Hyperbolic metamaterials: new physics behind a classical problem

Hyperbolic materials enable numerous surprising applications that include far-field subwavelength imaging, nanolithography, and emission engineering. The wavevector of a plane wave in these media follows the surface of a hyperboloid in contrast to an ellipsoid for conventional anisotropic dielectric. The consequences of hyperbolic dispersion were first studied in the 50's pertaining to the problems of electromagnetic wave propagation in the Earth's ionosphere and in the stratified artificial materials of transmission lines. Recent years have brought explosive growth in optics and photonics of hyperbolic media based on metamaterials across the optical spectrum. Here we summarize earlier theories in the Clemmow's prescription for transformation of the electromagnetic field in hyperbolic media and provide a review of recent developments in this active research area. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America