Properties of photon tunneling through single-negative materials

The photon tunneling phenomena in the composite barriers of single-negative materials were analyzed. It was found that the tunneling through such a barrier shifts TE- and TM-polarization light waves laterally (parallel to the material interface) in two opposite directions, causing them to be divided into two waves after tunneling. This property could not be obtained with double-positive and (or) double-negative materials. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.