Optical properties of metal nanowires and nanowire composite materials are studied. An incident electromagnetic wave can effectively couple to the propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes in metal nanowires resulting in very large local fields. The excited SPP modes depend on the structure of nanowires and their orientation with respect to incident radiation. A nanowire percolation composite is shown to have a broadband spectrum of localized plasmon modes. We also show that a composite of nanowires arranged into parallel pairs can act as a left-handed material with the effective magnetic permeability and dielectric permittivity both negative in the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges.

© 2003 Optical Society of America

1. S. D. M. Brown, P. Corio, A. Marucci, M. A. Pimenta, M. S. Dresselhaus, and G. Dresselhaus, �??Second-order resonant Raman spectra of single-walled carbon nanotubes,�?? Phys. Rev. B 61, 7734�??7742 (2000) [CrossRef]
2. K. B. Shelimov, and M. Moskovits, �??Composite Nanostructures Based on Template-Grown Boron Nitride Nanotubules,�?? Chem. Materials 12, 250 (2000) [CrossRef]
3. J. Li, C. Papadopoulos, J.M. Xu, and M. Moskovits, �??Highly-ordered carbon nanotube arrays for electronics applications,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 367 (1999) [CrossRef]
4. J.B. Pendry, �??Negative Refraction Makes a Perfect Lens,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 3966 (2000) [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. V. G. Veselago, �??The electrodynamics of substances with simultaneously negative values of ε and µ,�?? Soviet Phys. Usp. 10, 509 (1968). [CrossRef]
6. D.R. Smith, W.J. Padilla, D.C. Vier, S.C. Nemat-Nasser, S. Shultz, �??Composite Medium with Simultaneously Negative Permeability and Permittivity,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4184 (2000) [CrossRef] [PubMed]
7. G.Shvets, �??Photonic approach to making a material with a negative index of refraction,�?? Phys. Rev. B 67, 035109 (2003) [CrossRef]
8. V.A.Podolskiy, A.K. Sarychev, and V.M. Shalaev, �??Plasmon modes in metal nanowires and lefthanded materials,�?? J. Nonlinear Opt. Phys. Materials 11, 65 (2002) [CrossRef]
9. L.V. Panina, A.N. Grigorenko, D.P. Makhnovskiy, �??Optomagnetic composite medium with conducting nanoelements,�?? Phys. Rev. B 66, 155411 (2002) [CrossRef]
10. E.M. Purcell and C.R. Pennypacker, �??Scattering and absorption of light by nonspherical dielectric grains,�?? Astrophys. J. 186, 705 (1973) [CrossRef]
11. J.D. Jackson, Classical Electrodynamics, (J. Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1999)
12. B.T.Draine, �??Discrete dipole approximation and its application to interstellar graphite grains,�?? Astrophys. J. 333, 848 (1988) [CrossRef]
13. V.A. Markel, �??Antisymmetrical optical states,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12 1783 (1995)
14. V.A.Markel, �??Scattering of light from two interacting spherical particles,�?? J. Mod. Opt. 39 853 (1992) [CrossRef]
15. B.T.Draine �??The discrete dipole approximation for light scattering by irregular targets�?? in Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles: Theory, Measurements, and Applications, Acad.Press (2000)
16. M. Moskovits, private communication
17. N. , K.Araya, M. Nakano, F.J. Garsia de Abajo, �??Direct imaging of plasmons in nanostructures,�?? OSA Annual Meeting (Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C., 2002).
18. D. Stauffer and A. Aharony, Introduction to percolation theory, (Taylor and Fransis, 1994)
19. S. Ducourtieux, et al, �??Near-field optical studies of semicontinuous metal films,�?? Phys. Rev. B 64 165403 (2001) [CrossRef]
20. V. M. Shalaev (editor) Optical Properties of Nanostructured Random Media , Topics in Applied Physics, v. 82, (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 2002) [CrossRef]
21. A.N. Lagarkov and A.K. Sarychev, �??Electromagnetic properties of composites containing elongated conducting inclusions,�?? Phys. Rev. B 53, 6318 (1996) [CrossRef]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• J. Li, C. Papadopoulos, J.M. Xu, and M. Moskovits, �??Highly-ordered carbon nanotube arrays for electronics applications,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 367 (1999) [CrossRef]

