Maximum and Minimum Transmittance of a Structure Containing N-Identical Pairs of Left- and Right-Handed Materials

The optical transmission properties of a structure consisting of N identical pairs of left- and right-materials are investigated theoretically and numerically. Maxwell's equations are used to determine the electric and magnetic fields of the incident waves at each layer. Snell's law is applied and the boundary conditions are imposed at each layer interface to calculate Fresnel coefficients. Expressions for reflectance and transmittance of the structure are given in terms of these coefficients. In the numerical results the transmittance of the structure is computed and illustrated as a function of frequency under different values of N. Minimum transmittance is achieved by using high and low opposite refractive indices of left and right materials of each pair of the structure. The frequency band of this transmittance is reduced by decreasing N. Maximum transmittance is demonstrated by using two slabs of the same width and opposite refractive indices placed between two dielectric media of the same kind. The effect of frequency and angle of incidence is very weak in these structures as compared to their all-dielectric counterparts. Moreover the obtained results are in agreement with the law of conservation of energy.