Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Fundamental optical physics

The quest for zero refractive index

Nature Photonics volume 5, pages 449–451 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

A superlattice comprising alternating layers of negative-refractive-index photonic crystals and positive-refractive-index dielectric media has been shown to exhibit an effective refractive index of zero. Experiments show that light passing through such a material experiences no phase shift.

During the early years of research into metamaterials, many scientists strived to fabricate structures with negative refractive index (n). Recently, some interest has shifted towards the realization of materials that exhibit zero or near-zero refractive index. A refractive index of zero implies that light enters a state of quasi-infinite phase velocity and infinite wavelength. It also means that every point within the metamaterial experiences a quasi-uniform phase of the light wave present, as though all the dipoles inside the metamaterial are oscillating in unison. Thus, the shape of the wavefronts leaving the metamaterial depends solely on the shape of the exit surfaces of the metamaterial, which provides high flexibility in the design of phase patterns1. A simple planar slab of a zero-n material could, in principle, function as a highly selective angular filter that allows the transmission of plane waves only at normal incidence. By applying convex or concave surfaces, the outgoing wavefronts could be either divergent or focusing.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Phase delays in a zero- superlattice.

References

  1. Alu, A., Silveirinha, M. G., Salandrino, A. & Engehta, N. Phys. Rev. B 75, 155410 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Enoch, S., Tayeb, G., Sabouroux, P., Guerin, N. & Vincent, P. Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 213902 (2002).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Edwards, B., Alu, A., Young, M. E., Silveirinha, M. & Engheta, N. Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 033903 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Li, J., Zhou, L., Chan, C. T. & Sheng, P. Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 083901 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Mocella, V. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 133902 (2009).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kocaman, S. et al. Nature Photon. 5, 499–505 (2011).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jörg Schilling is at the ZIK SiLi-nano, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Karl-Freiherr-von-Fritsch Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany,

    Jörg Schilling

Authors
  1. Jörg Schilling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jörg Schilling.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schilling, J. The quest for zero refractive index. Nature Photon 5, 449–451 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2011.172

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2011.172

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing