Time Keeping with Epsilon-Near-Zero Metamaterials

Accurate time interval measurement and synchronization between two or more pulses are highly desirable in different fields of science and technology.

Electronic components-based approaches can not measure the time difference between two events precisely below two-digit picosecond scale.

Additionally, the use of highly expensive electronic components and temperature increase due to the heat generated within the system are other drawbacks, limiting its long-term use and performance.

To address these issues, we propose to develop a novel, extremely high precision, low energy, all-optical timekeeping methodology and Timekeeper device with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials.

Besides timekeeping, the technologies developed in this project can also become a powerful toolbox or an optical metamaterials technology platform, contributing to the creation of low-cost, accurate, practically light-based computing processes in future devices.

Our work will have substantial implications on various areas of science and technology, including time and frequency metrology, geodesy, and astronomy.

The developed all-optical time interpolation will enable extremely high precision of time events up to femtosecond scale using ultra-low power and exclude the high-speed electronics and high-temperature complications.

The project results will apply novel metasurface-enhanced epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials to realize all-optical time-to-frequency converters and optical switches that can be used to realize low-cost, high-resolution (femtosecond) time-interval counters and optical gates.