dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaPhysical Insight into the 'Growing' Evanescent Fields of Double-Negative Metamaterial Lenses Using their Circuit Equivalence
| Authors | Andrea Alu, Nader Engheta |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0408117 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0408117 |
| DOI | 10.1109/TAP.2005.861509 |
| Journal | IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 268-272, January 2006 |
Abstract
Pendry in his paper [Phys. Rev. Lett., 85, 3966 (2000)] put forward an idea for a lens made of a lossless metamaterial slab with n = -1, that may provide focusing with resolution beyond the conventional limit. In his analysis, the evanescent wave inside such a lossless double-negative (DNG) slab is 'growing', and thus it 'compensates' the decaying exponential outside of it, providing the sub-wavelength lensing properties of this system. Here, we examine this debated issue of 'growing exponential' from an equivalent circuit viewpoint by analyzing a set of distributed-circuit elements representing evanescent wave interaction with a lossless slab of DNG medium. Our analysis shows that, under certain conditions, the current in series elements and the voltage at the element nodes may attain the dominant increasing due to the suitable resonance of the lossless circuit, providing an alternative physical explanation for 'growing exponential' in Pendry's lens and similar sub-wavelength imaging systems.
{
"annotation_id": "ecf5722c-620c-4048-997c-81028a95c510",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:00:53.363000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:00:53.363000Z",
"file_hash": "996984ebbef2487990d04748b8ca9b221a4dd54f67ef94e04015bd98ed0d2ebf",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "Pendry in his paper [Phys. Rev. Lett., 85, 3966 (2000)] put forward an idea\nfor a lens made of a lossless metamaterial slab with n = -1, that may provide\nfocusing with resolution beyond the conventional limit. In his analysis, the\nevanescent wave inside such a lossless double-negative (DNG) slab is \u0027growing\u0027,\nand thus it \u0027compensates\u0027 the decaying exponential outside of it, providing the\nsub-wavelength lensing properties of this system. Here, we examine this debated\nissue of \u0027growing exponential\u0027 from an equivalent circuit viewpoint by\nanalyzing a set of distributed-circuit elements representing evanescent wave\ninteraction with a lossless slab of DNG medium. Our analysis shows that, under\ncertain conditions, the current in series elements and the voltage at the\nelement nodes may attain the dominant increasing due to the suitable resonance\nof the lossless circuit, providing an alternative physical explanation for\n\u0027growing exponential\u0027 in Pendry\u0027s lens and similar sub-wavelength imaging\nsystems.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0408117",
"authors": [
"Andrea Alu",
"Nader Engheta"
],
"categories": [
"physics.optics",
"physics.gen-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1109/TAP.2005.861509",
"journal_ref": "IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp.\n 268-272, January 2006",
"title": "Physical Insight into the \u0027Growing\u0027 Evanescent Fields of Double-Negative Metamaterial Lenses Using their Circuit Equivalence",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0408117"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "d413a65e-49a5-4141-abc9-ec2feed61131",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}