Negative refraction based on purely imaginary metamaterials

Abstract

By introducing a new mechanism based on purely imaginary metamaterials (PIMs), we reveal that bidirectional negative refraction and planar focusing can be obtained using a pair of PIM slabs, overcoming the unidirectional limit in parity-time (PT)-symmetric systems. Compared with PT-symmetric systems, which require two different types of materials, the proposed negative refraction can be realized using two identical media. In addition, asymmetric excitation with bidirectional total transmission is observed in our PIM system. Therefore, a new way to realize negative refraction with properties that are unavailable in PT-symmetric systems is presented.

Keywords

negative refraction / coherent perfect absorber / laser / purely imaginary metamaterials

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