Tunable transmission and bistability in left-handed band-gap structures

We study the defect-induced nonlinear transmission of a periodic structure created by alternating slabs of two materials with positive and negative refractive index. We demonstrate bistable switching and tunable nonlinear transmission in an unconventional band gap that corresponds to the vanishing average refractive index, and compare the observed effects for two different types of band gaps. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.