Achromatic doublets made of materials with normal dispersion have been used for decades to minimize the effects of chromatic aberrations inherent to single-glass optical lenses. Here, we propose a fundamentally different solution to correct the chromatic aberrations based on a nanowire metamaterial with low loss broadband anomalous dispersion in the visible domain. It is theoretically and numerically shown that the proposed metamaterial lens practically eliminates the chromatic aberrations for all the colors of light, and may be an interesting alternative to conventional achromatic doublets.

© 2012 OSA

1. M. Born and M. Wolf, Principles of Optics, 7th (expanded) ed. (Cambridge University Press, 1999).
2. . Newton, “A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton, Professor of the Mathematicks in the University of Cambridge; Containing His New Theory about Light and Colors: Sent by the Author to the Publisher from Cambridge, Febr. 6. 1671/72; In Order to be Communicated to the R. Society,” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond.6(69-80), 3075–3087 (1671). [CrossRef]
3. L. D. Landau, E. Lifshitz, and L. Pitaevskii, Electrodynamics of Continuous Media, 2nd ed. (Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004).
4. T. T. Smith, “The color correction of an achromatic doublet,” J. Opt. Soc. Am.10(1), 39–62 (1925). [CrossRef]
5. T. T. Smith, “The color correction of an achromatic doublet II,” J. Opt. Soc. Am.15(5), 247–254 (1927). [CrossRef]
6. R. G. Treuting, “An achromatic doublet of silicon and germanium,” J. Opt. Soc. Am.41(7), 454–456 (1951). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
7. M. Herzberger and N. R. McClure, “The design of superachromatic lenses,” Appl. Opt.2(6), 553–560 (1963). [CrossRef]
8. J. B. Pendry, “Negative refraction makes a perfect lens,” Phys. Rev. Lett.85(18), 3966–3969 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. N. Fang, H. Lee, C. Sun, and X. Zhang, “Sub-diffraction-limited optical imaging with a silver superlens,” Science308(5721), 534–537 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. T. A. Morgado, J. S. Marcos, M. G. Silveirinha, and S. I. Maslovski, “Ultraconfined interlaced plasmons,” Phys. Rev. Lett.107(6), 063903 (2011). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. A. Alù and N. Engheta, “Cloaking a sensor,” Phys. Rev. Lett.102(23), 233901 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. M. G. Silveirinha, “Anomalous refraction of light colors by a metamaterial prism,” Phys. Rev. Lett.102(19), 193903 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
13. M. G. Silveirinha and C. A. Fernandes, “Nonresonant structured material with extreme effective parameters,” Phys. Rev. B78(3), 033108 (2008). [CrossRef]
14. M. A. Ordal, R. J. Bell, R. W. Alexander,, L. L. Long, and M. R. Querry, “Optical properties of fourteen metals in the infrared and far infrared: Al, Co, Cu, Au, Fe, Pb, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ag, Ti, V, and W,” Appl. Opt.24(24), 4493–4499 (1985). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
15. K. Yasumoto, Electromagnetic Theory and Applications for Photonic Crystals (Taylor and Francis, 2006).
16. J. M. McMahon, S. K. Gray, and G. C. Schatz, “Nonlocal optical response of metal nanostructures with arbitrary shape,” Phys. Rev. Lett.103(9), 097403 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
17. Y. Zhao, P. A. Belov, and Y. Hao, “Modelling of wave propagation in wire media using spatially dispersive finite-difference time-domain method: numerical aspects,” IEEE Trans. Antenn. Propag.55(6), 1506–1513 (2007). [CrossRef]
18. J. T. Costa and M. G. Silveirinha, “Macroscopic electromagnetic response of arbitrarily shaped spatially dispersive bodies formed by metallic wires,” arXiv:1205.1760v1 [physics.comp-ph], (2012).
19. F. A. Jenkins and H. E. White, Fundamentals of Optics, 4th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1981).
20. CST Microwave Studio SuiteTM2010, ( http://www.cst.com ).
21. OSA, Handbook of Optics, 2nd ed. (McGraw-Hill Professional, 1994), vol. II.

Alexander,, R. W.
Alù, A.
Bell, R. J.
Belov, P. A.
Engheta, N.
Fang, N.
Fernandes, C. A.
Gray, S. K.
Hao, Y.
Herzberger, M.
Lee, H.
Long, L. L.
Marcos, J. S.
Maslovski, S. I.
McClure, N. R.
McMahon, J. M.
Morgado, T. A.
Newton, .
Ordal, M. A.
Pendry, J. B.
Querry, M. R.
Schatz, G. C.
Silveirinha, M. G.
Smith, T. T.
Sun, C.
Treuting, R. G.
Zhang, X.
Zhao, Y.

