Frankfurt 2006 – scientific programme
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Q: Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 7: Photonik in komplexen und periodischen Strukturen I
Q 7.5: Talk
Monday, March 13, 2006, 12:10–12:25, H14
Symmetry Properties of Light-Matter Interaction in Chiral and Achiral Metamaterials — •Tineke Stroucken1, Walter Hoyer1, Torsten Meier1, Stephan W. Koch1, Matthias Reichelt2, Jerry V. Moloney2, and Ewan M. Wright3 — 1Department of Physics and Material Sciences Center, Philipps-University, Renthof 5, D-35032 Germany — 2Arizona Center for Mathematical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA — 3College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85271, USA
Recently, optical properties of metamaterials, i.e., regular arrays of artificial sub-wavelength structures, have received considerable attention. The possibility to achieve a magnetic response at optical frequencies allows for a variety of new optical phenomena, such as negative refraction. In general, the response of a metamaterial is modeled with the aid of an effective electric and magnetic susceptibility. Although effectively homogeneous, the interaction of electromagnetic waves with metamaterials may depend on the polarization state of the exciting light field, indicating an anisotropic response. In particular, nonreciprocal response and optical activity for circularly polarized light interacting with planar chiral metamaterials could be observed[1,2].
Here, we investigate the general symmetry properties of the light-matter interaction in metamaterials and discuss their constraints on the effective optical response[3].
[1] A. Papakostas et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 107404 (2003)
[2] M. Kuwata-Gonokami et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95,227401 (2005)
[3] M. Reichelt et al.,submitted to Applied Physics B