Spectral synthesis of temporal response of nonlinearity through tuneable electron and phonon dynamics in a metamaterial.

ABSTRACT: Manipulating intensity, phase and polarisation of the electromagnetic fields on ultrafast timescales is essential for all-optical switching, optical information processing and development of novel time-variant media. Noble metal based plasmonics has provided numerous platforms for optical switching and control, enabled by strong local field enhancement, artificially engineered dispersion and strong Kerr-type free-electron nonlinearities. However, achieving precise control over switching times and spectral response remains challenging, often limited by hot-electron gas relaxation on picosecond timescales and by the intrinsic band structure of the materials. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a strong and tunable nonlinearity in a metamaterial-on-a-mirror geometry, controlled by the wavelen

SUBMITTER: Wu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12783046 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature