We study the linear phenomenological Maxwell's equations in the presence of a polarizable and magnetizable medium (magnetodielectric). For a dispersive, non-absorptive, medium with equal electric and magnetic permeabilities, the latter can assume the value -1 (+1 is their vacuum value) for a discrete set of frequencies, i.e., for these frequencies the medium behaves as a negative index material (NIM). We show that such systems have a well-defined time evolution. In particular the fields remain square integrable (and the electromagnetic energy finite) if this is the case at some initial time. Next we turn to the Green's function (a tensor), associated with the electric Helmholtz operator, for a set of parallel layers filled with a material. We express it in terms of the well-known scalar s and p ones. For a half space filled with the material and with a single dispersive Lorentz form for both electric and magnetic permeabilities we obtain an explicit form for the Green's function. We find the usual behavior for negative index materials, there is no refection outside the evanescent regime and the transmission (refraction) shows the usual NIM behavior. We find that the Green's function has poles, which lead to a modulation of the radiative decay probability of an excited atom. The formalism is free from ambiguities in the sign of the refractive index.
Electromagnetic duality symmetry and helicity conservation for the macroscopic Maxwell's equations (previously "Experimental demonstration of electromagnetic duality symmetry breaking")
A transparent linear magneto-dielectric material in free space that is illuminated by a finite quasimonochromatic field is a thermodynamically closed system, definitively, regardless of what field and material subsystems that one defines. The energy--momentum tensor that is formally derived from the Maxwell--Minkowski field equations is inconsistent with both angular and linear momentum conservation in this closed system; this very solid fact is the foundational and continuing issue of the Abraham--Minkowski controversy. The extant resolution of the Abraham--Minkowski dilemma is to treat Maxwe…
Radiation from a charged particle moving in a medium with Maxwell fish eye refraction index profile is considered. It is shown that the radiation spectrum has a discrete character. The main emitted wavelength is proportional to the refractive profiles radius and has a dipole character in a regular medium. Cherenkov like threshold velocity is established. A cardinal rearrangement of angular distribution in a lossless medium is predicted. This behavior is caused by the total internal reflection in a lossless medium as opposed to photons attenuated total reflection in the regular medium. Lossless…
We present a comprehensive theoretical description for an irradiation of an ultrashort light pulse normally on thin materials based on first-principles time-dependent density functional theory. As the most elaborate scheme, we develop a microscopic description solving Maxwell equations for light electromagnetic fields and the time-dependent Kohn-Sham equation for electron dynamics simultaneously in the time domain using a common spatial grid. We call it the microscopic Maxwell-TDDFT scheme. We test this scheme for silicon thin films of various thickness, from a few atomic layers to a few tens …
We consider the propagation of polarized light in the medium with Maxwell fish eye refraction index profile. We show that polarization violates the additional symmetries of medium, so that ray trajectories no longer remain closed. Then we suggest a modified, polarization-dependent Maxwell fish eye refraction index which restores all symmetries of initial profile and yields closed trajectories of polarized light. Explicit expressions for the polarization dependent integrals of motion and the solutions of corresponding ray trajectories are presented.
At a boundary between two transparent, linear, isotropic, homogeneous materials, derivations of the electromagnetic boundary conditions and the Fresnel relations typically proceed from the Minkowski {E,B,D,H} representation of the macroscopic Maxwell equations. However, equations of motion for macroscopic fields in a transparent linear medium can be written using Ampere {E,B}, Chu {E,H}, Lorentz, Minkowski, Peierls, Einstein-Laub, and other formulations of continuum electrodynamics. We present a representation-independent derivation of electromagnetic boundary conditions and Fresnel relations …
These notes, intended to be self contained and tutorial, present a direct, macroscopic approach to quantizing light inside a linear-response dielectric material when both spectral dispersion and spatial nonuniformity are present, but the spectral region of interest is optically transparent so that explicit treatment of the underlying physics of the medium is not needed. The approach taken is based on the macroscopic Maxwell equations and a corresponding Hamiltonian, without the use of Lagrangians or any dynamical model for the medium, and uses a standard mode-based quantization method. The tre…
The propagation of electromagnetic waves through disordered layered system is considered in the paradigm of Maxwell's equations homogenization. In spite of the impossibility to describe the system in terms of effective dielectric permittivity and/or magnetic permeability the unified way to describe the propagation and Anderson localization of electromagnetic waves is proposed in terms of the introduced effective wave vector (effective refractive index). It is demonstrated that both real and imaginary parts of the effective wave vector (contrary to effective dielectric permittivity and/or magne…
We have developed a computational method to describe the nonlinear light propagation of an intense and ultrashort pulse at oblique incidence on a flat surface. In the method, coupled equations of macroscopic light propagation and microscopic electron dynamics are simultaneously solved using a multiscale modeling. The microscopic electronic motion is described by first-principles time-dependent density functional theory. The macroscopic Maxwell equations that describe oblique light propagation are transformed into one-dimensional wave equations. As an illustration of the method, light propagati…
We theoretically discuss the possibility of realizing the negative refractive index in Weyl/Dirac semimetals. We consider the Maxwell equations with the plasma gap and the chiral magnetic effect. We study the dispersion relations of electromagnetic waves, and show that the refractive index becomes negative at frequencies (just) below the plasma frequency. We find that axial anomaly, or more specifically, negative magnetoresistance (electric current parallel to magnetic fields) opens a new route to realize the negative refractive index. Reflection and transmission coefficients are computed in a…
We study the negative refractive index in cubic noncentrosymmetric superconductors. We consider the Maxwell equations under the Meissner effect, and magnetoelectric effect arising due to broken inversion symmetry. We derive dispersion relations of electromagnetic waves, and show that the refractive index becomes negative at frequencies just below the Higgs gap. We find that the chiral mechanism of the negative refractive index, which is usually discussed in chiral materials with negative permittivity can be applied to superconductors with positive permittivity by replacing the plasma gap with …
