Light in time-dependent metamaterials

Metamaterials have revolutionised the way we control light waves. Essentially, by engineering the diffraction of light on sub-wavelength scales, one can design new exotic materials and novel applications, for example flat lenses, invisibility cloaks and negative refraction. Yet, static metamaterials only act on the momentum of light and thus are still bound by Lorentz reciprocity and energy conservation. A dynamical metasurface, whose optical response can be fully controlled at the speed of light through a time-varying refractive index, would open to frequency control and revolutionise the way we control light.

We recently demonstrated time diffraction from the time-equivalent of a double-slit experiment in a metasurface [Nat Phys 19, 999 (2023)], the first step towards the creation of more complex time-patterns; we are also currently working on coupling space and time by realising synthetic motion.

You will work at the forefront of the exciting new field of time-varying photonics and get experience in experimental nonlinear optics and the creation and manipulation of short pulses of light. You will contribute to design and test experiments, analyse data and model them to compare results with theoretical expectations.