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arXiv · 1005.1970

Asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized light at optical metamaterials

C. Menzel·C. Helgert·C. Rockstuhl·E. -B. Kley·A. Tünnermann·T. Pertsch·F. Lederer
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Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate a three-dimensional chiral optical metamaterial that exhibits an asymmetric transmission for forwardly and backwardly propagating linearly polarized light. The observation of this novel effect requires a metamaterial composed of three-dimensional chiral metaatoms without any rotational symmetry. Our analysis is supported by a systematic investigation of the transmission matrices for arbitrarily complex, lossy media that allows deriving a simple criterion for asymmetric transmission in an arbitrary polarization base. Contrary to physical intuition, in general the polarization eigenstates in such three-dimensional and low-symmetry metamaterials do not obey fxed relations and the associated transmission matrices cannot be symmetrized.

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C. Menzel, C. Helgert, C. Rockstuhl, E. -B. Kley, A. Tünnermann, T. Pertsch, F. Lederer. 2010-05-11. Asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized light at optical metamaterials. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.104.253902

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