mikrolainets

Mikrolainets are a hypothetical nanoscale lattice network proposed in discussions of metamaterials and programmable matter. The name combines micro- (small) with lattice nets to describe a connected array of nodes and links that can be reconfigured to control multiple transport channels, including electrons, phonons, and photons.

In proposed models, mikrolainets consist of repeating units—nodes—connected by tunable couplings. By adjusting lattice geometry, link strength, and boundary conditions, the system's collective band structure and localized modes can be altered, enabling programmable electrical, thermal, and optical responses without changing the material constituents.

Fabrication approaches include top-down lithography to pattern nanoresonators, bottom-up self-assembly of molecular or nano-building blocks, and integration with two-dimensional materials. Actuation and control may be achieved by electrical, optical, magnetic, or strain fields, allowing dynamic reconfiguration of transport pathways.

Potential applications span adaptive waveguides and cloaking devices, energy routing, high-sensitivity sensing, and quantum simulation of lattice models. At present, mikrolainets remain largely in the theoretical and early experimental stage, with ongoing work to demonstrate scalable, robust implementations and to understand their practical limits.

See also: metamaterials; programmable matter; nanostructures; photonic crystals; phononic crystals.