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Chiral Metamaterials: retrieval of the effective parameters with and without substrate

Journal Article · · Optics Express
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.18.014553· OSTI ID:1013885

After the prediction that strong enough optical activity may result in negative refraction and negative reflection, more and more artificial chiral metamaterials were designed and fabricated at difference frequency ranges from microwaves to optical waves. Therefore, a simple and robust method to retrieve the effective constitutive parameters for chiral metamaterials is urgently needed. Here, we analyze the wave propagation in chiral metamaterials and follow the regular retrieval procedure for ordinary metamaterials and apply it in chiral metamaterial slabs. Then based on the transfer matrix technique, the parameter retrieval is extended to treat samples with not only the substrate but also the top layers. After the parameter retrieval procedure, we take two examples to check our method and study how the substrate influences on the thin chiral metamaterials slabs. We find that the substrate may cause the homogeneous slab to be inhomogeneous, i.e. the reflections in forward and backward directions are different. However, the chiral metamaterial where the resonance element is embedded far away from the substrate is insensitive to the substrate.

Research Organization:
Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11358
OSTI ID:
1013885
Report Number(s):
IS-J 7560
Journal Information:
Optics Express, Journal Name: Optics Express Journal Issue: 14 Vol. 18; ISSN 1094-4087
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English