Conférence-évènement : Extreme Optics with zero refractive index par Eric MAZUR

Nanotechnology has enabled the development of nanostructured composite materials (metamaterials) with  exotic optical properties not found in nature. In the most extreme case, we can create materials which  support light waves that propagate  with  infinite phase velocity, corresponding to a refractive  index of zero. This zero index can only be achieved  by simultaneously controlling the electric and magnetic resonances resonances of the nanostructure. We present an in-plane metamaterial design consisting of silicon pillar arrays, embedded within a polymer matrix and sandwiched between gold layers. Using an integrated nano-scale  prism constructed of the proposed material, we demonstrate unambiguously a refractive index of zero in the optical regime. This design serves as a novel on-chip platform to explore the exotic physics of zero-index metamaterials, with applications to super-coupling, integrated quantum optics, optics,and phase matching.