The main objectives of the proposed research are to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate theory, design methods, and experimental results for advanced microwave metamaterial devices that demonstrate wideband negative permittivity, negative permeability, and negative refractive index. In particular, the theory and design for these new metamaterials will be developed, simulations will be performed, and prototype microwave metamaterial devices will be fabricated and tested.
Intellectual merit: The proposed research aims to develop and experimentally confirm the theory and design methods for novel microwave metamaterials that offer significantly wider bandwidth by using active devices. The proposed effort offers the promise of broad, fundamental, and transformational impact in metamaterial technology in microwaves, terahertz, electromagnetics, and optics that lays the foundation for novel wideband devices having negative permeability, negative permittivity, and negative refractive index.
Broader impacts: The proposed activity advances discovery in the areas of metamaterial phenomena and integrates these discoveries with significant teaching, training and learning activities. In particular, we plan to work with K-12 students in presentations, workshops, and laboratory tours. Underrepresented K-12 students will be particularly targeted for inclusion in the educational efforts. Also, underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students will be asked to participate in the proposed research wherever possible as research assistants as well as through course topic modification, course additions, senior design projects, class projects, and summer REU opportunities. The results of the proposed research are planned for dissemination in top?tier peer?reviewed journals; intermediate results will be presented to the international community through professional conferences.
