Since the discovery of backward-wave materials, people have tried to realize strong chiral medium, which is traditionally thought impossible mainly for the reason of energy and spatial dispersion. We compare the two most popular descriptions of chiral medium. After analyzing several possible reasons for the traditional restriction, we show that strong chirality parameter leads to positive energy without any frequency-band limitation in the weak spatial dispersion. Moreover, strong chirality does not result in a strong spatial dispersion, which occurs only around the traditional limit point. For strong spatial dispersion where higher-order terms of spatial dispersion need to be considered, the energy conversation is also valid. Finally, we show that strong chirality need to be realized from the conjugated type of spatial dispersion.
The solution of a boundary-value problem formulated for a modified Kretschmann configuration shows that a surface-plasmon wave can be excited at the planar interface of a sufficiently thin metal film and a nondissipative structurally chiral medium, provided the exciting plane wave is p-polarized. An estimate of the wavenumber of the surface-plasmon wave also emerges thereby.
Negative real parts of the permittivity and permeability lead an isotropic chiral medium to exhibit circular dichroism that is reversed with respect to that exhibited by an identical medium but the real parts of whose permittivity and permeability are positive.
In this overview paper, we investigate the dispersion of electromagnetic waves for dissipative and non-dissipative dielectric-magnetic uniaxial mediums. Changing the sign of one component of dielectric permittivity (ε) or magnetic permeability (μ) from positive to negative will lead to sixteen different cases (real or imaginary) for a non-dissipative medium and eight different cases for dissipative one. In a non-dissipative medium, dispersion relations follow the elliptic/hyperbolic relations. This rule completely vanishes regarding the dissipative medium. While the number of dispersion cases …
The dispersion relations for conventional uniaxial dielectric mediums may be characterized as elliptical or elliptical-like, according to whether the medium is nondissipative or dissipative, respectively. However, under certain constitutive parameter regimes, the dispersion relations may be hyperbolic or hyperbolic-like. We investigate planewave propagation in a hyperbolic/hyperbolic-like uniaxial dielectric medium. For both evanescent and nonevanescent propagation, the phase velocity is found to be positive with respect to the time-averaged Poynting vector. A conceptualization of a hyperbolic…
We develop, from first principles, a general and compact formalism for predicting the electromagnetic response of a metamaterial with non-magnetic inclusions in the long wavelength limit, including spatial dispersion up to the second order. Specifically, by resorting to a suitable multiscale technique, we show that medium effective permittivity tensor and the first and second order tensors describing spatial dispersion can be evaluated by averaging suitable spatially rapidly-varying fields each satysifing electrostatic-like equations within the metamaterial unit cell. For metamaterials with ne…
A medium which is an isotropic chiral medium from the perspective of a co-moving observer is a Faraday chiral medium (FCM) from the perspective of a non-co-moving observer. The Tellegen constitutive relations for this FCM are established. By an extension of the Beltrami field concept, these constitutive relations are exploited to show that planewave propagation is characterized by four generally independent wavenumbers. This FCM can support negative phase velocity at certain translational velocities and with certain wavevectors, even though the corresponding isotropic chiral medium does not. T…
The phase velocity of plane waves propagating in an isotropic chiral medium can be simultaneously positive for left-circularly polarized light and negative for right-circularly polarized light(or vice versa). The constitutive parameter regimes supporting this phenomenon are established for nondissipative and dissipative mediums. The boundary between positive and negative phase velocity is characterized by infinite phase velocity.
The propagation of plane waves in a Faraday chiral medium is investigated. Conditions for the phase velocity to be directed opposite to the direction of power flow are derived for propagation in an arbitrary direction; simplified conditions which apply to propagation parallel to the distinguished axis are also established. These negative phase-velocity conditions are explored numerically using a representative Faraday chiral medium, arising from the homogenization of an isotropic chiral medium and a magnetically biased ferrite. It is demonstrated that the phase velocity may be directed opposit…
We consider the energy and helicity densities of circularly polarised light within a lossless chiral medium, characterised by the chirality parameter $β$. A form for the helicity density is introduced, valid to first order in $β$, that produces a helicity of $\pm\hbar$ per photon for right and left circular polarisation, respectively. This is in contrast to the result obtained if we use the form of the helicity density employed for linear media. We examine the helicity continuity equation, and show that this modified form of the helicity density is required for consistency with the dual symmet…
The propagation of plane waves in an isotropic chiral medium (ICM) is investigated. Simple conditions are derived--in terms of the constitutive parameters of the ICM--for the phase velocity to be directed opposite to the direction of power flow. It is demonstrated that phase velocity and power flow may be oppositely directed provided that the magnetoelectric coupling is sufficiently strong.
We study resonant tunneling through a layered medium with a negative index medium (NIM) slab as a constituent layer. We demonstrate large delays in transmission mediated by the surface and the guided modes of the structure with low losses. We show how important it is to include NIM dispersion for correct assessment of the nature and magnitude of the delay. We also point out the role of NIM absorption for the feasibility of such compact delay devices.
We study Chiral Based Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (CBEIT) of a light pulse and its associated subluminal and superluminal behavior through a cold and a hot medium of 4-level \textit{double-Lambda type} atomic system. The dynamical behavior of this chiral based system is temperature dependent. The magnetic field based chirality and dispersion is always opposite as compared with the electric field ones. Contrastingly, the response of the chiral effect along with the incoherence Doppler broadening mechanism enhances the superluminal behavior as compared with its traditional degrading…
In this letter, we present the first experimental study of a new chiral metamaterial consisting of toroidal wire windings. We show that the metamaterial exhibits three bands of circular dichroism in the GHz range. We discuss the response of the structure in terms of multipole moments, including the (magnetic) toroidal dipole moment.
