Extreme Control of Light and Sound with Metamaterials

Explore a one-hour colloquium lecture delivered by Andrea Alù from the City University of New York, delving into the fascinating world of metamaterials and their revolutionary impact on controlling light and sound waves. Discover how artificial engineered materials have evolved over two decades to demonstrate extreme optical phenomena and unprecedented wave propagation control. Learn about the crucial role of symmetries in creating emerging optical responses, including how geometrical rotations, tailored perturbations, and broken time reversal symmetry can be harnessed to manipulate waves effectively. Examine the principles of strongly coupled light and matter interactions in polaritonic systems, enabling extreme responses at the nanoscale for both classical-wave and quantum applications. Understand the fundamental physical principles that operate across various frequency ranges and their practical applications in imaging, energy, sensing, computing, and communications technologies.