Metamaterial-Enabled Electromagnetic Wave Engineering
Anna C. Tasolamprou, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 157 84, Greece
Metamaterials provide unprecedented control over electromagnetic properties by structuring subwavelength elements—meta-atoms—whose design, composition (metals, dielectrics, semiconductors, or 2D materials), and interaction with incident waves dictate their response. When an electromagnetic wave impinges on a metamaterial, it induces localized currents that act as multipole sources, shaping the scattered field and defining emergent material properties.
By selectively engineering these multipole contributions, metamaterials unlock exotic wave phenomena, including negative refractive indices, artificial chirality, toroidal excitations, and topological photonic states. These advancements have led to transformative applications such as ultrathin wavefront-shaping surfaces, dynamic polarization control, software-defined wave manipulation, graphene-based ultrafast modulators, and robust topological transport.
Here, we will cover fundamental principles and recent developments in metamaterial-based wave engineering, highlighting applications across key spectral regions, from microwaves to the mid-IR.