A Random Access Reconfigurable Metamaterial and a Tunable Flat Lens

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel reconfigurable metamaterial with individually controllable resonant elements, enabling dynamic wavefront shaping and the first tunable flat lens for microwave radiation.

Contribution

It presents the first demonstration of a metamaterial with independently tunable resonant properties of each metamolecule, using microfluidic technology to control liquid metal cavities.

Findings

Achieved continuous control of resonant properties of each metamolecule.

Demonstrated a tunable flat lens for microwave radiation.

Showcased dynamic wavefront shaping capabilities.

Abstract

The ability to control resonant properties of individual metamolecule in a metamaterial structure will offer an ultimate freedom for dynamically shaping wavefronts of electromagnetic radiation for applications such as variable aberration corrected planar lenses, dynamic holograms and spatial intensity and phase modulators. Here we report the first demonstration of a metamaterial where resonant properties of every individual metamolecule can be continuously controlled at will thus offering an ultimate freedom in achieving a dynamic control of electromagnetic wavefront of microwave radiation. We call this a Random Access Reconfigurable Metamaterial (RARM). To achieve a RARM we created an array of cavities that were filled with liquid metal in a precise fashion using microfluidic technology. The developed RARM was used provide the first demonstration of a tunable flat lens.