Inverse, Mie Scattering Techniques Advance 3D Metamaterial Design

Using an inverse design approach, a team led by researchers at the University of Washington designed and tested a 3D-printed metamaterial that can manipulate light with nanoscale precision. Though the researchers chose a spiral helix pattern for their optical element, they said their approach could be used to design elements that focus light in other patterns. The element created by the team, whose members include researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory and the University of Dayton Research Institute, is essentially a surface covered with thousands of tiny spheres of different sizes, arranged in a periodic square lattice. The team used a commercially available 3D printer to fabricate two prototypes. The larger of the two...