Thermally Tunable Chiral Thermal Emission from VO₂ based Helical Metamaterial Platforms

Chirality-controlled thermal emission offers a powerful mechanism for next-generation thermophotonic devices [1]. We present a theoretical study of vanadium dioxide (VO₂) based helical metamaterials whose chiro-thermal response is dynamically reconfigured across the semiconductor–metal phase transition. Using full-wave finite-element electromagnetic simulations, we analyze VO₂ helical geometries that can be fabricated using glancing-angle deposition and uncover their temperature-dependent circular-polarization selectivity. Temperature-induced changes in the permittivity of VO₂ [2] reshape the electromagnetic resonances supported by the helical structure, which in turn modifies the optical chirality density and the scattering asymmetry between left and right circularly polarized excitation. Collectively, these results establish the theoretical foundation for VO₂-based helical metamaterials to operate as dynamically tunable polarization-engineered thermal emitters and as viable platforms for chiral thermal sensing.

[1] Sun, K., et al., Science Adv., 11.31: eadw0986, (2025).

[2] Ramirez-Rincon, J. A., et al., J. Appl. Phys. 124.19 (2018).