Metamaterials and photonic crystals are designed structures with properties and material parameters that go beyond those given by natural or composite materials.

The main thrust of our research in this area is to use the tailor-made material/structural properties to obtain extraordinary wave phenomena. We use metamaterials and photonic crystals as a platform to study non-Hermitian and topological physics. The combination of metamaterials and the extraordinary physics enabled by these materials/structures gives us the opportunity to achieve applications with radically new principles or optimal performance.

We have been supported by an Area-of-Excellence (AoE) fund and two Collaborative Research Funds (CRF), all from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong. Towards applications, we have been supported by a Research Impact Fund (RIF) and have already translated part of our created knowledge to a successful startup company on acoustic metamaterials for noise absorption and attenuation.

Major Research Project
Novel Wave Functional Materials for Manipulating Light and Sound
Che Ting CHAN Physics

The mission of this AoE is to set up an inter-disciplinary research platform that will generate fundamental knowledge and innovation in the field of wave functional materials. 

Major Research Project
Non-Hermitian Systems in Optics and Acoustics
Jensen Tsan Hang LI Physics

This CRF project aims to investigate how non-Hermitian physics can be used to manipulate wave propagation in both optical and acoustic systems. 

Other Major Research Areas