Mark Cappellli leads a new MURI on plasmas

Mark is the lead Professor and Stanford the lead institution for a six-member Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) awarded by AFOSR. The five-year $7.5 million dollar project will develop reconfigurable plasma-based metamaterial structures and Bragg scatterers. The team members joining Stanford on this MURI include Pennsylvania State University, the University of Texas, Austin, Tufts University, UCLA, and the University of Washington. The overall goal of the research is to focus on the fundamental science necessary to develop plasma photonic crystals and plasma-embedded metamaterials that operate in the mm-wave to terahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Very dense, highly ionized plasma arrays will be generated by several means, including lasers and gas discharges. The plasmas will be integrated into metal and dielectric structures to generate an overall EM response that is not afforded by any natural materials, and that can be modulated and reconfigured on short time scales. This will enable such applications as antennas with beam steering, filter devices, multiplexers, phase shifters and electro-optical modulators.