This Presidential Young Investigator grant is focused on electromagnetic chiralilty and its applications to integrated optical devices and microwave and millimeter-wave components. Chirality refers to the handedness of an object or a medium. It has played an important role in a variety of fields such as chemistry, optics, particle physics and mathematics. The research will be directed to the following projects: (1) chirostrip antennas. These consist of microstrip antennas with chiral materials as substrates and/or superstrates. Their novel properties and capabilities will be investigated. (2) Chiro optical waveguides. Preliminary analysis has revealed interesting and unconventional guiding properties for such waveguides, with potential applications to optical communications. (3) Chiral materials for microwave and millimeter wave regime. Such materials can be made with the benefit of recent advances in polymer chemistry. (4) Use of chiral materials in optical components and devices, such as optical isolators and modulators.
