Category Archives: Metasurfaces
Harnessing near-field light
Research paves the way for high resolution microscopy, more efficient optical communication and more By Leah Burrows There are many types of light — some visible and some invisible to the human eye. For example, polarized light is invisible because even though it hits our eyes, our brain doesn’t have the tools to process it. […]
To what extent can we shift the frequency of signals using time-dependent surfaces?
Time-dependent metasurfaces are playing an increasingly important role as a platform to change the frequency of optical signals. This is a result of the fact that the interaction length through a single surface is so small that it is nearly impossible to generate new spectral components using nonlinear effects. However, although the idea to generate […]
Prix Agathon De Potter – Physique
Very honored to have been awarded the Agathon De Potter Award during the public event of l’Académie Royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts on December 15th, 2018.
TEDxGhent – Listen, Think, Digest
Not sure whether it is an idea worth spreading more than others, but this was a very interesting venue to talk about the ways in which the science behind invisibility is transforming Applied Physics.
Sophie Viaene successfully defended her PhD on the exploration of metamaterial horizons
Einstein’s theory of general relativity has dramatically changed our world view, by describing gravity as an intrinsic deformation of space and time. About fifteen years ago, John Pendry and Ulf Leonhard had the intriguing idea to emulate the behaviour of light in a deformed space by making use of carefully designed artificial metamaterials. Metamaterials consist […]
A question for Science
The campaign “A question for Science” is an initiative of the Flanders Scientific Research Fund (FWO), commissioned by Flemish Minister Muyters, responsible for science and innovation, in collaboration with a broad group of scientific organizations, such as the Flemish universities and colleges, the KVAB, the Young Academy, the strategic research centers … As an ambassadors […]
Taking it slow with reconfigurable metasurfaces
Ultrathin nanostructured resonators on surfaces, i.e., metasurfaces, have shown great potential for the miniaturization of advanced photonic technologies such as aberration-free lenses, beam shapers, and holograms. These metasurface designs focus strongly on obtaining desired optical properties through a careful optimization of the shape, the relative orientation, and the composition of structures. However, once manufactured the […]
Imaginary gauge really enhances the optical force
Light consists of a flow of photons. If two waveguides – cables for light – are side by side, they attract or repel each other. The interaction is due to the optical force, but the effect is usually extremely small. Physicists at Chalmers University of Technology and Free University of Brussels have now found a […]