Abstract

A scenario for realizing simultaneously negative permittivity and permeability of a two-photon quantum-coherent atomic vapor is suggested in order to achieve a left-handed atomic medium with a negative refractive index. One of the remarkable features of the present scheme is that it can lead to a controllable manipulation of the negative refractive index of the atomic vapor. Since the electric- and magnetic-dipole allowed transitions of atoms can be excited by visible and infrared lightwaves, the refractive index of the atomic vapor can exhibit its negative refractive index at optical and near-optical frequency bands. This may be a new scheme to fabricate a negatively refracting material based on the quantum optical approach. Such a three-dimensionally isotropic negative refractive index at visible and infrared wavelengths induced by the two-photon-resonant quantum coherence would find a potential application in fabrication of superlenses for perfect imaging and subwavelength focusing.

© 2012 Optical Society of America

Dual-band, double-negative, polarization-independent metamaterial for the visible spectrum

Muhammad I. Aslam and Durdu Ö. Güney
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 29(10) 2839-2847 (2012)

Refractive index switching based on loss controlling in a doped metamaterial slab

Hamed Sattari and Mostafa Sahrai
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 31(6) 1240-1247 (2014)

Negative refraction through an impedance-matched left-handed metamaterial slab

Koray Aydin and Ekmel Ozbay
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 23(3) 415-418 (2006)

Sign of the refractive index in a gain medium with negative permittivity and permeability

Yi-Fan Chen, Peer Fischer, and Frank W. Wise
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 23(1) 45-50 (2006)

All-dielectric bulk isotropic double-negative metamaterials

Alexander Zharov, Vanessa Fierro, and Alain Celzard
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 38(1) 159-166 (2021)