Negative refraction in photonic crystals

We demonstrate that light propagation in strongly modulated 2D/3D photonic crystals (PhCs) becomes refraction-like in the vicinity of the photonic bandgap, which is contrary to the fact that light propagation in weakly modulated PhCs is very different from refraction and thus the definition of refraction index becomes meaningless. Such a crystal behaves like a material having an effective refractive index controllable by the band structure. This situation is analogous to the effective-mass approximation in electron-band theory. The propagation states having a negative effective index exhibit unusual properties, such as mirror-like imaging effect, image-transfer effect. These properties are confirmed by finite-difference time-domain simulations.     

Possible negative refraction in two dimensional ferromagnetic wire lattice

In this paper, we present theoretical and experimental results for the indication of negative refraction in ferromagnetic metallic wire lattice. We have studied microwave transmission through a two dimensional wire lattice made of ferromagnetic metallic wires under the applied static magnetic field. We have found that, the microwave transmission were significantly changed at ferromagnetic resonance frequency region. Thus the magnetic permeability can be tuned by external dc magnetic field. Since the dielectric permittivity of metallic wire lattice is negative and can take a value close to unity then the crystal exhibits negative index of refraction at microwave region under the external magnetic field.     

Negative refraction observed in a metallic ferromagnet in the gigahertz frequency range

It is generally believed that nature does not provide materials with negative refraction. Here we demonstrate experimentally that such materials do exist at least at GHz frequencies: ferromagnetic metals reveal a negative refraction index close to the frequency of the ferromagnetic resonance. The experimental realization utilizes a colossal magnetoresistance manganite La(2/3)Ca(1/3)MnO(3) as an example. In this material the negative refractive index can be achieved even at room temperature using external magnetic fields.     

Negative refraction in ferromagnetic materials under external magnetic field: a theoretical analysis

We present a detailed theoretical analysis on the possibilities and conditions for negative permeability and negative refraction occuring in the magnetic materials with both pronounced magnetic and dielectric responses to electromagnetic waves. The results indicate that the permeability is always positive for $\de=(2q+0.5)\pi$ ($\de$ is the initial phase difference of magnetic components $h_{x}$ and $h_{y }$ of incident electromagnetic wave, $q$ is integer), which means that it is difficult to realize negative refraction. However, for $\de=2q\pi, \de=(2q+1)\pi$, or $\de=(2q-0.5)\pi$, the negative permeability occurs at some range of free procession frequency, which means that the refraction can become negative under certain conditions. Further analysis reveals that for general positive permittivity there are various opportunities for realizing the negative refraction provided that some requirements are met. One concludes also that the refractive index for $\de=2q\pi$ case is similar to $\de=(2q+1)\pi$. The only difference between two cases of $\de=2q\pi$ and $\de=(2q+1)\pi$ is that the $x$-direction for $\de=2q\pi$ corresponds to the $y$-direction for $\de=(2q+1)\pi$, and the $y$-direction for $\de=2q\pi$ corresponds to the $x$-direction for $\de=(2q+1)\pi$. The results are valuable for designing and analysing the complex negative refraction of magnetic materials.     

Optical bistability in a defect slab with a negative refractive quantum dot nanostructure

We demonstrate optical bistability (OB) in a defect slab doped V-type four-level InGaN/GaN quantum dot nanostructure in the negative refraction frequency band. It has been shown that the OB behavior of such a quantum dot nanostructure system can be controlled by the amplitude of the driving fields and a new parameter for controlling the OB behavior as thickness of the slab medium in the negative refraction band. Meanwhile, we show that the negative refraction frequency band can be controlled by tuning electric permittivity and magnetic permeability by the amplitude of the driving fields and electron concentration in the defect slab doped. Under the numerical simulations, due to the effect of quantum coherence and interference, it is possible to switch bistability by adjusting the optimal conditions in the negative refraction frequency band, which is more practical in all-optical switching or coding elements, and technology based nanoscale devices.     

含负折射率材料的一维光子晶体的光学传输特性

采用光学传输矩阵方法,模拟研究了由正折射率材料和负折射率材料交替组成的一维光子晶体的光学传输特性.计算了这种含负折射率材料的一维光子晶体的透射谱和色散关系.结果表明,在正入射时,含负折射率材料的光子晶体的带隙要比传统的光子晶体要大得多,并具有狭窄的透射带,从光学薄膜理论的色散关系出发解释了形成上述现象的原因.讨论了在不同的偏振模式下,光以中心波长入射时,反射率随着入射角度的变化关系.发现含负折射率材料的一维光子晶体具有更好的角度特性,可以用来实现对中心波长的全方位反射.     

Structured Surfaces for Generation of Negative Index of Refraction

Materials with negative index of refraction have properties that are not naturally available. Such properties can be used to develop novel devices like the superlens which can surpass the diffraction limit. Optical cloaking can be achieved through this negative refractive index method. This article reviews the progress made in the area of negative refractive index materials from the first generation of negative electrical permittivity to the demonstration of negative index of refraction at optical frequency, with the relevant discussion on the physics of these materials. The prime focus of this article is on experimental demonstrations and fabrication related issues of negative refractive index materials which makes use of structured surfaces.     

