Fundamental modal properties of SRR metamaterials and metamaterial based waveguiding structures

A rigorous full wave analysis of bianisotropic split ring resonator (SRR) metamaterials is presented for different electromagnetic field polarization and propagation directions. An alternative physical explanation is gained by revealing the fact that imaginary wave number leads to the SRR resonance. Metamaterial based parallel plate waveguide and rectangular waveguide are then examined to explore the resonance response to transverse magnetic and transverse electric waves. It is shown that different dispersion properties, such as non-cutoff frequency mode propagation and enhanced bandwidth of single mode operation, become into existence under certain circumstances. In addition, salient dispersion properties are imparted to non-radiative dielectric waveguides and H waveguides by uniaxial bianisotropic SRR metamaterials. Both longitudinal-section magnetic and longitudinal-section electric modes are capable of propagating very slowly due to metamaterial bianisotropic effects. Particularly, the abnormal falling behavior of some higher-order modes, eventually leading to the leakage, may appear when metamaterials are double negative. Fortunately, for other modes, leakage can be reduced due to the magnetoelectric coupling. When the metamaterials are of single negative parameters, leakage elimination can be achieved.