Backward surface electromagnetic waves in semi-infinite one-dimensional photonic crystals containing left-handed materials

Abstract

We study the electromagnetic surface waves localized at an interface separating a homogeneous dielectric medium and a semi-infinite one-dimensional photonic crystal made of alternative left-handed metamaterial and right-handed material. An analytical direct matching procedure within the Kronig-Penney model was applied to analyze the dispersion properties of the localized surface states. We show that the presence of metamaterial in the photonic crystal structure can support the surface waves with a backward energy flow and allows a flexible control of dispersion properties of the surface modes. The surface states can be either forward or backward waves depending on the physical parameters of the photonic crystal, physical parameters of the cap layer, the position of the surface plane, and incident angle of the incoming beam.

Electromagnetic surface modes in one-dimensional photonic crystals with dispersive metamaterials

“…The condition for the existence of surface modes at an interface is that one material has a negative dielectric constant, and the other medium is a pure dielectric. As is well known, the effective dielectric constant of photonic crystals (PCs) can be negative at some frequencies, so the surface mode can appear at the interface of PCs and homogeneous medium [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

Tuned switching of surface waves by a liquid crystal cap layer in one-dimensional photonic crystals

“…3 (as we expected from previous studies [33][34][35]) that the presence of a cap layer leads to changing the localization of surface waves (the position of surface waves in frequency gaps). For the comprehensive study of the LC cap layer effect on the localization of surface waves, we have compared the profile of surface waves in the first and third bandgap for the L-R PC with and without the LC cap layer (Fig.…”

“…In a previous study [33], we examined surface waves in an L-R PC with dispersive LH layers. In that study, we showed that the controlled switching and localization of surface waves are possible for both layer arrangements, when the LH layer chosen is dispersive.…”

“…The dispersion properties of surface waves can be controlled by varying the thickness and permeability/permittivity of an inserted thick linear cap layer between homogeneous medium and the L-R PC, or by inserting a thin nonlinear cap layer between L-R PC and homogeneous medium. The most critical issue regarding the application of these structures is the fabrication difficulty, because of the necessity to change the cap layer type to vary the sign of ε and μ of the thick linear cap layer [33,34], or the sign of effective nonlinearity coefficient [35]. The authors believe that the most practical way for tuning the type and localization of surface waves will be possible if there is no need to change the cap layer type.…”

Interaction of forward and backward waves in a Kerr medium

“…Later, this problem was analyzed in [3,[17][18][19]. When the first artificial media, metamaterials, came into existence (a review of properties of metamaterials can be found in [20,21]), investigation of linear and nonlinear properties of backward waves was further stimulated [22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. The reason for this is that it became possible to fabricate a metamaterial exhibiting negative refraction in a certain frequency range, thus supporting the propagation of backward waves [3,19].…”