Communications of the ACM
Building Robust Optical Structures Made of Darkness
The multi-material 3D printer, which incorporates multi-wavelength high-power lasers, is designed for quick, easy 3D printing of smart, flexible, and wearable electronic devices.
Credit: Harvard University John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
A team of Harvard University researchers harnessed metasurfaces to generate and manipulate dark regions in electromagnetic fields called "optical singularities."
The researchers designed and manufactured an optical device featuring metasurfaces of titanium dioxide nanopillars that can configure an array of optical singularities by controlling light.
Harvard's Soon Wei Daniel Lim controlled the singularities' appearance using an algorithm to reverse-engineer the metasurface's design.
The team also designed polarization singularities comprised of highly stable points of darkness in a polarized optical field.
Harvard's Federico Capasso said this research could have applications in covert detection and remote sensing, such as using points of darkness "to mask out bright sources while imaging a scene, allowing us to see faint objects that are otherwise overshadowed."
From Harvard University John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
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