• Metamaterial Radome Designs (SensorMetrix/NAVAIR)
• Metal Structures for Plasmonics and Nanophotonics (AFOSR)
• Giga-Hertz EM Wave Science (ARO)
• Development of Novel Metamaterials for Aerospace (DARPA)
• Metamaterial Lenses for High-Gain Antennas (DCI)
• Scalable and Reconfigurable Metamaterials (ONR/DARPA)

In collaboration with SensorMetrix (San Diego), we are applying metamaterial concepts to improve the performance of radome designs.

PI: Anthony F. Starr (SensorMetrix)
Funding Agency: NAVAIR (China Lake)
Program Officer: Pamela Overfelt
NAVAIR Website

As part of a multiple university team (Caltech, Harvard, Duke and UCLA), we will study both the fundamental propagation properties of surface plasmons, as well as develop new miniaturized nano-optical devices and components based on plasmonic structures.

As part of a multiple university team (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs; Colorado State University; University of California, San Diego; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Irvine; Duke; NIST, Boulder), we will develop tunable devices and components capable of high-frequency operation (30-100 GHz).

We support Boeing's program on electromagnetic Metamaterials, part of the larger DARPA Metamaterials program that started in 2001. Selected accomplishments from this program include:

• The development of echniques for retrieving electromagnetic material parameters from scattering parameter data
• Fabrication of a free-space negative index metamaterial sample
• Measurement of negative index of a free-space sample
• Demonstration of a negative index metamaterial lens
• Demonstration of a negative index GRIN metamaterial lens

In this program, we will perform a detailed theoretical and experimental study of the properties of negative index lenses, which we have shown to possess a dramatically reduced geometrical aberration profile than is possible with positive index lenses. The coupling of a radiating element with a lens can form the basis of a high-gain antenna, which will be demonstrated and optimized in this program.

This award is a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technologies.

PI: David R. Smith (Duke) PI: Dr. David Schurig (Duke) Funding Agency: DCI Program Officer: Gwen Wood NGA Website

This ONR/DARPA sponsored Multiple University Research Initiative (MURI) on Metamaterials was one of the first metamaterial programs, launched in 2001. Many key metamaterial and negative refraction developments have emerged from this program, including negative refraction in photonic crystals, the concept of 'negative space' or compensation with negative index media, and the transmission line equivalent circuit of a negative index material. Novel metamaterial fabrication methods have been developed, some of which apply to high frequency (THz and higher) structures. Work on plasmonic lithography has also been initiated as part of this MURI program.

The following are selected key results that we have obtained in collaboration with the other MURI team members:

• Demonstration of enhanced diffraction in a negative index metamaterial wedge
• Investigation of anisotropic negative refracting materials, termed "indefinite" materials
• Demonstration of partial focusing in an anisotropic negative refracting metamaterial
• Demonstration of artificial magnetism at THz frequencies
• Demonstration of a gradient index metamaterial using split ring resonators