REFLECTION COEFFICIENTS AND GOOS-HANCHEN SHIFTS IN ANISOTROPIC AND BIANISOTROPIC LEFT-HANDED METAMATERIALS

Abstract

We show in this paper that metamaterials in which some components of the permittivity and permeability tensors can have negative real values (thus associated with left-handed metamaterials) call for a reconsideration of the common concepts of critical angle and Brewster angle. By studying the reflection coefficient for isotropic and biaxial half-spaces and slabs, we show that a metamaterial for which the Brewster angle appears beyond the critical angle is realizable. In addition, we also show that the Goos-Hnchen shift induced by lefthanded isotropic slabs is not necessarily negative but could be positive when the second interface of the slab supports a surface plasmon.