Group theoretical description of artificial electromagnetic metamaterials

Point group theoretical methods are used to determine the electromagnetic properties of metamaterials, based solely upon the symmetries of the underlying constituent particles. From the transformation properties of an electromagnetic ( EM) basis under symmetries of the particles, it is possible to determine, ( i) the EM modes of the particles, ( ii) the form of constitutive relations ( iii) magneto-optical response of a metamaterial or lack thereof. Based upon these methods, we predict an ideal planar artificial magnetic metamaterial, and determine the subset of point groups of which particles must belong to in order to yield an isotropic 3D magnetic response, and we show an example. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.