We demonstrate perfect imaging in Maxwell's fish eye for microwaves. Our data show that the field of a line source is imaged with subwavelength resolution over superwavelength distances, provided the field is allowed to leave through passive outlets that play the role of a detector array in imaging.
Exact time-dependent solutions of Maxwell's equations in Maxwell's fish eye show that perfect imaging is not an artifact of a drain at the image, although a drain is required for subwavelength resolution.
Maxwell's fish eye has been known to be a perfect lens within the validity range of ray optics since 1854. Solving Maxwell's equations we show that the fish-eye lens in three dimensions has unlimited resolution for electromagnetic waves.
Leonhard and Philbin [Phys. Rev. A 81, 011804(R) (2010)] have recently constructed a mathematical proof that the Maxwell's fish-eye lens provides perfect imaging of electromagnetic waves without negative refraction. In this comment, we argue that the unlimited resolution is an artifact of having introduced an unphysical drain at the position of the geometrical image. The correct solution gives focusing consistent with the standard diffraction limit.
In this paper we describe an application of the finite difference method to obtain the transverse magnetic photonic band gap diagram of a photonic crystal. The strategy of this method is to formulate the Maxwell equations in finite differences in order to write a computational code. We present experiments that confirm the validity of the calculations of the photonic band diagram as well as the refraction indix of such structure. All calculations were made for two dimensional metallic photonic crystal.
Perfect imaging has been believed to rely on negative refraction, but here we show that an ordinary positively-refracting optical medium may form perfect images as well. In particular, we establish a mathematical proof that Maxwell's fish eye in two-dimensional integrated optics makes a perfect instrument with a resolution not limited by the wavelength of light. We also show how to modify the fish eye such that perfect imaging devices can be made in practice. Our method of perfect focusing may also find applications outside of optics, in acoustics, fluid mechanics or quantum physics, wherever …
Kinsler and Favaro point out correctly that Blaikie's numerical solution of Maxwell's equations in Maxwell's fish eye is causal and hence valid, a solution where no perfect image is formed. It is wrong to conclude from the existence of a causal solution with perfect imaging that one without perfect resolution is not causal; both are allowed by causality. However, Maxwell's fish eye can still perfectly image, as the Reply shows.
In this talk we present and discuss a new general approach to the synthesis of metasurfaces for full control of transmitted and reflected fields. The method is based on the use of an equivalent impedance matrix which connects the tangential field components at the two sides on the metasurface. Finding the impedance matrix components, we are able to synthesize metasurfaces which perfectly realize the desired response. We will explain possible alternative physical realizations and reveal the crucial role of bianisotropic coupling to achieve full control of transmission through perfectly matched …
Whether or not perfect imaging is obtained in the mirrored version of Maxwell's fisheye lens is debated in the comment/reply sequence [Blaikie-2010njp, Leonhardt-2010njp] discussing Leonhardt's original paper [Leonhardt-2009njp]. Here we show that causal solutions can be obtained without the need for an "active localized drain", contrary to the claims in [Leonhardt-2010njp].
Focal-plane imaging with microwave and millimeter wave has many potential applications. The bad resolution is a main shortcoming of this technique at present. In this paper, influence of frequency of electromagnetic wave on the refractive energy is analyzed. According to the refractive mechanism of electromagnetic induction, the principle for designing artificial materials with enough refractive ability is proposed. The material of artificial molecules is fabricated with cage-shaped granules of conductor (CGC). The refractive index of CGC material to microwave was measured by assembling CGC pr…
We demonstrate bending of light on the same side of the normal in a free standing corrugated metal film under bi-directional illumination. Coherent perfect absorption (CPA) is exploited to suppress the specular zeroth order leading to effective back-bending of light into the `-1' order, while the `+1' order is resonant with the surface mode. The effect is shown to be phase sensitive yielding CPA and superscattering in the same geometry.
In this paper we show that a negative index of refraction is not a direct implication of transformation optics with orientation-reversing diffeomorphisms. Rather a negative index appears due to a specific choice of sign freedom. Furthermore, we point out that the transformation designed lens, which relies on the concept of spacetime folding, does not amplify evanescent modes, in contrast to the Pendry-Veselago lens. Instead, evanescent modes at the image point are produced by a duplicated source and thus no imaging of the near field (perfect lensing) takes place.
