Nanostructured metamaterials: advances in the calculation of their optical properties

Abstract

This article aims to present the work that has been done in recent years in the field of nanostructured meta-materials. Mainly, the work done in the Center for Optical Research A.C. in conjunction with the Institute of Physics of the UNAM. These works have focused on the development of new theoretical models that explain the optical properties of nanostructured systems. In addition, these models have been implemented within high-performance computational packages, which has allowed the realization of precise numerical calculations, which allow to know the physical quantities with which a material can be characterized; in this case, nanostructured meta-materials. Mostly, these numerical calculations have been focused on the computation of the dielectric function and non-linear susceptibility, being of great importance to be able to predict its value precisely because they are two fundamental quantities in the understanding of the interaction of light with matter. In addition to this theoretical-numerical development, some results obtained throughout this time are shown, where you can observe the versatility and flexibility of calculations as well as the importance of having such methodologies in material prediction, description and design “measure” of the needs. Finally, the future perspectives of this research are presented, as well as some of the most important challenges in this regard.