Negative Index of Refraction in Optical Metamaterials

by Vladimir M. Shalaev et al. arXiv.org e-Print Archive, 13 Apr 2005 An array of pairs of parallel gold nanorods is shown to have a negative refractive index in the optical range, close to a wavelength of 1 micron. Such behavior results from the plasmon resonance in the pairs of nanorods for both the electric and magnetic components of light. The metal rods act as inductive elements whereas the dielectric gaps perform as capacitive elements, forming an optical LC-circuit. Our experiments and simulations demonstrate the resonant behavior for an index of refraction. Above the resonance, the refractive index becomes negative. Paired metal nanorods open new opportunities for developing negative-refraction materials in optics. Read the article