Negative index of refraction has become an accepted part of transformation optics, which is encountered in transformations that change the orientation of the manifold. Based on this concept, various designs of perfect lenses have been proposed, which all rely on a folding of space or spacetime, where the maps from electromagnetic space to laboratory space are multi-valued. Recently, a new concept for perfect imaging has been proposed by Leonhardt and Philbin, which also uses multi-valued maps, but does neither include negative index of refraction nor an amplification of evanescent modes. In th…
Non-uniform metasurfaces (electrically thin composite layers) can be used for shaping refracted and reflected electromagnetic waves. However, known design approaches based on the generalized refraction and reflection laws do not allow realization of perfectly performing devices: there are always some parasitic reflections into undesired directions. In this paper we introduce and discuss a general approach to the synthesis of metasurfaces for full control of transmitted and reflected plane waves and show that perfect performance can be realized. The method is based on the use of an equivalent i…
We propose a device with a positive isotropic refractive index that creates an approximate magnified perfect real image of an optically homogeneous three-dimensional region of space within geometrical optics. Its key ingredient is a new refractive index profile that can work as an approximate perfect lens on its own, having a very moderate index range.
We discuss and clarify some misleading statements appeared in a recent article on negative refraction in metamaterials. In this comment, we straighten the physical meaning and underlying phenomena behind negative refraction and negative index metamaterials and show that these phenomena are perfectly consistent with causality. It is hoped that this comment draws the attention of authors, reviewers and readers to the large body of rigorous analytical, numerical, and experimental evidence in favor of negative refraction at a single interface, so as to avoid reviving settled debates which mislead,…
The widely-accepted theoretical treatment of the electromagnetic boundary problem of evanescent wave transfer at an interface between a normal medium of n=1 and an ideal negative index medium of n=-1 neglects the non-zero induced surface current and charge densities at the interface and is self-inconsistent. We re-solve the electromagnetic boundary problem by taking into account the non-zero induced surface current and charge densities that have been neglected so far by others. We give the exact induced surface current and charge distributions for this special case and solve the refracted and …
A discussion of a question, studied earlier by V.Veselago in 1967 and by J. Pendry in 2000, is given. The question is: can a slab of the material with negative refraction make a perfect lens? Pendry's conclusion was: yes, it can. Our conclusion is: no, in practice it cannot, because of the fluctuations of the refraction coefficient of the slab. Resolution ability of linear isoplanatic optical instruments is discussed.
Based on both analytical dipole model analyses and numerical simulations, we propose a concept of coherent perfect nanoabsorbers (CPNAs) for divergent beams. This concept makes use of the properties of a slab with negative refraction and small losses. The proposed CPNA device would allow focusing radiation in nanoscale regions, and hence could be applied in optical nanodevices for such diverse purposes as reading the results of quantum computation which is based on single photon qubits.
A perfect lens with unlimited resolution has always posed a challenge to both theoretical and experimental physicists. Recent developments in optical meta-materials promise an attractive approach towards perfect lenses using negative refraction to overcome the diffraction limit, improving resolution. However, those artificially engineered meta-materials usually company by high losses from metals and are extremely difficult to fabricate. An alternative proposal using negative refraction by four-wave mixing has attracted much interests recently, though most of existing experiments still require …
A negative-phase-velocity condition derived by Depine and Lakhtakia [Microwave Opt Technol Lett 41 (2004) 315] for isotropic, homogeneous, passive, dielectric-magnetic materials is inapplicable as a negative-refraction condition for active materials.
We extend designs of perfect lenses to the focussing of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) propagating at the interface between two anisotropic media of opposite permittivity sign. We identify the role played by the components of anisotropic and heterogeneous tensors of permittivity and permeability, deduced from a coordinate transformation, in the dispersion relation governing propagation of SPPs. We illustrate our theory with three-dimensional finite element computations for focussing of SPPs by perfect flat and cylindrical lenses.
We suggest a geometrical framework to discuss the action of slabs of negatively refracting materials. We show that these slabs generate the same orbits as normal materials, but traced out in opposite directions. This property allows us to confirm that the action of any lossless multilayer can be optically cancelled by putting it together with the multilayer constructed as the inverted mirror image, with $ε$ and $μ$ reversed in sign.
