Generalized Space-Time Engineered Modulation (GSTEM) Metamaterials

TL;DR

This paper introduces a unified spacetime framework for electrodynamic metamaterials engineered through space and time modulations, including accelerated types, and explores their physics, interfaces, and potential applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive spacetime perspective on GSTEM metamaterials, introduces accelerated GSTEMs, and explains their unique light manipulation phenomena.

Findings

Light deflection by USTEMs as spacetime weighted averaging

ASTEMs can curve light and attract it like black holes

Homogenization of stacked GSTEM interfaces enables new metamaterial behaviors

Abstract

This article presents a global and generalized perspective of electrodynamic meta-materials formed by space and time engineered modulations, which we name Generalized Space-Time Engineered Modulation (GSTEM) Metamaterials, or GSTEMs. In this perspective, it describes metamaterials from a unified spacetime viewpoint and introduces accelerated metamaterials as an extra type of dynamic metamaterials. First, it positions GSTEMs in the even broader context of electrodynamic systems that include (non-modulated) moving sources in vacuum and moving bodies, explains the difference between the moving-matter nature of the latter and the moving-perturbation nature of GSTEMs, and enumerates the different types of GSTEMs considered, namely Space EMs (SEMs), Time EMs (TEMs), Uniform Space-Time EMs (USTEMs) and Accelerated Space-Time EMs (ASTEMs). Next, it establishes the physics of the related interfaces, which includes direct-spacetime scattering and inverse-spacetime transition transformations. Then, it exposes the physics of the GSTEM metamaterials formed by stacking these interfaces and homogenizing the resulting crystals; this includes an original explanation of light deflection by USTEMs as being a spacetime weighted averaging phenomenon and the demonstration of ASTEM light curving and black-hole light attraction. Finally, it discusses some future prospects. Useful complementary information and animations are provided in the Supplementary Material.