Low losses left-handed materials with optimized electric and?magnetic resonance

We propose that the losses in left-handed materials (LHMs) can be significantly affected by changing the coupling relationship between electric and magnetic resonance. A double bowknot shaped structure (DBS) is used to construct the LHMs. And the magnetic resonance of the DBS, which resonated in the case of lower and higher frequencies than the electric resonant dip, is studied in simulation and experiment by tailoring the structural parameters. The case of magnetic resonance located at low electric resonance frequencies band is confirmed to have relatively low losses. Using full wave simulation of prism shaped structure composed of DBS unit cells, we prove the negative refraction behavior in such a frame. This study can serve as a guide for designing other similar metal–dielectric–metal (MDM) in low losses at terahertz or higher frequencies.     

FDTD analysis of 2D triangular-lattice photonic crystals with arbitrary-shape inclusions based on unit cell transformation

A finite-difference time-domain method based on Yee’s orthogonal cell is utilized to calculate the band structures of 2D triangular-lattice-based photonic crystals through a simple modification to properly shifting the boundaries of the original unit cell. A strategy is proposed for transforming the triangular unit cell into an orthogonal one, which can be used to calculate the band structures of 2D PhCs with various shapes of inclusions, such as triangular, quadrangular, and hexagonal shapes, to overcome the shortage of plane-wave expansion method for circular one. The band structures of 2D triangular-lattice-based PhCs with hexagonal air-holes are calculated and discussed for different values of its radius and rotation angle. The obtained results provide an insight to manipulate the band structures of PhCs.     

用惠更斯作图法讨论单轴晶体中双波长双负折射现象

近年的研究表明,在右手性的各向异性材料(如普通晶体)中一定条件下也会形成负折射,用惠更斯作图法可以清楚地说明普通单轴晶体中出现的这种情况.本文用惠更斯作图法说明在适当条件下,一束含有两种波长的光入射到单轴晶体中会出现双正折射、一正一负折射、双负折射等物理现象.以钒酸钇晶体为例,计算了发生负折射现象的临界入射角.本文的工...     

Negative refractive index, perfect lenses and checkerboards: Trapping and imaging effects in folded optical spaces

Newly discovered metamaterials have opened new vistas for better control of light via negative refraction, whereby light refracts in the “wrong” manner. These are dielectric and metallic composite materials structured at subwavelength lengthscales. Their building blocks consist of local resonators such as conducting thin bars and split rings driving the material parameters such as the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability to negative (complex) values. Combined together, these structural elements can bring about a (complex valued) negative effective refractive index for the Snell–Descartes law and result in negative refraction of radiation. Negative refractive index materials can support a host of surface plasmon states for both polarizations of light. This makes possible unique effects such as imaging with subwavelength image resolution through the Pendry–Veselago slab lens. Other geometries have also been investigated, such as cylindrical or spherical lenses that enable a magnification of images with subwavelength resolution. Superlenses of three-fold (equilateral triangle), four-fold (square) and six-fold (hexagonal) geometry allow for multiple images, respectively two, three, and five. Generalization to rectangular and triangular checkerboards consisting of alternating cells of positive and negative refractive index represents a very singular situation in which the density of modes diverges at the corners, with an infinity of images. Sine-cosecant anisotropic heterogeneous square and triangular checkerboards can be respectively mapped onto three-dimensional cubic and icosahedral corner lenses consisting of alternating positive and negative refractive regions. All such systems with corners between negative and positive refractive media display very singular behavior with the local density of states becoming infinitely large at the corner, in the limit of no dissipation. We investigate all of these, using the unifying viewpoint of transformation optics. To cite this article: S. Guenneau, S.A. Ramakrishna, C. R. Physique 10 (2009).     

Some remarks regarding electrodynamics of materials with negative refraction

In the following article some electrodynamical problems of materials with negative refraction are considered. In contrast to the usual case when the index of refraction is positive, for these sorts of materials many laws and equations must be recorded differently. Special note is taken of the fact that most of the books and textbooks are written with the so-called “nonmagnetic approach”, which is only valid for nonmagnetic materials (μ = 1). This approach is undoubtedly unfit for material with a negative index of refraction.It is shown that materials with simultaneously negative dielectric and magnetic permeabilities undoubtedly must possess the frequency dispersion. Correlation is brought between phase and group velocities for these sorts of materials.The question is considered in detail about the so-called “overcoming of the diffraction limit” by means of plates from materials with a negative factor of refraction. It is shown that this effect is indeed reduced to the problem of matching between source and receiver of radiation. Such matching is possible by spreading the so-called evanescent modes, for which a diffraction limit does not exist. These modes fade within a distance of the order of the wavelength, and only at such a distance is the transfer of picture details that are smaller than the wavelength possible.     

