Controlling terahertz waves with meta-materials and photonic bandgap structures

We will describe research conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory towards developing components for controlling terahertz waves. We employ meta-materials and, particularly, meta-films, as very compact absorbers for controlling quasi-optical beams. We believe that dielectric photonic bandgap structures could replace ordinary metal waveguide devices at THz, since metal structures become extremely lossy in this frequency range. We are also acquiring new measurement equipment which will allow us to enhance capabilities of testing THz components.