Novel properties of wave propagation in biaxially anisotropic left-handed materials

Abstract

Some physically interesting properties and effects of wave propagation in biaxially anisotropic left-handed materials are investigated in this paper. We show that in the biaxially gyrotropic lefthanded material, the left-right coupling of circularly polarized light arises due to the negative indices in permittivity and permeability tensors of gyrotropic media. It is well known that the geometric phases of photons inside a curved fiber in previous experiments often depend on the cone angles of solid angles subtended by a curve traced by the direction of wave vector of light, at the center of photon momentum space. Here, however, for the light propagating inside certain anisotropic left-handed media we will present a different geometric phase that is independent of the cone angles. The extra phases of electromagnetic wave resulting from the instantaneous helicity inversion at the interfaces between left-and right-handed (LRH) media is also studied in detail by using the Lewis-Riesenfeld invariant theory. Some interesting applications (e.g., controllable position-dependent frequency shift, detection of quantum-vacuum geometric phases and helicity reversals at the LRH interfaces etc.) of above effects and phenomena in left-handed media is briefly discussed.

How to realize a negative refractive index material at the atomic level in an optical frequency range?

“…with ζ = N |℘ ab | 2 / (ǫ 0h ). Since ∆ ≪ Ω c , one can ignore the ∆ 2 term in inequality (7), and then obtain ∆ > Ω * c Ω c / (4ζ) from the inequality (7). Thus, the requirement for the realization of negative permittivity (ǫ r ≃ 1 + χ ′ e < 0) near the probe frequency in a three-level atomic system is Ω c ≫ ∆ > Ω * c Ω c /4ζ.…”

“…In experiments, a combination of two structures (array of long metallic wires and split ring resonators [4,5]) yields such a type of artificial negative refractive index media [3]. Although Veselago's original paper [1] and most of the recent theoretical works investigated mainly the electromagnetic and optical properties in the isotropic left-handed media [7], up to now, the left-handed media that have been prepared successfully experimentally are actually anisotropic in nature, and it may be very difficult to prepare an isotropic left-handed medium [2,6,8]. In the previous experimental and theoretical work, investigators used classical optical approaches to design and fabricate the negative refractive index materials [3][4][5]9,10].…”

Negatively refracting atomic vapour

“…Recently, simultaneously negative permittivity and permeability have been designed and achieved experimentally in a microwave frequency range with a composite structure formed by an array of long metallic wires and an array of split ring resonators [2,[10][11][12]. Although Veselago's original paper [1] and most of the recent theoretical work investigated mainly the electromagnetic and optical properties in the isotropic left-handed media [13], up to now, the left-handed media that have been designed and fabricated successfully experimentally are actually anisotropic in nature, and at present it may be very difficult to prepare an isotropic left-handed medium [14][15][16]. Obviously, the impact would be enormous if an isotropic and homogeneous material of simultaneously negative permittivity and permeability (with microscopic structure units at atomic level) can be realized in an optical frequency range by using the quantum optical approach.…”

Negative refraction and quantum vacuum effects in gyroelectric chiral medium and anisotropic magnetoelectric material

“…These metamaterials exhibit a number of peculiar electromagnetic and optical effects/phenomena, including reversals of both Doppler shift and Cherenkov radiation [1], negative refraction [1], amplification of evanescent waves [3] [which leads to subwavelength focusing (see e.g. [3,5])], negative Goos-Hänchen shift [6], reversed circular Bragg phenomenon [7], and unusual quantum optical effects [8,9]. The scattering properties (related to surface polaritons) of electromagnetic waves on left-handed cylinders was considered within the framework of complex angular momentum techniques [10].…”