Flat lenses constructed by graded negative index-based photonic crystals with tuned configurations

Flat lenses are designed by means of graded negative refractive index-based photonic crystals （PCs） constructed using air-holes tuned with different shapes. By gradually modifying the filling factor along the transverse direction, we obtain the graded negative index-based lenses for the purpose of focusing an incident plane wave. The finite-difference and timedomain （FDTD） algorithm is adopted for numerical calculation. Our calculation results indicate that these lenses can finely focus incident plane waves. Moreover, for the same size of air-holes, the focusing properties of the lens with rectangular air-holes are better than those with the other shaped air-holes. The graded negative index PCs lenses could possibly enable new applications in optoelectronic systems.

Tunability of graded negative index-based photonic crystal lenses for fine focusing

Graded negative refractive index-based photonic crystal （PC） lenses are designed by gradually modifying the sizes of air holes along the transverse direction for focusing the incident plane wave. To study the tunability of the graded negative index-based PC, we introduce filling factor A, gradually tune the filling factor, and use the finite-difference and time-domain （FDTD） algorithm for numerical calculation. Our calculation results indicate that the focal length and the spot size increase with A increasing. For the same A value, the focal length of a PC with elliptical air holes is the longest, and those of PC with square and rectangular air holes are the shortest. Moreover, when the focal length is greater than 1 ~xm, the focal parameters of the PC are highly insensitive to the variation of A. When the focal length is less than 1 gm, the PC lenses have higher transmittances and all well focus with a beam spot size breaking the diffraction limit. This feature possibly makes the graded negative index-based PC lenses have some new applications in optoelectronic systems.

Optical bistability induced by quantum coherence in a negative index atomic medium

Bistability behaviors in an optical ring cavity filled with a dense V-type four-level atomic medium are theoretically investigated. It is found that the optical bistability can appear in the negative refraction frequency band, while both the bistability and multi-stability can occur in the positive refraction frequency bands. Therefore, optical bistability can be realized from conventional material to negative index material due to quantum coherence in our scheme.

Guided resonance in negative index photonic crystals: a new approach

The behavior of a negative refraction photonic crystal slab irradiated with out-of-plane incident beam is an unexplored subject.In such an experimental configuration,guided mode resonance appears in the reflection spectrum.We show that,in this case,the light coupled inside the photonic crystal is backpropagating.A relationship with the negative index properties is established using a new approach in which the guided resonance is recovered by modeling the photonic crystal layer with a simple Lorentz resonator using the Fresnel reflection formula.

Negative-index dispersion and accidental mode degeneracy in an asymmetric spoof-insulator-spoof waveguide

It has been recently demonstrated that negative-index dispersion and mode degeneracy can be achieved by manipulating a spoof-insulator-spoof（SIS） waveguide. In this paper, we propose a new SIS waveguide, which is composed of two spoof surface plasmon polaritons（SSPPs） waveguides drilled with periodic rhomboidal grooves. Both the symmetric and asymmetric cases are investigated. Our simulation results show that the asymmetric SIS waveguides are more significant.By tailoring the tilt of the rhomboidal grooves, the negative-index dispersion can be achieved and the microwave band gap（MBG） can be effectively modulated. At a critical tilt, there appears an accidental mode degeneracy at the edge of the first Brillouin zone. The excitation and propagation of the two coupled modes sustained by the asymmetric SIS waveguides are also demonstrated.

Energy flow in negative index materials

Prom Maxwell's equations, we compute the speed and the direction of propagation of active power refracted from air into a negative index material. We prove, both analytically and numerically that the power may refract positively even if phase fronts refract negatively. Considerations on the usage of ray optics in problems involving negative index materials are drawn.

Band rules for the frequency spectra of three kinds of aperiodic photonic crystals with negative refractive index materials

By means of the theory of electromagnetic wave propagation and transfer matrix method, this paper investigates the band rules for the frequency spectra of three kinds of one-dimensional （1D） aperiodic photonic crystals （PCs）, generalized Fibonacci GF（p, 1）, GF（1,2）, and Thue Morse （TM） PCs, with negative refractive index （NRI） materials. It is found that all of these PCs can open a broad zero-n gap, TM PC possesses the largest zero-n gap, and with the increase of p, the width of the zero-n gap for GF（p, 1） PC becomes smaller. This characteristic is caused by the symmetry of the system and the open position of the zero-n gap. It is found that for GF（p, 1） PCs, the possible limit zero-n gaps open at lower frequencies with the increase of p, but for GF（1,2） and TM PCs, their limit zero-n gaps open at the same frequency. Additionally, for the tbree bottom-bands, we find the interesting perfect self-similarities of the evolution structures with the increase of generation, and obtain the corresponding subband-number formulae. Based on 11 types of evolving manners Qi （i = 1, 2,... , 11） one can plot out the detailed evolution structures of the three kinds of aperiodic PCs for any generation.

