PHOTONIC MODES IN DISPERSIVE AND LOSSY SUPERLATTICES CONTAINING NEGATIVE-INDEX MATERIALS

We have calculated the photonic bands of a dispersive and lossy periodic array of left-handed metamaterial layers in air. Depending on the behavior of the flelds inside the metamaterial component, two categories of modes for oblique propagation are identifled: the oscillatory and the tunneling modes. In order to characterize these two types of solutions, we calculate the complex photonic bands; a criterion of penetration-limit is introduced to quantify the absorption efiects. Our results show that oscillatory TE and TM waves can be excited by light incident from air at low frequencies (within the metamaterial regime). In the region of high frequencies only TE tunneling modes are available. To complement the description of the absorption efiects, we present transmission spectra and fleld proflles for TE waves in flnite layered systems for the two types of modes here studied.