Report
Levitated crystals and quasicrystals of metamaterials
OSTI.gov, 1047116
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
07/25/2012
DOI: 10.2172/1047116
Abstract
New scientific and technological opportunities exist by marrying dusty plasma research with metamaterials. Specifically, by balancing control and self-assembly, certain laboratory plasmas can become a generic levitation platform for novel structure formation and nanomaterial synthesis. We propose to experimentally investigate two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) levitated structures of metamaterials and their properties. Such structures can self assemble in laboratory plasmas, similar to levitated dust crystals which were discovered in the mid 1990's. Laboratory plasma platform for metamaterial formation eliminates substrates upon which most metamaterials have to be supported. Three types of experiments, with similar setups, are discussed here. Levitated crystal structures of metamaterials using anisotropic microparticles are the most basic of the three. The second experiment examines whether quasicrystals of metamaterials are possible. Quasicrystals, discovered in the 1980's, possess so-called forbidden symmetries according to the conventional crystallography. The proposed experiment could answer many fundamental questions about structural, thermal and dynamical properties of quasicrystals. And finally, how to use nanoparticle coated microparticles to synthesize very long carbon nanotubes is also described. All of the experiments can fit inside a standard International Space Station locker with dimensions of 8-inch x 17-inch X 18-inch. Microgravity environment is deemed essential in particular for large 3D structures and very long carbon nanotube synthesis.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Levitated crystals and quasicrystals of metamaterials
- Creators
- Zhehui Wang - Los Alamos National LaboratoryChristopher Morris - Los Alamos National LaboratoryJohn A Goree - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Report
- Publication Details
- OSTI.gov, 1047116
- DOI
- 10.2172/1047116
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information; United States
- Number of pages
- 9 pages
- Comment
- Research Org.: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States) Report Number(s): LA-UR-12-23420; TRN: US1203973 DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/25/2012
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy; Mechanical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984442205102771
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