Mimicking celestial mechanics in metamaterials

Einstein’s general theory of relativity establishes equality between matter–energy density and the curvature of spacetime. As a result, light and matter follow natural paths in the inherent spacetime and may experience bending and trapping in a specific region of space. So far, the interaction of light and matter with curved spacetime has been predominantly studied theoretically and through astronomical observations. Here, we propose to link the newly emerged field of artificial optical materials to that of celestial mechanics, thus opening the way to investigate light phenomena reminiscent of orbital motion, strange attractors and chaos, in a controlled laboratory environment. The optical–mechanical analogy enables direct studies of critical light/matter behaviour around massive celestial bodies and, on the other hand, points towards the design of novel optical cavities and photon traps for application in microscopic devices and lasers systems. Black holes are difficult to study experimentally, owing to their distance from us and indeed their very nature. A theoretical study suggests that optical metamaterials that exhibit behaviour that is reminiscent of that of black holes, could enable us to learn more about these and other astrophysical objects.