Abstract

The development of dielectric and plasmonic metamaterials and metasurfaces has led to numerous opportunities in designing unusual optical properties and applications. Hyperbolic metamaterials are a class of anisotropic metamaterials which can be constructed in all frequency ranges from UV to RF. Hyperbolic metamaterials can also be constructed using graphene/dielectric multilayers. Due to their specific isofrequency surfaces, they support high wavevector modes and are crucial for achieving high-resolution imaging, subwavelength waveguiding, enhanced nonlinearities and broadband Purcell factors of spontaneous emission. The optical properties of such metamaterials can be adjusted over a wide spectral range by geometrical tuning of the constituents forming a metamaterial. I will discuss nonlinear optical properties of hyperbolic metamaterials based on plasmonic nanorods. In particular, approaches to achieving an active and tunable metamaterial platform will be presented for engineering of enhanced second-order and third order (Kerr-type) nonlinearities. The unique combination of strong anisotropy and high nonlinearity allows achieving nonlinear control over light polarisation of transmitted or reflected light. The effect of nonlocal optical response on local density of states and a broadband Purcell effect enhancement will be briefly discussed. Using this metamaterial approach to design nonlinear optical properties opens many new opportunities and applications in nonlinear optics.