dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaTheory of Linear Chains of Metamaterial/Plasmonic Particles as Sub-Diffraction Optical Nanotransmission Lines
| Authors | Andrea Alu, Nader Engheta |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0609061 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0609061 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevB.74.205436 |
| Journal | Physical Review B, Vol. 74, 205436 (18 pages), November 29, 2006 |
Abstract
Here we discuss the theory and analyze in detail the guidance properties of linear arrays of metamaterial/plasmonic small particles as nano-scale optical nanotransmission lines, including the effect of material loss. Under the assumption of dipolar approximation for each particle, which is shown to be accurate in the geometry of interest here, we develop closed-form analytical expressions for the eigen-modal dispersion in such arrays. With the material loss included, the conditions for minimal absorption and maximum bandwidth are derived analytically by studying the properties of such dispersion relations. Numerical examples with realistic materials including their ohmic absorption and frequency dispersion are presented. The analytical properties discussed here also provide some further physical insights into the mechanisms underlying the sub-diffraction guidance in such arrays and their fundamental physical limits. Possibility of guiding beams with sub-wavelength lateral confinement and reasonably low decay is discussed offering the possible use of this technique at microwave, infrared and optical frequencies. Interpretation of these results in terms of nanocircuit concepts is presented, and possible extension to 2-D and 3-D nanotrasnsmission line optical metamaterials is also foreseen.
{
"annotation_id": "81de34c3-24f0-4b49-b445-3d6aa9a62614",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:11.452000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:11.452000Z",
"file_hash": "4e1a88bee2254857b76dab86b0ddd72f9456a361c0da467290bbcc496218a375",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "Here we discuss the theory and analyze in detail the guidance properties of\nlinear arrays of metamaterial/plasmonic small particles as nano-scale optical\nnanotransmission lines, including the effect of material loss. Under the\nassumption of dipolar approximation for each particle, which is shown to be\naccurate in the geometry of interest here, we develop closed-form analytical\nexpressions for the eigen-modal dispersion in such arrays. With the material\nloss included, the conditions for minimal absorption and maximum bandwidth are\nderived analytically by studying the properties of such dispersion relations.\nNumerical examples with realistic materials including their ohmic absorption\nand frequency dispersion are presented. The analytical properties discussed\nhere also provide some further physical insights into the mechanisms underlying\nthe sub-diffraction guidance in such arrays and their fundamental physical\nlimits. Possibility of guiding beams with sub-wavelength lateral confinement\nand reasonably low decay is discussed offering the possible use of this\ntechnique at microwave, infrared and optical frequencies. Interpretation of\nthese results in terms of nanocircuit concepts is presented, and possible\nextension to 2-D and 3-D nanotrasnsmission line optical metamaterials is also\nforeseen.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0609061",
"authors": [
"Andrea Alu",
"Nader Engheta"
],
"categories": [
"physics.optics"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevB.74.205436",
"journal_ref": "Physical Review B, Vol. 74, 205436 (18 pages), November 29, 2006",
"title": "Theory of Linear Chains of Metamaterial/Plasmonic Particles as Sub-Diffraction Optical Nanotransmission Lines",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0609061"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "236528f2-2eec-4200-a954-5949207b5a50",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}