Induced transparency
in metamaterials by
symmetry breaking.
A new approach
that mimics
electromagnetically
induced transparency
will greatly expand
the metamaterial
playground.
[ COVER STORY ]
22 Metamaterial-Induced Transparency:
Sharp Fano Resonances and Slow Light
Inspired by the study of atomic resonances, researchers have developed a new type of
metamaterial. Their work paves the way toward compact delay lines and slow-light devices.
Nikitas Papasimakis and Nikolay I. Zheludev
28 Lasers in Paleontology
Paleontology has come a long way since early fossil-hunters roamed the Wild West at
the end of the 19th century using sharp eyes, picks and shovels to excavate bones. Now,
21st century paleontologists are using lasers to record three-dimensional images of their
discoveries, to analyze fossils, and to date rocks.
Jeff Hecht
36 Optimal Plasmon Focusing with Spatial Polarization Engineering
Scientists can now manipulate the state of polarization across a laser beam at the
wavelength scale. Such engineering allows for optimal plasmonic focusing that could
be translated into efficient coupling for plasmonic circuits, high-resolution imaging,
biochemical sensing and thin-film characterization.
Weibin Chen, Robert L. Nelson, Don C. Abeysinghe and Qiwen Zhan
COVER: Illustration
by Phil Saunders,
SpaceChannel.org.
42 Robert W. Wood: The Scientist who Played with Optics
Robert Williams Wood viewed the natural world as his playground. For him, science was
a highly creative endeavor to be approached with curiosity and awe. Wood was also a
scientific maverick who questioned all dogmas. Above all, he was an experimentalist:
He tested conclusions, built his own apparatuses, and was excited about every part of
the process.
