Guest_Jim_* Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 I do not doubt that the joke has been made that the future of computing is a bright one, as many researchers are working to replace electronics with photonics, or electronic-photonic hybrid systems. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered a way to exploit new, nonlinear metamaterials to make active optical devices. Metamaterials are simply defined as man-made materials with properties impossible to find in Nature, such as negative indices of refraction. Recently, nonlinear metamaterials have been created that are able to magnify nonlinear optical phenomena. Nonlinear materials are able to directly affect light waves that enter them, like significantly shifting their frequency. What the Tel Aviv researchers have discovered is a design for nonlinear metamaterial devices that allow for control over the interaction between the metamaterial and light. The active control these devices would enable could be used to create new, high-speed computer chips and be used for on-chip communications. For now though, the researchers want to see if they can make the devices more efficient by using multiple layers, and studying what different metamaterial building blocks will do. Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts