ME 488 Metamaterials
Metamaterials are not materials in the ordinary sense, but rather, man-made structures that are engineered to exhibit physical properties not found in naturally occurring materials. Energy transport through matter takes place by the propagation of waves. Therefore, achieving control upon wave propagation in a material enables one to control how energy is transported through physical structures and/or devices made with that material. Wave propagation properties in ordinary materials are determined by the nature of the materials' atomic constituents and by the atoms' geometrical arrangement in space. Metamaterials can be designed and fabricated with spatial structures not found in natural materials, thereby affecting wave propagation in novel ways. This course presents the relationship between spatial structure and wave propagation properties, thus explaining how electromagnetic and acoustic fields travel through different ordinary materials. Equipped with knowledge of the structure-propagation relationship, students will learn how to design metamaterials with the correct spatial structure to yield desired wave propagation properties. Both acoustic and electromagnetic metamaterials will be discussed, and practical applications will be presented.
Cross Listed Courses
ME 488 & MSE 588