Abstract

The imaging system formed by an annular left-handed material (LHM) lens as well as the evanescent waves in the lens are simulated numerically with a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. For b-a>\lambda (a and b are respectively the inner and outer radii of the annular lens, and \lambda is the wavelength), when a point source is placed at an internal grid point, we demonstrate that the evanescent waves are produced around the internal interface, and cannot propagate outwards. As for b-a<\lambda, the evanescent waves appear around both the internal and the external interfaces, which remarkably implies the coupling between the two interfaces. Hence it can be inferred that the evanescent waves around the external interface participating in the super-resolution imaging result from the coupling of the evanescent waves around the interface. Moreover, the partly uncomprehended properties of the evanescent waves in the LHM slab are also disclosed. It is conducive to understanding the evanescent waves in the LHMs further.

© 2009 Chinese Optics Letters

Limits on the amplification of evanescent waves of left-handed materials

Thomas Koschny, Rabia Moussa, and Costas M. Soukoulis
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 23(3) 485-489 (2006)

Lens based on the use of left-handed materials

Alexander L. Pokrovsky and Alexei L. Efros
Appl. Opt. 42(28) 5701-5705 (2003)

Focusing of electromagnetic waves by a left-handed metamaterial flat lens

Koray Aydin, Irfan Bulu, and Ekmel Ozbay
Opt. Express 13(22) 8753-8759 (2005)

Near-field optical storage system using a solid immersion lens with a left-handed material slab

Liu Liu and Sailing He
Opt. Express 12(20) 4835-4840 (2004)

Losses in left-handed materials

John O. Dimmock
Opt. Express 11(19) 2397-2402 (2003)