Tunable dual-band ferrite-based metamaterials with dual negative refractions

We report on three types of tunable dual-band metamaterial with dual negative refraction in this paper. The three types of metamaterial are composed of ferrite slabs and three different metallic resonators, including split-ring resonators (SRR), Ω-like resonators, and short wire pairs. The ferrite slabs under an applied magnetic bias provide one magnetic resonance frequency band and the three metallic resonators provide another magnetic resonance frequency band, respectively. The continuous wires within the metamaterials provide the negative permittivity in a wide frequency band covering the two magnetic resonance bands. We give the design, analysis and numerical demonstrations of three such types of metamaterial in detail. The effective electromagnetic parameters obtained from the simulated S-parameters indicate that the three types of metamaterial indeed exhibit two negative refraction passbands and the two passbands can also be shifted by changing the magnetic bias. Our results open the way to fabricate tunable dual-band metamaterial cloaks, absorbers, and antennas.     

蛋白石型光子晶体红外隐身材料的制备

基于光子晶体的红外隐身材料,主要采取一维层层堆叠结构和三维木堆结构等来实现对红外波段电磁波辐射性能的调控.本文报道了一种操作简易、成本低廉的光子晶体红外隐身材料制备方法.通过优化的垂直沉积法,微米级SiO_2胶体微球自组装成高质量的蛋白石型光子晶体结构.对SiO_2胶体微球进行优选,成功制备了禁带位于2.8—3.5μm,8.0—10.0μm的SiO_2胶体晶体蛋白石型光子晶体材料.该材料可改变目标相应波段的红外辐射特征,具有目标红外波段的隐身效果.     

Tunable negative refraction without absorption via electromagnetically induced chirality

We show that negative refraction with minimal absorption can be obtained by means of quantum interference effects similar to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Coupling a magnetic dipole transition coherently with an electric dipole transition leads to electromagnetically induced chirality, which can provide negative refraction without requiring negative permeability and also suppress absorption. This technique allows negative refraction in the optical regime at densities where the magnetic susceptibility is still small and with refraction/absorption ratios that are orders of magnitude larger than those achievable previously. Furthermore, the refractive index can be fine-tuned, which is essential for practical realization of subdiffraction-limit imaging. As with EIT, electromagnetically induced chirality should be applicable to a wide range of systems.     

手性负折射率材料的最新进展

阐述了手性负折射率现象的产生机制;总结了近几年国内外手性负折射率材料在仿真模拟和实验制备方面的研究进展;分析了手性负折射率材料的旋光性、手性参数、损耗等;介绍了手性负折射率材料在各个领域的应用。分析认为,探索手性负折射率材料的新机制、新方法和新材料,从而在可见光波段实现负折射率是未来手性负折射率材料的重要发展方向之一。     

Cluster coherent potential approximation for disordered photonic crystals using photonic Wannier functions

We present an investigation of disordered photonic crystals (PhCs) based on the combination of photonic Wannier functions with the concept of the coherent potential approximation (CPA). In particular, we provide the theoretical foundation of a real-space cluster CPA that is causal, enforces the proper symmetries of the effective medium, and includes effects of multiple scattering of the same and nearby defects, which is essential for strong defects. Based on this, we present results for the density of states of disordered PhCs for different types of disorder. Our results are thus relevant to such diverse areas as random lasing and the analysis of fabricational imperfections in PhCs.     

Negative refraction based on purely imaginary metamaterials

By introducing a new mechanism based on purely imaginary metamaterials (PIMs), we reveal that bidirectional negative refraction and planar focusing can be obtained using a pair of PIM slabs, overcoming the unidirectional limit in parity-time (PT)-symmetric systems. Compared with PT-symmetric systems, which require two different types of materials, the proposed negative refraction can be realized using two identical media. In addition, asymmetric excitation with bidirectional total transmission is observed in our PIM system. Therefore, a new way to realize negative refraction with properties that are unavailable in PT-symmetric systems is presented.     

Negative refraction in ferromagnet-superconductor superlattices

Negative refraction, which reverses many fundamental aspects of classical optics, can be obtained in systems with negative magnetic permeability and negative dielectric permittivity. This Letter documents an experimental realization of negative refraction at millimeter waves, finite magnetic fields, and cryogenic temperatures utilizing a multilayer stack of ferromagnetic and superconducting thin films. In the present case the superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 layers provide negative permittivity while negative permeability is achieved via ferromagnetic (La:Sr)MnO3 layers for frequencies and magnetic fields close to the ferromagnetic resonance. In these superlattices the refractive index can be switched between positive and negative regions using external magnetic field as tuning parameter.     

Optical bulk and surface waves with negative refraction

In materials with negative refraction, the direction of wave propagation is opposite to the direction of the wave vector. Using an approach that characterizes the optical response of a medium totally by a generalized dielectric permittivity, , we discuss the possibility of seeing negative refraction for optical waves in a number of nonmagnetic media. These include bulk waves in organic materials and in gyrotropic materials where additional exciton–polariton waves can have a negative group velocity. It is known that dispersion of surface waves can be engineered by tailoring a surface transition layer. We show how this effect can be used to obtain surface waves with negative refraction.