Abstract-Thermally induced tunability of a terahertz metamaterial by using a specially designed nematic liquid crystal mixture

Rafał Kowerdziej, Marek Olifierczuk, and Janusz Parka

https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-26-3-2443

The search for new low loss nematic liquid crystal mixtures with enhanced birefringence and low temperature of nematic-to-isotropic phase transition plays a pivotal role in a development of new applications in the emerging field of thermally tunable metamaterials. Here we maximize thermally induced tunability of a terahertz metamaterial by using a specially designed nematic liquid crystal mixture. It is shown that the resonant response of a metamaterial device can be effectively tuned both in terms of its magnitude and wavelength with the spectral tunability approaching the theoretical limit of 8 GHz. Electromagnetic simulations confirm our tests and match the experimental observations well. The suggested approach opens new routes for next-generation soft-matter-based filtering and sensing components and devices.

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