The study of theoretical optical metamaterials provides no detail insight of the atomic and molecular
level of bulk matter with respect to negative n. Instead, most theoretical research starts from a
different point of departure; an elemental metallic artificial structure that exhibits R, L and C and thus
resonance. Manipulating the size and the periodicity of such elements in a larger structure, the phase
relationship of a propagating electromagnetic wave through it and for a specific range of frequencies
causes the phase to move in opposite direction of the Pointing vector. This phenomenon,
demonstrated for microwave but not for optical frequencies yet, has certain interesting properties
among them negative permeability and negative dielectric constant. In this paper, in contrast to this
approach, our point of departure is on the atomic level of matter based on which we express the
negative dielectric constant &egr;(&ohgr;) in terms of frequency detuning and also in terms of atomic density
and we derive the detuning conditions for &egr;(&ohgr;)<0. We believe that these conditions provide a useful
guide towards the design of optical metamaterials.
The alert did not successfully save. Please try again later.
Stamatios V. Kartalopoulos, "Detuning conditions for negative dielectric in optical metamaterials," Proc. SPIE 6581, Metamaterials II, 65810B (4 May 2007);