Abstract

Metamaterials are artificially designed subwavelength composites that possess extraordinary properties not existing in naturally occurring materials. In particular, they can alter the propagation of electromagnetic waves resulting in negative refraction, subwavelength focusing and even in cloaking of macroscopic objects. Such unusual properties can be obtained by a careful design of dielectric or metal-dielectric composites on a deep sub-wavelength scale. The metamaterials may have profound impact in wide range of applications such as nano-scale imaging, nanolithography, and integrated nano photonics. I will discuss a few recent experiments demonstrating intriguing phenomena associated with Metamaterials. These include subdiffraction limit imaging and focusing, low-loss and broad-band negative-refraction of visible light, negative-index metamaterials and the first cloak operating at optical frequencies; an all-dielectric “carpet cloak” with broad-band and low-loss performance. I will also present our recent demonstration of a deep sub-wavelength plasmonic laser.

© 2011 Optical Society of America