Science |
Volume 285, Page 1687 |
1999 |
J.B. Pendry
Photonic
materials--materials that interact strongly with light--may be the key to
controlling and exploiting light in future optical devices. In analogy with the
electronic band gap in insulators and semiconductors, materials with a photonic
band gap can be constructed, with applications for example in novel optical
fibers or lasers. Another type of photonic material exploits the surface
properties of materials with a negative dielectric constant (such as most
metals), which lead to nonlinear effects allowing the focusing of radiative
energy in very small volumes. Future applications in light switching, another
important aspect of optical technology, can be envisioned.
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