Double negative media using interconnected Omega-type metallic particles

We report on broadband low-loss properties of Q-based metamaterials. It is shown that interconnecting elementary current-loops via their arms can yield to a relative bandwidth of around 70% for infinite arrays. Combining interconnected and disconnected sections permits one to engineer the left-handed and right-handed dispersion branches with the prospect of composite artificial media such as those initially proposed by Itoh and coworkers (IEEE Microwave Mag 34 (2004) 34-50) in the context of transmission lines. This typical behavior is interpreted through a lumped element model. At last, some guidelines to optimize the transmission properties of Omega-shaped arrays are presented. These results are discussed on the basis of recently published data concerning Q-shaped and C-shaped particles. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.