Negative refractive index in a four-level atomic system

A closed four-level system in atomic vapour is proposed, which is made to possess left handedness by using the technique of quantum coherence. The density matrix method is utilized in view of the rotating-wave approximation and the effect of a local field in dense gas. The numerical simulation result shows that the negative permittivity and the negative permeability of the medium can be achieved simultaneously （i.e. the left handedness） in a wider frequency band under appropriate parameter conditions. Furthermore, when analysing the dispersion property of the left-handed material, we can find that the probe beam propagation can be controlled from superluminal to subluminal, or vice versa via changing the detuning of the probe field.

Role of shape of hole in transmission and negative refractive index of sandwiched metamaterials

Transmission and negative refractive index （NRI） of metal-dielectric-metal （MDM） sandwiched metamaterial perfo- rated with four kinds of shapes of holes are numerically studied. Results indicate that positions of all transmission peaks of these kinds of holes are sensitive to the shape of the hole. Under the same conditions, the circular hole can obtain the maximum NRI and the rectangular hole can obtain the maximum frequency bandwidth of NRI. Moreover, the figure of merit （FOM） of the circular hole is the maximum too. As a result, we can obtain a higher NRI and FOM metamaterial by drilling circular hole arrays on MDM metamaterial.

Wider frequency domain for negative refraction index in a quantized composite right–left handed transmission line

The refraction index of the quantized lossy composite right-left handed transmission line（CRLH-TL） is deduced in the thermal coherence state. The results show that the negative refraction index（herein the left-handedness） can be implemented by the electric circuit dissipative factors（i.e., the resistances R and conductances G） in a higher frequency band（1.446 GHz≤ ω ≤ 15 GHz）, and flexibly adjusted by the left-handed circuit components（Cl, Ll） and the right-handed circuit components（Cr, Lr） at a lower frequency（ω = 0.995 GHz）. The flexible adjustment for left-handedness in a wider bandwidth will be significant for the microscale circuit design of the CRLH-TL and may make the theoretical preparation for its compact applications.

Optical Negative-Index Metamaterial Using CSRR by Incidenting the Light Horizontally at Near-Infrared Domain

Metamaterial structure based on cascaded split ring resonators (CSRR) is proposed in order to produce a negative refractive index in terahertz regime at near-infrared range. We have incident light horizontally instead of incidenting it perpendicular. We have measured the negative refractive index, permeability and permittivity by using the S-parameter analysis. Furthermore, it is found out that negative refractive index, permeability and permittivity are dependent upon the width of the wire and the gap between resonators at near-infrared range. This work will be helpful for the fabrication and design of double negative metamaterials structure having negative permeability, permittivity and negative refractive index for in plane applications.

Effect of Different Plasmonic Nano-Inclusion on Double Negative-Semiconductor Photonic Crystal in Visible Region:Gain Assistance and All-Angle Negative Refraction

A gain assisted double negative- Metallo-semiconductor photonic crystal （DN-MSPC） for visible light with effect of different plasmonic （Al, Ag, Au, Cu） nanorod inclusion, is presented. Negative real values of both permeability （μ） and permittivity （ε） with extremely low imaginary values for visible light is obtained by applying Coupled dipole approximation. All-Angle negative refraction is obtained by applying surface plasmon polariton excitation （SPPE） in DN-MSPC operating in a dispersion regime with anti-parallel refracted wave vector and Poynting vector. Index matched to the incident light and compensated losses due the gain assistance leads the light amplification in the designed structure. Furthermore, extremely high left-handed transmission efficiency （〉99%） is also investigated. Demonstration of near and far-field resonance patterns reveal the nano-photonic device applications potential i.e. highly directional optical nanoantenna, filter, etc.

Effect of continuous negative pressure water supply on the growth, development and physiological mechanism of Capsicum annuum L.

Effects of continuous negative pressure water supply on water consumption, growth and development, as well as physiological mechanism and quality of Capsicum annuum L. were investigated in this paper. Meanwhile, the optimal negative pressure water supply conditions for growth of C. annuum L. were screened out to achieve the goals of water conservation, high yield and high quality, thus providing theoretical foundation for its field production. The pot experiment within the greenhouse was utilized; the continuous negative pressure water supply was adopted; the four treatments, artificial watering（CK）, –5 k Pa（T1）, –10 k Pa（T2）, and –15 k Pa（T3） were set; and the daily water consumption, yield, as well as the biomass, nitrate reductase, root activity, vitamin C, capsaicin, and nutrient uptakes of nitrogen（N）, phosphorus（P） and potassium（K） during various stages of its growth were determined. Compared with CK, when the water supply pressure was controlled at –5 to –15 k Pa in the experiment, the total water consumption of C. annuum L. reduced by 53.42 to 67.75%, the total water consumption intensity reduced by 54.29 to 67.14%, and the water use efficiency increased by 12.66 to 124.67%. The N accumulation in a single strain of C. annuum L. from the color turning stage to the red ripe stage increased by 15.99 to 100.55%, respectively, compared with that of CK; the P accumulation increased by 20.47 to 154.00% relative to that of CK, and the K accumulation increased by 64.92 to 144.9% compared with that of CK. Compared with CK, C. annuum L. yield was remarkably improved by 13.79% at T1, and contents of vitamin C, capsaicin as well as carotenoids at all growth stages were enhanced by 13.42–147.01%, 11.54–71.01%, and 41.1–568.06%, respectively. Nitrate reductase activity, root activity and chlorophyll（a＋b） were markedly increased by 335.78–500%, 79.6–140.68% and 114.95–676.19%, respectively, from immature stage to full ripe stage. Adopting the continuous negative pressure water supply for C. annuum L. has a significant water-saving effect, and the water supply pressure being stable at –5 k Pa contributes to its growth and development, improves yield, enhances root activity, promotes nutrient uptake, and improves its quality, thus achieving the effects of water conservation, high yield, high quality and high efficiency.