We have derived a dispersion relation governing the surface plasmon resonance established along a planar interface between a metal and a chiral medium (chiral case). Resulting numerical solutions are compared with the well-known results obtained for a metal-dielectric interface (achiral case). Comparisons show that the chiral case exhibits smaller phase speeds than the achiral case. Such a longitudinal deceleration in the chiral case is caused by the energy expended on establishing the longitudinal spin density, which turns out anti-symmetric with respect to medium chirality. Moreover, the low…
Analysis of electromagnetic planewave propagation in a medium which is a spatiotemporally homogeneous, temporally nonlocal, isotropic, chiral medium in a co-moving frame of reference shows that the medium is both spatially and temporally nonlocal with respect to all non-co-moving inertial frames of reference. Using the Lorentz transformations of electric and magnetic fields, we show that plane waves which have positive phase velocity in the co-moving frame of reference can have negative phase velocity in certain non-co-moving frames of reference. Similarly, plane waves which have negative phas…
The four wavenumbers associated with planewave propagation in a Faraday chiral medium (FCM) with relatively huge magnetoelectric coupling give rise to enhanced possibilities for negative-phase-velocity propagation and therefore negative refraction. They can also give rise to the phenomenon of negative reflection. In particular, for a nondissipative example, we deduced that an incident plane wave with positive/negative phase velocity can result in a negatively reflected plane wave with negative/positive phase velocity, as well as a positively reflected plane wave with positive/negative phase ve…
Topological protection in photonics offers new prospects for guiding and manipulating classical and quantum information. The mechanism of spin-orbit coupling promises the emergence of edge states that are helical; exhibiting unidirectional propagation that is topologically protected against back-scattering. We directly observe the topological states of a photonic analogue of electronic materials exhibiting the quantum Spin Hall effect, living at the interface between two silicon photonic crystals with different topological order. Through the far-field radiation that is inherent to the states' …
In a frame of quasi-crystal approximation the dispersion equations are obtained for the wave vector of a coherent electromagnetic wave propagating in a media which contains a random set of parallel dielectric cylinders with possible overlapping. The results are compared with that for the case when a regularity at the cylinder placement exists.
The Poynting vector, energy density and energy velocity of light pulses propagating in anomalous dispersion medium (used in WKD-like experiments) are calculated. Results show that a negative energy density in the medium propagates along opposite of incident direction with such a velocity similar to the negative group velocity while the direction of the Poynting vector is positive. In other words, one might say that a positive energy density in the medium would propagate along the positive direction with a speed having approximately the absolute valueof the group velocity. We further point out …
We have observed the propagation of an approximately 35 ns long light pulse with a negative group velocity through a laser-cooled 85Rb atomic medium. The anomalous dispersion results from linear atom-light interaction, and is unrelated to long-lived ground state coherences often associated with fast light in atomic media. The observed negative group velocity (-c/360) in the Rb magneto-optical trap for a pulse attenuated by less than 50% is in good agreement with the value of dispersion measured independently by an RF heterodyne method. The spectral region of anomalous dispersion is between 15 …
A new optical state is described both analytically and numerically at the boundary of a chiral medium with continuous helical symmetry of the dielectric tensor. The tangential wave number is assumed to be zero. The state appears to be localized near the boundary. It does not transfer energy along this boundary and falls off exponentially with the distance from the boundary. The field penetration into chiral medium is blocked at wavelengths close to the helical pitch and corresponding to the photonic band gap. The polarization of light near the boundary has the same sign of chirality as the hel…
We study the no reflection condition for a planar boundary between vacuum and an isotropic chiral medium. In general chiral media, elliptically polarized waves incident at a particular angle satisfy the no reflection condition. When the wave impedance and wavenumber of the chiral medium are equal to the corresponding parameters of vacuum, one of the circularly polarized waves is transmitted to the medium without reflection or refraction for all angles of incidence. We propose a circular polarizing beam splitter as a simple application of the no reflection effect.
Dynamical evolution and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is investigated here in a three-level $λ$-type atomic system including near-dipole-dipole interaction among atoms. The system is driven by the probe and coupling fields. Exact numerical solutions under steady-state condition are given for the density operator equation to get information about population in various levels and the linear susceptibility of probe-transition. Also, obtained are the closed form expressions for linear and third order non-linear susceptibilities for the probe transition under perturbation approxima…
The development of medium-energy inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) optics with meV and sub-meV resolution has attracted considerable efforts in recent years. Meanwhile, there are also concerns or debates about the fundamental and feasibility of the involved schemes. Here the central optical component, the back-reflection angular-dispersion monochromator or analyzer, is analyzed. The results show that the multiple-beam diffraction effect together with transmission-induced absorption can noticeably reduce the diffraction efficiency, although it may not be a fatal threat. In order to improve the e…
We theoretically investigate the intra-band transitions in Möbius molecules. Due to the weak magnetic response, the relative permittivity is significantly modified by the presence of the medium while the relative permeability is not. We show that there is hyperbolic dispersion relation induced by the intra-band transitions because one of the eigen-values of permittivity possesses a different sign from the other two, while all three eigen-values of permeability are positive. We further demonstrate that the bandwidth of negative refraction is 0.1952~eV for the $H$-polarized incident light, which…
