Beam shifting experiment for the characterization of left-handed properties

In this article, we report experimental results on the shift of a beam that propagates through a slab of metamaterial, known to exhibit left-handed properties. A similar experiment with a Teflon sample of similar size is also carried out for comparison. The results show the existence of a frequency band over which the shift experienced by the beam exceeds the theoretical limit above which the material is left handed. This demonstrates the effectiveness of using a beam shift experiment to characterize the left-handed properties of metamaterial. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.