We present a methodology for designing metagratings for perfect anomalous refraction, based on multilayered loaded wire arrays. In recent work, it has been shown that such structures can implement perfect anomalous deflection and beam splitting in \emph{reflect-mode}, using only a handful of subwavelength meta-atoms per (wavelength-scale) macro-period. Extending previous formulations to enable manipulation of \emph{transmitted} fields as well, we derive analytical relations between the scattered fields, currents induced on the wires, and the individual load impedances, and enforce conditions t…
We found that a single negative material has a character of zero-refraction in near field, and point out that the mechanism of a metal superlens to image with the resolution exceeding the diffraction limitation is different from that of a perfect lens made of a double negative material. The principle of metal superlens is disclosed. Our numerical results based on the zero-refraction character coincide with the experimental results well. This work brings new understanding about the single negative materials and will lead the applications of metal superlens in right way.
Negative refraction is known to occur in materials that simultaneously possess a negative electric permittivity and magnetic permeability; hence they are termed negative index materials. However, there are no known natural materials that exhibit a negative index of refraction. In large part, interest in these materials is due to speculation that they could be used as perfect lenses with superresolution. We propose a new way of achieving negative refraction with currently available technology, based on transparent, metallo-dielectric multilayer structures. The advantage of these structures is t…
We introduce an improved and simplified structure made of periodic arrays of pairs of H-shaped metallic wires that offer a potentially simpler approach in building negative-index materials. Using simulations and microwave experiments, we have investigated the negative-index n properties of these structures. We have measured experimentally both the transmittance and the reflectance properties and found unambiguously that a negative refractive index with Re(n)<0 and Im(n) <Re(n). The same is true for epsilon and mu. Our results show that H-shaped wire pairs can be used very effectively in produc…
Negative Refractive Lens (NRL) has shown that an optical system can produce images with details below the classic Abbe diffraction limit. This optical system transmits the electric field, emitted by the object surface, towards the image surface producing the same field distribution in both surfaces. In particular, a Dirac delta electric field in the object surface is focused without diffraction limit to the Dirac delta electric field in the image surface. The Maxwell Fish Eye lens (MFE) and the Spherical Geodesic Waveguide (SGW) have been claimed to break the diffraction limit using positive r…
Topological notions in physics have become a powerful perspective that leads to the discoveries of topological interface states (TISs). In this work, we present a scheme to achieve negative refraction by leveraging the properties of TISs in a valley photonic crystal (VPC). Due to the chiral characteristics, one type of the TISs deterministically possesses negative dispersion relation, which can cause an obliquely incident wave to undergo a negative lateral shift. By stacking multiple VPC interfaces, the TIS-induced lateral shifts can relay in the transmitted wave towards the far side of incide…
Asymmetric Negative Refraction in Nonlocal Double-Wire Metamaterials
Instituto de Telecomunicações and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Coimbra(科英布拉大学电信研究所与电气与计算机工程系);Photonics Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New York(纽约市立大学高级科学研究中心光子学倡议项目);Physics Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York(纽约市立大学研究生院物理学项目);University of Lisbon–Instituto Superior Técnico and Instituto de Telecomunicações(里斯本大学高等技术学院与电信研究所)
Absorption of microwave by metallic conductors is exclusively inefficient, though being natively broadband, due to the huge impedance mismatch between metal and free space. Reducing the thickness to ultrathin conductive film may improve the absorbing efficiency, but is still bounded by a maximal 50% limit induced by the field continuity. Here, we show that broadband perfect (100%) absorption of microwave can be realized on a single layer of ultrathin conductive film when it is illuminated coherently by two oppositely incident beams. Such an effect of breaking the 50% limit maintains the intrin…
Negative refraction plays an important role in acoustic wave manipulation and imaging. However, conventional systems based on acoustic metamaterials suffer from the limits induced by loss-related and resolution issues. In this work, a parity-time (PT)-symmetric system is introduced to realize loss-free bidirectional acoustic negative refraction. The system is composed of a pair of locally PT-symmetric multi-layer metasurfaces sandwiching a region of free space, which also forms a global PT-symmetry. The property of bidirectional negative refraction, which is rare for regular PT-symmetric struc…
Research on photonics and metamaterials constantly challenges our intuitive understanding of the behaviour of light. In recent years we have seen negative refraction, focusing of light by a flat slab, a ``perfect'' prism, and an ``invisibility cloak'' [1-6]. It is generally understood that the cause of this unusual behaviour is the strong (anomalous) dispersion, i.e., dependence of the material properties on the frequency of light. Dispersion can be either due to a natural microscopic resonance of the material as with surface plasmons-polaritons, or due to an effective resonance (band-gap) of …
It has been shown that negative refraction makes a perfect lens. However, with little loss, the imaging functionality will be strongly compromised. Later on, it was proved that positive refraction from Maxwell's fish-eye lens can also makes a perfect lens. However, strong debating happens on the introduced drain problem at the imaging position. In this work, we for the first time find that a solid immersion Maxwell's fish-eye lens could be used for super-resolution imaging. We find that it is due to the perfect focusing and total reflection at the outer interface, such that a super-resolution …
Application of the differential method (also called the C method) to plane-wave diffraction by a perfectly conducting, sinusoidally corrugated metallic grating coated with a linear, homogeneous, isotropic, lossless dielectric-magnetic material shows that coating materials with negative index of refraction may deliver enhanced maximum nonspecular reflection efficiencies in comparison to coating materials with positive index of refraction.
