Volumetric negative-refractive-index medium exhibiting broadband negative permeability

摘要

In this article, a broadband, volumetric, negative-refractive-index metamaterial is presented and its operation is explained. The structure achieves a negative permeability bandwidth of 60% using a periodic cage of backward-wave transmission lines. The permeability is negative over a broad bandwidth due to contradirectional coupling between a backward wave guided by a transmission line and a forward, free-space wave. Negative permittivity is realized using an array of inductively loaded wires. Propagation within the infinite negative-refractive-index (NRI) medium as well as transmission through finite slabs of the NRI medium is presented. The results demonstrate that the proposed NRI medium exhibits a refractive index equal to -1 at 2.45 GHz and is well matched to free space throughout the NRI bandwidth.