Plasmon polaritons in photonic superlattices containing a left-handed material

Abstract

We analyze one-dimensional photonic superlattices which alternate layers of air and a left-handed material. We assume Drude-type dispersive responses for the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability of the left-handed material. Maxwell's equations and the transfer-matrix technique are used to derive the dispersion relation for the propagation of obliquely incident optical fields. The photonic dispersion indicates that the growth-direction component of the electric (or magnetic) field leads to the propagation of electric (or magnetic) plasmon polaritons, for either TE or TM configurations. Furthermore, we show that if the plasma frequency is chosen within the photonic n(ω) = 0 zeroth-order bandgap, the coupling of light with plasmons weakens considerably. As light propagation is forbidden in that particular frequency region, the plasmon-polariton mode reduces to a pure plasmon mode.

Physics of the zero- photonic gap: fundamentals and latest developments

“…Singh et al further pointed out that such zero-ε and zero-μ gaps can exist in any 1D PCs, not necessarily only in RHM/RHM superlattices, and studied the properties of defect modes in such band gaps [68] . In 2009, Reyes-Gómez et al [69] proposed a different but rather inspiring interpretation for such zero-ε and zero-μ gaps. Noticing that ε = 0( μ = 0) corresponds to (bulk) plasmon polariton (PP) excitation of the dispersive medium (layer 2), the authors argued that such gaps arise from the interactions between propagating modes and bulk PPs.…”

Bulk plasmon polariton-gap soliton-induced transparency in one-dimensional Kerr-metamaterial superlattices

“…Therefore, the advent of metamaterials has given a new thrust to plasmonic studies due to its potential applications in wave guiding and sensing. Recently, a new type of gap has been reported, in various arrangements of RHM/LHM bilayers, that is, periodic, quasi-periodic, fractal, and disordered superlattices illuminated by obliquely incident electromagnetic wave [13][14][15]. It is shown that the longitudinal electric field component (magnetic) in a TM (TE) configuration, absent at normal incidence, excites longitudinal bulk-like plasmon-polaritons (PPs).…”

“…We begin by focusing the attention within the frequency region where the linear theory predicts a longitudinal bulk-like PP gap [13,14] and investigate the switching on the transmission properties by increasing the incident power. We choose an incidence angle of θ π∕24 and plot in Fig.…”

“…Eq. (2d)], that is, the frequency around which the PP gap opens up [13,14]. In order to see whether the power increase should induce transmission switching and multistability, we turn to Fig.…”

Unfolding of plasmon-polariton modes in one-dimensional layered systems containing anisotropic left-handed materials

“…Recent work on 1-dimensional (1D) photonic heterostructures formed by alternating a righthanded material (RHM), such as air, with an ideal isotropic left-handed material (LHM) has evidenced the existence of a zero-n (null average of the refractive index) band gap [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] that is insensitive to lattice parameter changes (in contrast to the behavior exhibited by Bragg gaps), and exhibited bulk plasmon polariton modes, whether the stacking arrangement is periodic, quasiperiodic, or even disordered. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] However, in practice, an isotropic LHM is still a great challenge for researchers, as the available LHM structures are intrinsically anisotropic. The reflection from a 1D photonic heterostructure containing an anisotropic LHM has been investigated by Wang and Gao.…”