An approach to producing a composite material with negative refraction index is demonstrated. It is shown that a photonic structure consisting of two dielectric materials, with positive and negative dielectric permittivities, can support electromagnetic surface waves which exhibit the unusual electromagnetic property of left handedness (or negative refraction index). Depending on the dielectric materials, these surface waves localized at the dielectric interfaces can be either surface plasmons or phonons. The detailed geometry of the structure determines whether this composite left-handed material is isotropic or anisotropic.

• Received 14 October 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.67.035109