We review the intensively discussed ideas about wave propagation and refraction in media where both electric permittivity and magnetic permeability are negative. The criticism against negative refraction as violating the causality principle is considered. Starting from the initial wave equations, refraction of beams at the boundary of a left-handed medium is analyzed. The physics of a perfect lens formed by a flat layer of a left-handed material is considered.
Orbital angular momentum (OAM) is a promising degree of freedom for fundamental studies in electromagnetics and quantum mechanics. The unlimited state space of OAM shows a great potential to enhance channel capacities of classical and quantum communications. By exploring the Pancharatnam-Berry phase concept and engineering anisotropic scatterers in a metasurface with spatially varying orientations, a plane wave with zero OAM can be converted to a vortex beam carrying nonzero OAM. In this paper, we proposed two types of novel PEC (perfect electric conductor)-PMC (perfect magnetic conductor) ani…
We reconsider the refraction of evanescent waves at an interface between air and negative index medium under the assumption that negative index medium is necessarily dispersive and lossy. We show that all evanescent waves in air will be refracted into decaying propagating waves inside a negative index medium, with different spatial frequency components having different propagation directions which are separated both in time and space; hence no refocus of these evanescent waves is possible. Accordingly, all information encoded by evanescent waves will be lost in the image making sub-diffraction…
We propose a coherent optical method for creating negative refractive index (NRI) for a gaseous ensemble of ground-state polar molecules possessing both permanent electric and magnetic moments. Exploiting the pure rotational transition between the two lowest rotational levels of the ground vibrational state one can generate two dressed states of mixed parity using a microwave laser. These dressed states are then used as the two lower states of a Λ-type three-level scheme using two infrared lasers to couple them to another ro-vibrational level in the ground-state manifold. One of the infrared l…
The promise of perfect imaging in the optical domain, where light can be imaged without aberrations and with ultra-high resolution, could revolutionize technology and nanofabrication [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Recently it has been shown theoretically that perfect imaging can be achieved in a dielectric medium with spatially varying refractive index [7, 8]. The lens geometry is defined using transformation optics [9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15] for projecting a spherical space onto a real plane space, forming Maxwells fish eye [16, 17, 18, 19]. Most transformation optics demonstrations have been achieved …
In this letter, we propose a conceptual device to perform subwavelength imaging with positive refraction. The key to this proposal is that a drain is no longer a must for some cases. What's more, this device is an isotropic omnidirectional cloak with a perfect electric conductor hiding region and shows versatile illusion optical effects. Numerical simulations are performed to verify the functionalities.
Electromagnetic metamaterials are man-made structures that have novel properties such as a negative refraction index, not attainable in naturally occurring materials. Although negative index materials (NIMs) in microwave frequencies were demonstrated in 2001, it has remained challenging to design NIMs for optical frequencies especially those with both negative permittivity and negative permeability [known as left-handed metamaterials (LHMs)]. Here, by going beyond the traditional concept of the combination of artificial electronic and magnetic meta-atoms to design NIMs, we propose a novel LHM …
We experimentally and theoretically challenge the concept of coherent perfect absorption (CPA) as a narrow frequency resonant mechanism associated with scattering processes that respect scale-invariance. Using a microwave platform, consisting of a lossy nonlinear resonator coupled to two interrogating antennas, we show that a coherent incident excitation can trigger a self-induced perfect absorption once its intensity exceeds a critical value. Importantly, a (near) perfect absorption persists for a broad band frequency range around the nonlinear CPA condition. Its origin is traced to a quartic…