Tunable Dynamic Metamaterial for Negative Refraction

The effective ability to manipulate the negative refraction behaviors of electromagnetic waves in the terahertz (THz) frequency range is of great interest for various practical applications in communication, imaging, and sensing. In this study, we propose a robust graphene-integrated metamaterial design for the dynamic manipulation of negative refraction at terahertz frequencies. Using the distinctive characteristics of graphene combined with the specially designed metamaterial structure, we demonstrated the active control of negative refraction by modulating the graphene's chemical potential from 0.0 to 1.0 eV. By dynamically tuning the carrier density of graphene, we create the switchable states of the negative index for the transmission or the reflection modes, tailoring the terahertz wave behavior in real time. In particular, in the case of different applied temperatures (through the bias applied voltages) of the proposed metamaterial, these two modes are maintained over 60% for both reflection and transmission while preserving the negative refractive index. Our results reveal the tunability of negative refraction, paving the way for developing reconfigurable THz meta-devices with enhanced functionalities in the near future.