Appl. Opt.

• M. Herzberger and N. R. McClure, “The design of superachromatic lenses,” Appl. Opt.2(6), 553–560 (1963). [CrossRef]
• M. A. Ordal, R. J. Bell, R. W. Alexander,, L. L. Long, and M. R. Querry, “Optical properties of fourteen metals in the infrared and far infrared: Al, Co, Cu, Au, Fe, Pb, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ag, Ti, V, and W,” Appl. Opt.24(24), 4493–4499 (1985). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

IEEE Trans. Antenn. Propag.

• Y. Zhao, P. A. Belov, and Y. Hao, “Modelling of wave propagation in wire media using spatially dispersive finite-difference time-domain method: numerical aspects,” IEEE Trans. Antenn. Propag.55(6), 1506–1513 (2007). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am.

• T. T. Smith, “The color correction of an achromatic doublet,” J. Opt. Soc. Am.10(1), 39–62 (1925). [CrossRef]
• T. T. Smith, “The color correction of an achromatic doublet II,” J. Opt. Soc. Am.15(5), 247–254 (1927). [CrossRef]
• R. G. Treuting, “An achromatic doublet of silicon and germanium,” J. Opt. Soc. Am.41(7), 454–456 (1951). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond.

• . Newton, “A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton, Professor of the Mathematicks in the University of Cambridge; Containing His New Theory about Light and Colors: Sent by the Author to the Publisher from Cambridge, Febr. 6. 1671/72; In Order to be Communicated to the R. Society,” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond.6(69-80), 3075–3087 (1671). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. B

• M. G. Silveirinha and C. A. Fernandes, “Nonresonant structured material with extreme effective parameters,” Phys. Rev. B78(3), 033108 (2008). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• J. B. Pendry, “Negative refraction makes a perfect lens,” Phys. Rev. Lett.85(18), 3966–3969 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• T. A. Morgado, J. S. Marcos, M. G. Silveirinha, and S. I. Maslovski, “Ultraconfined interlaced plasmons,” Phys. Rev. Lett.107(6), 063903 (2011). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• A. Alù and N. Engheta, “Cloaking a sensor,” Phys. Rev. Lett.102(23), 233901 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• M. G. Silveirinha, “Anomalous refraction of light colors by a metamaterial prism,” Phys. Rev. Lett.102(19), 193903 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. M. McMahon, S. K. Gray, and G. C. Schatz, “Nonlocal optical response of metal nanostructures with arbitrary shape,” Phys. Rev. Lett.103(9), 097403 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Science

• N. Fang, H. Lee, C. Sun, and X. Zhang, “Sub-diffraction-limited optical imaging with a silver superlens,” Science308(5721), 534–537 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• L. D. Landau, E. Lifshitz, and L. Pitaevskii, Electrodynamics of Continuous Media, 2nd ed. (Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004).
• M. Born and M. Wolf, Principles of Optics, 7th (expanded) ed. (Cambridge University Press, 1999).
• K. Yasumoto, Electromagnetic Theory and Applications for Photonic Crystals (Taylor and Francis, 2006).
• J. T. Costa and M. G. Silveirinha, “Macroscopic electromagnetic response of arbitrarily shaped spatially dispersive bodies formed by metallic wires,” arXiv:1205.1760v1 [physics.comp-ph], (2012).
• F. A. Jenkins and H. E. White, Fundamentals of Optics, 4th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1981).
• CST Microwave Studio SuiteTM2010, ( http://www.cst.com ).
• OSA, Handbook of Optics, 2nd ed. (McGraw-Hill Professional, 1994), vol. II.

2011, Morgado, Phys. Rev. Lett.
2009, Alù, Phys. Rev. Lett.
2009, Silveirinha, Phys. Rev. Lett.
2009, McMahon, Phys. Rev. Lett.
2008, Silveirinha, Phys. Rev. B
2007, Zhao, IEEE Trans. Antenn. Propag.
2005, Fang, Science
2000, Pendry, Phys. Rev. Lett.
1985, Ordal, Appl. Opt.
1963, Herzberger, Appl. Opt.
1951, Treuting, J. Opt. Soc. Am.
1927, Smith, J. Opt. Soc. Am.
1925, Smith, J. Opt. Soc. Am.
1671, Newton, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond.

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