We propose and demonstrate experimentally a novel type of nonlinearity in metamaterials, which is induced by mechanical deformation of the structure. The nonlinearity arises from the introduction of an extra degree of freedom in the metamaterial, which allows for elastic displacement of the strongly interacting structural elements (see Fig. 1a). This type of nonlinearity relies on the counterplay between the electromagnetic attraction and the elastic repulsion, and the induced deformation alters the electromagnetic response of the entire structure, leading to the novel nonlinear response of the metamaterial.
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