Astrophys. J

• B.T.Draine, �??Discrete dipole approximation and its application to interstellar graphite grains,�?? Astrophys. J. 333, 848 (1988) [CrossRef]

Astrophys. J.

• E.M. Purcell and C.R. Pennypacker, �??Scattering and absorption of light by nonspherical dielectric grains,�?? Astrophys. J. 186, 705 (1973) [CrossRef]

Chem. Materials

• K. B. Shelimov, and M. Moskovits, �??Composite Nanostructures Based on Template-Grown Boron Nitride Nanotubules,�?? Chem. Materials 12, 250 (2000) [CrossRef]

J. Mod. Opt.

• V.A.Markel, �??Scattering of light from two interacting spherical particles,�?? J. Mod. Opt. 39 853 (1992) [CrossRef]

J. Nonlinear Opt. Phys. Materials

• V.A.Podolskiy, A.K. Sarychev, and V.M. Shalaev, �??Plasmon modes in metal nanowires and lefthanded materials,�?? J. Nonlinear Opt. Phys. Materials 11, 65 (2002) [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• V.A. Markel, �??Antisymmetrical optical states,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12 1783 (1995)

Phys. Rev. B

• L.V. Panina, A.N. Grigorenko, D.P. Makhnovskiy, �??Optomagnetic composite medium with conducting nanoelements,�?? Phys. Rev. B 66, 155411 (2002) [CrossRef]
• G.Shvets, �??Photonic approach to making a material with a negative index of refraction,�?? Phys. Rev. B 67, 035109 (2003) [CrossRef]
• S. D. M. Brown, P. Corio, A. Marucci, M. A. Pimenta, M. S. Dresselhaus, and G. Dresselhaus, �??Second-order resonant Raman spectra of single-walled carbon nanotubes,�?? Phys. Rev. B 61, 7734�??7742 (2000) [CrossRef]
• S. Ducourtieux, et al, �??Near-field optical studies of semicontinuous metal films,�?? Phys. Rev. B 64 165403 (2001) [CrossRef]
• A.N. Lagarkov and A.K. Sarychev, �??Electromagnetic properties of composites containing elongated conducting inclusions,�?? Phys. Rev. B 53, 6318 (1996) [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• J.B. Pendry, �??Negative Refraction Makes a Perfect Lens,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 3966 (2000) [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• D.R. Smith, W.J. Padilla, D.C. Vier, S.C. Nemat-Nasser, S. Shultz, �??Composite Medium with Simultaneously Negative Permeability and Permittivity,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4184 (2000) [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Soviet Phys. Usp.

• V. G. Veselago, �??The electrodynamics of substances with simultaneously negative values of ε and µ,�?? Soviet Phys. Usp. 10, 509 (1968). [CrossRef]

Other

• J.D. Jackson, Classical Electrodynamics, (J. Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1999)
• B.T.Draine �??The discrete dipole approximation for light scattering by irregular targets�?? in Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles: Theory, Measurements, and Applications, Acad.Press (2000)
• M. Moskovits, private communication
• N. , K.Araya, M. Nakano, F.J. Garsia de Abajo, �??Direct imaging of plasmons in nanostructures,�?? OSA Annual Meeting (Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C., 2002).
• D. Stauffer and A. Aharony, Introduction to percolation theory, (Taylor and Fransis, 1994)
• V. M. Shalaev (editor) Optical Properties of Nanostructured Random Media , Topics in Applied Physics, v. 82, (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 2002) [CrossRef]

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