Dynamic THz Hologram Generation via Temperature-Tunable Aerogel-Spacer Graphene Metasurfaces for Sensing Applications

Abstract

Metasurfaces, as two-dimensional artificial materials, have revolutionized optics by enabling unprecedented control over light propagation, with profound implications for sensing, encryption, displays, and computational imaging. This research presents the modeling and design of a circuit-based metasurface engineered to dynamically generate holographic images within the terahertz (THz) spectrum, thereby expanding the horizon of practical technological applications. The proposed methodology employs an equivalent circuit model, grounded in transmission line theory, to represent the THz metasurface. This innovative approach effectively reduces complex electromagnetic interactions into discrete circuit components, facilitating a highly efficient and intuitive analysis of key performance metrics such as reflection magnitude and phase shift. A genetic algorithm was subsequently deployed to optimize the critical unit cell parameters including the dimensions of the graphene ribbons, their periodicity, and the thickness of the dielectric spacer to achieve a full 2π phase coverage at the target operational frequency of 0.8 THz, a prerequisite for high-fidelity hologram generation. Crucially, the dynamic reconfiguration of the generated THz holograms is enabled by the integration of temperature-sensitive aerogels, which modulate the metasurface’s optical response. The outcomes of this optimization are validated through full-wave electromagnetic simulations, which confirm enhanced operational efficiency and remarkable flexibility. This work underscores the potent synergy of circuit modeling and metasurface technology, paving the way for scalable, cost-effective, and high-performance active THz devices for next-generation communication and imaging systems.

Received: 8 August 2025 | Revised: 17 September 2025 | Accepted: 16 October 2025

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Author Contribution Statement

Alireza Barati Haghverdi: Software, Resources. Amir Ali Mohammad Khani: Validation, Investigation, Visualization. Ilghar Rezaei: Methodology, Formal analysis. Ali Soldoozy: Conceptualization, Data curation. Toktam Aghaee: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project administration.