Optical metamaterials are artificially nanostructured media in which the propagation properties of light are primarily defined by their underlying structure.
With nano-scale precise implementation of new design, the existing spectrum of optical elements was extensively enlarged. Particular attention was paid to so-called negative index materials.
In the near future, photonic nanomaterials will revolutionize optics and photonics in a similar way as silicon technology revolutionized microelectronics in the last century.
To play a key role in this development, the research group PhoNa – Photonic Nanomaterials – is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Free State of Thuringia in the context of the “Advanced Research and Innovation in the New States” initiative.