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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Evanescent Field Based Photoacoustics: Optical Property Evaluation at Surfaces
Published on: July 26, 2016
Transmission of evanescent wave modes through a slab of negative-refractive-index material
1Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA.
Abstract:
There has been a long-standing argument about Pendry's suggestion that a plane harmonic evanescent (surface) wave along the interface between free space and a slab of ɛ=-1, μ=-1 double-negative (DNG) medium will emerge on the far side with recovery of phase and amplitude. While this is possible, it is subject to parameter restrictions. This work generalizes previous work and now gives analytical criteria for when to expect such a recovery in a Smith-Kroll DNG medium. Basically this requires, among other things, a relatively narrow bandwidth and relatively small transverse-mode component. There also is a very strong dependence on the ratio of slabwidth to plasma wavelength.
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