Nanomechanical photonic metamaterials

The optical properties of materials are determined by the spatial arrangement of their building blocks and nanomechanical metamaterials can be actuated by temperature changes, electric and magnetic fields, light and ultrasound. This provides an opportunity for sensing and light modulation based on engineered giant thermo-optical, electro-optical, magneto-optical, nonlinear optical, acousto-optical effects. We will give an overview, focusing on recent breakthroughs such as the optical detection of thermal motion in nanomechanical metamaterials, magnetic field sensing based on metamaterial nanomechanics, electrogyration a million times stronger than in natural materials, the realization of an optically bistable device and the demonstration of asymmetric transmission at microwatt power levels.