Ghost resonance in anisotropic materials:negative refractive index and evanescent field enhancement in lossless media

We show that dielectric waveguides formed by materials with strong optical anisotropy support electromagnetic waves that combine the properties of propagating and evanescent fields.These“ghost waves”are created in tangent bifurcations that“annihilate”pairs of positive-and negative-index modes and represent the optical analogue of the“ghost orbits”in the quantum theory of nonintegrable dynamical systems.Ghost waves can be resonantly coupled to the incident evanescent field,which then grows exponentially through the anisotropic media—as in the case of negative index materials.As ghost waves are supported by transparent dielectric media,the proposed approach to electromagnetic field enhancement is free from the“curse”of material loss that is inherent to conventional negative index composites.

Terahertz Transmission Properties of Split Ring Resonator Arrays

The transmission properties of double-ring split ring resonator(SRR) arrays and closed ring resonator arrays are measured using terahertz(THz) time-domain spectroscopy. This technique allows for the simultaneous measurement of the amplitude and phase of the transmission coefficient as a function of frequency. The ability to directly measure the phase spectrum is expected to be important in characterizing potential negative index media. In the employed experimental geometry, THz pulses are normally incident on the arrays. Thus, the magnetic field lies in the plane of the arrays and cannot contribute to the magnetic resonance of the SRR. However, it is found that the electric field, when appropriately polarized, can couple to the magnetic resonance. Shifts in the resonance properties with changes in the SRR dimensions and the substrate medium are measured, the results of which are consistent with theory.

Design of Structural Left-handed Material based on Topology Optimization

An effective method to design structural Left-handed material（LHM） was proposed. A commercial finite element software HFSS and S-parameter retrieval method were used to determine the effective constitutive parameters of the metamaterials, and topology optimization technique was introduced to design the microstructure configurations of the materials with desired electromagnetic characteristics. The material considered was a periodic array of dielectric substrates attached with metal film pieces. By controlling the arrangements of the metal film pieces in the design domain, the potential microstructure with desired electromagnetic characteristics can be obtained finally. Two different LHMs were obtained with maximum bandwidth of negative refraction, and the experimental results show that negative refractive indices appear while the metamaterials have simultaneously negative permittivity and negative permeability. Topology optimization technique is found to be an effective tool for configuration design of LHMs.

Dual-band metamaterial with a windmill-like structure

A broadband negative refractive index metamaterial based on a windmill-like structure is proposed, and investigated numerically and experimentally at the microwave frequency range. From the numerical and experimental results, effect media parameters are retrieved, which clearly show that two broad frequency bands exist in which the permittivity and permeability are negative. The two negative bands are from 9.1 GHz to 10.5 GHz and from 12.05 GHz to 14.65 GHz respectively, and the negative bandwidth is 4 GHz. Due to the good bandwidth performance, the metallic cell with double negative property obtained in this paper is suitable for use in the design of multiband or broadband microwave devices.

Realization of absolute negative refraction index by a photonic crystal using anisotropic dielectric material

A method to realize absolute negative refraction index -1 with a two-dimensional （2D） photonic crystal is presented by introducing dielectric anisotropy in the photonic crystal material. The band structures of E-polarization mode and H-polarization mode can be adjusted by changing the parameters of materials. Thus the two modes with different polarizations have the same negative refraction index -1 for the same frequency. The results are demonstrated by numerical simulation based on the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method.

Left-handedness without absorption in the four-level Y-type atomic medium

In this paper we have investigated three external fields interacting with the four-level Y-type atomic system described by the density-matrix approach. The results show that left-handedness with zero absorption is achieved. The zero absorption property displays the possibility of manipulation by varying the phase and the intensity of the coupling field. Also, the zero absorption property may be used to amplify the evanescent waves that have been lost in imaging by traditional lenses. We propose an approach to obtain a negative refractive medium with zero absorption and the possibility of enhaneeingthe imaging resolution in realizing ＇superlenses＇.

A novel structure for a broadband left-handed metamaterial

A low absorptivity broadband negative refractive index metamaterial with a multi-gap split-ring and metallic cross （MSMC） structure is proposed and investigated numerically and experimentally in the microwave frequency range. The effective media parameters were retrieved from the numerical and experimental results, which clearly show that there exists a very wide frequency band where the permittivity and permeability are negative. The influence of the structure parameters on the magnetic response and the cut-off frequency of the negative permittivity are studied in detail. This metamaterial would have potential application in designing broadband microwave devices.