FDTD method cover a range of time and spatial scales, extending from subatomic to galactic lengths and from classical to quantum physics. Technology areas that benefit from the FDTD method include biomedicine — bioimaging, biophotonics, bioelectronics and biosensors; geophysics — remote sensing, communications, space weather hazards and geolocation; metamaterials — sub-wavelength focusing lenses, electromagnetic cloaks and continuously scanning leaky-wave antennas; optics — diffractive optical elements, photonic bandgap structures, photonic crystal waveguides and ring-resonator devices; plasmonics — plasmonic waveguides and antennas; and quantum applications — quantum devices and quantum radar. This Primer summarizes the main features of the FDTD method, along with key extensions that enable accurate solutions to be obtained for different research questions. Additionally, hardware considerations are discussed, plus examples of how to extract magnitude and phase data, Brillouin diagrams and scattering parameters from the output of an FDTD model. Furthermore, the Primer ends with a discussion of ongoing challenges and opportunities to further enhance the FDTD method for current and future applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Dependent scattering and fractal microstructure determine the transparency of aerogel monoliths

This study reveals how dependent scattering and microstructure significantly affect electromagnetic wave propagation through aerogel monoliths, contributing to their transparency. Light scattering by particle ensembles is considered “dependent” when the scattering properties rely not only on particle size and optical constants but also on their spatial distribution, typically occurring when the average interparticle distance is small in comparison with the wavelength of incident radiation. Addressing dependent scattering requires solving Maxwell’s equations for complex heterogeneous structures, which is computationally demanding and usually limited to sample thicknesses on the same scale as the wavelength. This study combines computer-generated ambigel microstructures of fractal aggregates of polydisperse nanoparticles and the radiative transfer with reciprocal transaction method to predict the transmittance of thick ambigel slabs. Transmittance measurements of ambiently dried aerogel monoliths (ambigels) with porosities from about 50% to 90% closely matched the predicted values for their digital twins. However, ignoring dependent scattering or particle aggregation led to inaccurate predictions. This study validated the computational framework, and its findings offer insights for designing photonic metamaterials and analyzing their interactions with electromagnetic waves.

Yalcin, Refet A. (ORCID:0000000339973494)↗