THz Metamaterial development for quasi optical devices (astrophysics/instrumentation)

The next generation of optical instruments requires significant advancement in the coupling, optical efficiency, bandwidth and mass of optical components. These challenges (and more) can be met by developing metamaterial devices, manmade materials with a periodic structure which dictate their electromagnetic performance. Other applications are currently being explored, such as the ability to make flat
lenses, wideband dispersive devices, HWP and even negative index materials. At THz frequencies the Cardiff Astronomy Instrumentation Group (AIG) has been fabricating metamaterial devices for use as filters on space telescopes for many years and leads the world in their capabilities. In their basic form of multilayers of plane parallel meshes stacked perpendicularly to the incident radiation, they have
traditionally been used to make filters and dichroics as well as intensity beam dividers and half wave plates.
Cardiff is uniquely different to other research groups in metamaterials, because our approach is applications-led with a proven ability to manufacture and apply this technology, hence our production facility is one of the best-equipped metamaterial facilities world-wide.
The objectives of this studentship are therefore:
understanding the properties of metamaterials and adapting EM modelling tools to develop potential structures using HFSS, ADS, Sonnet and/or in-house software;
fabrication of novel 3D devices using in-house Cardiff cleanroom facilities;
establishing device performance using a range of characterization techniques available at Cardiff (THz spectroscopy; anechoic chamber beam profiling)