High symmetry versus optical isotropy of a negative index metamaterial

Abstract

Optically isotropic metamaterials (MMs) are required for the implementation of subwavelength imaging systems. At first glance one would expect that their design should be based on unit cells exhibiting a cubic symmetry being the highest crystal symmetry. It is anticipated that this is a sufficient condition since it is usually assumed that light does not resolve the spatial details of MM but experiences the properties of an effective medium, which is then optically isotropic. In this work we challenge this assumption by analyzing the isofrequency surfaces of the dispersion relation of the split-cube in carcass (SCiC) negative index MM. We show that this MM is basically optically isotropic, but not in the spectral domain where it exhibits negative refraction. The primary goal of this contribution is to introduce a tool that allows to probe a MM against optical isotropy.

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• Magnetic metamaterials at telecommunication and visible frequencies
• Strong spatial dispersion in wire media in the very large wavelength limit
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• Theoretical and numerical analysis of current-driven electromagnetic homogenization and the problem of effective medium parameters for finite samples
• Nanocouplers for infrared and visible light
• Can photonic crystals be homogenized in higher bands?
• Nonasymptotic Homogenization of Periodic Electromagnetic Structures: Uncertainty Principles