Modeling metamaterials

EPFL scientists have developed an innovative mathematical method to greatly improve computer modeling of metamaterials.

Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties that are not normally found in nature. Typical examples include cloaking materials that can render a person or an aircraft completely invisible to detection. In addition, metamaterials are being explored in a number of cutting-edge technologies including perfect lenses, antennas and terahertz devices. As the field grows, it is becoming increasingly necessary to model metamaterials, which is a difficult task considering their unconventional nature and delicate properties. Publishing in the Journal of Computational Physics, an EPFL-led team has found a way to create computational models that can be applied to a large range of metamaterials.