Controllable electromagnetically responsive assembly of self resonant bodies

• US 20070223866A1
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick, Tegreene, Clarence, Myhrvold, Nathan, Wood, Lowell, Hillis, W.
• Application Number:
  US11/386,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20070223866A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/122
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/00 Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01716 Optically controlled superlattice or quantum well devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01791 Quantum boxes or quantum dots
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/35 Non-linear optics
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3515 All-optical modulation, gating, switching, e.g. control of a light beam by another light beam G02F1/353, G02F1/37, G02F1/39 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3517 using an interferometer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/30 Metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/15 involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction

Abstract

An electromagnetically responsive element includes an arrangement of controllable self-resonant bodies, such as atoms or quantum dots that form an effective dielectric constant, typically at or near a resonance.

Claims

1. A method of controlling propagation of light energy:

comprising;

intercepting a portion of the light energy with a set of self resonant bodies responsive to the intercepted portion of the light energy, producing a first light energy pattern with the set of self resonant bodies; and

adjusting selected properties of one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies to produce a second light energy pattern with the set of self resonant bodies responsive to the intercepted portion of the light energy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting selected properties of one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies includes changing a polarizability of the selected one or more self resonant bodies.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting selected properties of one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies includes applying an electric field to the selected one or more self resonant bodies.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting selected properties of one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies includes adjusting oscillatory properties of the selected one or more self resonant bodies.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting selected properties of one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies includes applying control electromagnetic energy to the selected one or more self resonant bodies.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the light energy has a portion at a predetermined frequency and wherein the control electromagnetic energy has a frequency greater than the predetermined frequency.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the self resonant bodies has a respective oscillatory frequency, and wherein adjusting selected properties of one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies includes changing the respective oscillatory frequencies.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting selected properties of the one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies includes reducing an amount of interaction between the selected one or more self resonant bodies and the electromagnetic energy.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the selected properties of the one or more self resonant bodies in the set of self resonant bodies includes reducing polarizability of the one or more self resonant bodies.

10. An adjustable apparatus comprising:

an array of self-resonant bodies arranged in a first configuration; and

an adjustment mechanism coupled to selected ones of the self resonant bodies in the array of self resonant bodies, the adjustment mechanism being responsive to an input signal to change positions of the selected ones of the self resonant bodies to produce a second configuration of the array of self resonant bodies.

11. The adjustable apparatus of claim 10 wherein each of the self resonant bodies includes a primary oscillation frequency corresponding to a primary wavelength, and the adjustment mechanism is of a type that changes positions of the selected ones of the self resonant bodies by distances less than the primary wavelength.

12. The adjustable apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first configuration corresponds to a first response pattern to electromagnetic energy.

13. The adjustable apparatus of claim 12 further including detection circuitry positioned to intercept electromagnetic energy passing through the array of self resonant bodies.

14. The adjustable apparatus of claim 13 wherein the detection circuitry is responsive to intercepted electromagnetic energy to produce a signal corresponding to an actual response pattern of the array of self resonant bodies.

15. The adjustable apparatus of claim 14 wherein the adjustment mechanism is responsive to the signal corresponding to an actual response pattern of the array of self resonant bodies to produce the second configuration of the array of self resonant bodies.

16. The adjustable apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first configuration corresponds to a selected first response to electromagnetic energy and the second configuration corresponds to a selected second response to the electromagnetic energy different from the first response to electromagnetic energy.

17. The adjustable apparatus of claim 16 wherein the selected first response to electromagnetic energy corresponds to a first focal length and the second selected response corresponds to a second focal length different from the first focal length.

18. The adjustable apparatus of claim 16 wherein the selected first response to electromagnetic energy corresponds to a selected optical response, further including a detection circuit of a type that produces a signal corresponding to a difference between an actual optical response and the selected optical response.

19. The adjustable apparatus of claim 17 wherein the adjustment mechanism is responsive to the signal corresponding to a difference between an actual optical response and the selected optical response.

20. The adjustable apparatus of claim 10 wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to change spatial separations of the selected ones of the self resonant bodies.

21. The adjustable apparatus of claim 10 wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to change planarity of the selected ones of the self resonant bodies.

22. An electromagnetic apparatus, comprising:

an array of oscillators each having a respective central frequency corresponding to an expected frequency of electromagnetic energy, the oscillators being arranged in a pattern corresponding to a selected spatial distribution of effective permittivity at the expected frequency of electromagnetic energy; and

an adjustment mechanism coupled to the array of oscillators and responsive to an input signal to adjust the spatial distribution of effective permittivity at the expected frequency of electromagnetic energy.

23. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 22 wherein the adjustment mechanism includes a source of electromagnetic radiation aligned to provide the electromagnetic radiation to one or more of the oscillators in the array of oscillators.

24. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 23 wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is of a type that produces the electromagnetic radiation at a control frequency substantially equal to the expected frequency of electromagnetic energy.

25. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 23 wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is of a type that produces the electromagnetic radiation at a control frequency lower than the expected frequency.

26. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 23 wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is of a type that produces the electromagnetic radiation at a control frequency higher than to the expected frequency.

27. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 26 wherein each of the oscillators includes a response range including the central frequency, and wherein the control frequency is within the response range.