Hybrid metamaterial switching for manipulating chirality based on VO(2) phase transition

Polarization manipulations of electromagnetic waves can be obtained by chiral and anisotropic metamaterials routinely, but the dynamic and high-efficiency modulations of chiral properties still remain challenging at the terahertz range. Here, we theoretically demonstrate a new scheme for realizing thermal-controlled chirality using a hybrid terahertz metamaterial with embedded vanadium dioxide (VO(2)) films. The phase transition of VO(2) films in 90° twisted E-shaped resonators enables high-efficiency thermal modulation of linear polarization conversion. The asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized wave and circular dichroism simultaneously exhibit a pronounced switching effect dictated by temperature-controlled conductivity of VO(2) inclusions. The proposed hybrid metamaterial design opens exciting possibilities to achieve dynamic modulation of terahertz waves and further develop tunable terahertz polarization devices.