The Physics and Technology of Photonic Metadevices and Metasystems

The Programme on "The Physics and Technology of Photonic Metadevices and Metasystems" is constructed with Impact in Mind. It is united by the goal of finding new and radical solutions for today's society wherein photonics and advanced materials are now universally seen as enabling technologies of the 21st century. In recognition of this the United Nations has declared 2015 The "International Year of Light".

Today photons, quanta of light, are the primary information carriers, delivering video, internet and telephone calls through global information networks. Displays, laser surgery and manufacturing, metrology and many security applications all depend upon our ability to master light. Progress in improving the performance of all light-enabled devices depends on, and is ultimately limited, by the functionality of available photonic materials.

At the core of this Programme is the radical new idea that the properties of media in which light propagates do not have to be static, as traditionally assumed, but may be changed at will at any point in space and/or moment in time. Indeed, "optical properties on demand" can be achieved using emerging paradigms of reconfigurable and tuneable metamaterials - functional matter structured on the sub-wavelength scale, and by engaging new ideas of phase-change and coherent control.

We envisage that by engaging this plethora of new ideas we will be able to open a path to several technological step changes that may enable increased information flow, while reducing power consumption to the ultimate quantum limit and achieving new levels of miniaturisation for photonic devices.

We see our Programme as a major step forward in the global process of deriving true commercial and societal impact from fundamental research on metamaterials: a field in which the EPSRC has made substantial prior and continuing investment.

Indeed, innovative materials are crucial for rebalancing the UK economy as they are, and will continue to be, a major component of UK export. They are internationally recognised as a key performance enabler in several economically significant areas including electronics, telecoms and energy.

We have assembled a team of researchers at Southampton and Heriot-Watt Universities offering a perfect complementarity of skills across the entire translation spectrum, from fundamental physics to device and system engineering, and a healthy balance between proven, established expertise and new research talent.

We will develop our Programme in close collaboration with the UK and international research community, including strategic partners at the National Taiwan University and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

To maximise impact we will work closely with Industrial Partners DSTL, BAE Systems plc, Ilika plc, and Oclaro Technology Ltd., all of whom will gain from exposure to early stage research and development in a new emerging technology, in return facilitating exploitation of results.

In support of our programme, our Academic and Industrial Partners, and the host universities together commit in excess of 2 million pounds of their resources (cash and in kind).

We see our Programme as a major step forward in the global process of deriving true commercial and societal impact from the field of metamaterials - one in which the EPSRC has made substantial prior and continuing investment.

Metamaterials are changing the photonics technology paradigm: media with prescribed properties, which can be switched/tuned by control signals, can now be engineered to specification from the atomic scale up. This technology is now evolving into the fields of metadevices and metasystems but is yet to be fully understood by the broader research community, exploited by industry, or appreciated by society.

Recognizing this, we have constructed the Programme with Impact in Mind from the outset:

1. We are bringing in investigators that can deliver excellent science with increased focus on commercial exploitation, as well as a new generation of highly promising younger researchers who will ensure long-term sustainability and critical mass.

2. Our main mechanism of engagement and interaction with the research community in the UK will be an "Adventure Fund" scheme, which will give interested parties opportunity and funding to work jointly with us on the Programme. £300k is allocated for this purpose.

3. We fully recognize the findings of the Royal Society 2011 survey on "Knowledge, Networks and Nations" which states that international collaborations are becoming increasingly important. We will establish key partnerships with leading Far Eastern Universities in Taiwan and Singapore, each of which will contribute substantial resources to the Programme. We will work with colleagues in Australia, the USA (MURI programmes), Japan, and Germany (International Max Planck Partnership).

4. Our main route to engender industrial interest and influence will come via our official Project Partners who have vested significant interest in the project:
- the government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) Physical Sciences Department;
- BAE Systems plc - a global aerospace, defence and security company;
- Ilika plc - a materials discovery company;
- Oclaro Technology Ltd. - global suppliers of optical fibre components, modules and subsystems.

5. We will work on collaborative projects with Samsung Electronics Corporation, FujiFilm Corporation and Asahi Kasei Corporation who will also generously contribute to our research.

6. We will develop a cohort of researchers capable of making technological impact. People are a critical aspect in the sustainability and long-term impact of any new technology and an equivalent of more than 12 full-time students will be trained in a highly agile research environment with strong international and industrial links.

7. To promote public understanding of our research we will use open access as a key dissemination principle of the Programme (dedicated website www.nanophotonics.org.uk, Wikipedia, Researcher ID and Google Scholar indices, video tutorials etc.). Key scientific results will be publicised through university and EPSRC communications offices, and in industry-oriented journals, Southampton's "Science Week" and "Lightwave Roadshow" events, national events like the Big Bang Fair and Cheltenham Science Festival.

Overall our industrial partners are happy to commit almost £1M to the programme and this constitutes arguably the clearest evidence of our industrial impact. When added to the >£400k commitment from our International Academic Partners (and almost £500k from our host institutions) one can see how valuable association with our Programme is to the research community.