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Compendium of natural hyperbolic materials
Optics Express
|October 20, 2015
Summary
Natural hyperbolic materials (NHMs) offer advantages over artificial hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs). This review analyzes naturally occurring NHMs, suggesting optimal material choices based on wavelength, dielectric anisotropy, and losses.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Optics
Background:
- Artificial hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) exhibit unique electromagnetic properties due to opposite permittivity signs for ordinary and extraordinary waves.
- Natural hyperbolic materials (NHMs) possess similar properties but remain less explored.
- Existing literature provides data on permittivity as a function of wavelength for various materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review materials with naturally occurring anisotropy of permittivity.
- To identify and suggest suitable natural hyperbolic materials (NHMs) for specific applications.
- To analyze the influence of wavelength, dielectric anisotropy, and losses on NHM selection.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing data on material permittivity.
- Analysis of permittivity as a function of wavelength.
- Evaluation of material properties including dielectric anisotropy and optical losses.
Main Results:
- Identification of materials exhibiting natural hyperbolic behavior in specific wavelength ranges.
- Characterization of the strength of dielectric anisotropy (SDA) in candidate NHMs.
- Assessment of optical losses associated with potential NHM candidates.
Conclusions:
- Natural hyperbolic materials (NHMs) present a viable alternative to artificial HMMs.
- Material selection for NHMs is critically dependent on wavelength, SDA, and losses.
- Further research into NHMs can unlock new applications in metamaterials and optics.
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