Magnetism at terahertz frequencies
A `METAMATERIAL' that displays strong, tuneable magnetic activity at terahertz frequencies has been created. "Creating a magnetic activity at the edge of optical frequencies is a milestone towards optical magnetism, which is not found in natural materials due to lack of a magnetic monopole," said Xiang Zhang, a professor in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. "It will allow us to develop materials that operate in between optical frequencies and microwave frequencies. It opens the door to new applications in medicine, bio-sensing and security imaging."
In a paper in the journal Science, researchers outline how they built a new material with unprecedented properties. Based on designer's physics, in the field of metamaterials researchers design and create new materials with a set of desired physical properties that do not exist in nature. Scientists can create materials with properties not found in the parent material by manipulating structures. It was made possible for Zhang's team to construct a system that exhibits magnetic properties at higher frequencies thanks to recent advances in this field.
There has been growing interest in possibility of applications operating at higher frequencies in biological and security imaging, biomolecular fingerprinting, and remote sensing and guidance in zero-visibility weather. Materials that exhibit a magnetic response at terahertz (THz) and optical frequencies are rarely found in nature, but Zhang's metamaterial bridges this gap. It exhibits magnetic activity that is wide bandwidth and tuneable throughout THz frequencies.
— Our Bureau
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