Experimental observation of true left-handed transmission peaks in metamaterials

We report true left-handed (LH) behavior in a composite metamaterial consisting of a periodically arranged split ring resonator (SRR) and wire structures. We demonstrate the magnetic resonance of the SRR structure by comparing the transmission spectra of SRRs with those of closed SRRs. We have confirmed experimentally that the effective plasma frequency of the LH material composed of SRRs and wires is lower than the plasma frequency of the wires. A well-defined LH transmission band with a peak value of -1.2 dB (-0.3 dB/cm) was obtained. The experimental results agree extremely well with the theoretical calculations. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.