Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Published Online March 22, 2007
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1139266

Reports

Submitted on December 26, 2006
Accepted on March 12, 2007

Negative Refraction at Visible Frequencies

Henri J. Lezec 1*, Jennifer A. Dionne 2, Harry A. Atwater 2

1 Thomas J. Watson Laboratory of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 3 rue Michel-Ange, 75794 Paris Cedex 16, France.
2 Thomas J. Watson Laboratory of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Henri J. Lezec , E-mail: lezec{at}caltech.edu

Nanofabricated photonic materials offer opportunities for crafting the propagation and dispersion of light in matter. We demonstrate an experimental realization of a two-dimensional negative-index material in the blue-green region of the visible, substantiated by direct geometric visualization of negative refraction. Negative indices are achieved using an ultra-thin Au/Si3N4/Ag waveguide sustaining a surface-plasmon-polariton mode with anti-parallel group and phase velocities. All-angle negative refraction is observed at the interface between this bimetal waveguide and a conventional Ag/Si3N4/Ag slot waveguide. The results may enable the development of practical negative-index optical designs in the visible regime.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Optical Negative Refraction in Bulk Metamaterials of Nanowires.
J. Yao, Z. Liu, Y. Liu, Y. Wang, C. Sun, G. Bartal, A. M. Stacy, and X. Zhang (2008)
Science 321, 930
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Circuits with Light at Nanoscales: Optical Nanocircuits Inspired by Metamaterials.
N. Engheta (2007)
Science 317, 1698-1702
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)