Effective negative refraction in anisotropic layered composites

We investigate the characteristics of electromagnetic wave propagation in a two-component layered structure composed of alternating isotropic metal material and anisotropic magnetic material. Effective permittivity and permeability tensors of the composite system are derived with transfer matrix method, and the effective wave vector k(e), the time-averaged Poynting vector < S-e >, and the scalar product k(e) < S-e > are studied for realizing the quasi-left-handed material with negative refractive index, i.e., the absolute quasi-left-handed material. For transverse-electric polarized wave, numerical results show that in a certain frequency region, the composite system behaves as an absolute quasi-left-handed material, and the transition from positive index to negative index takes place by the adjustment of the incident frequency. Moreover, there exists an optimal volume fraction, at which the absolute quasi-left-handed frequency region has a maximal width. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3058608]