Imaging properties of a metallic photonic crystal

Imaging effects in metallic photonic crystals (PCs) are examined theoretically based on the finite difference time-domain method. The analysis shows that, in metallic PC-based systems, far-field images do form at the opposite side of the PC lens and more importantly, follow the rule of geometric optics with respect to the changes in the source position as a direct proof of negative refraction. However, the comparison of ideal left-handed media with a metallic PC suggests that the focusing effect in the PC based system is different from that of the ideal left-handed media in many aspects, due to the inhomogeneous nature of the PC. Particularly, strong dependence on the individual geometry as well as the frequency in the PC-based system renders the effective index sensitive to the variations and potentially limits its application as a superlens. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.