Metamaterials & Photonics

Shuang Zhang

Department of Physics
Department of EEE

shuzhang@hku.hk

Office: Room 521, CYM Physics Building

Office hour: Fridays 15:30-17:30

 Last lecture

• Optical properties of materials: Lorentz model

(dielectrics) and Drude model (metals)

• Dispersion relations: phase velocity, group

velocity, equi-frequency surface

• Transmission and reflectance at interface: in-

plane momentum conservation, Derivation of
Fresnel coefficients, brewster angle, total internal
reflection, evanescent wave, transverse spin
2
 This lecture

• Effective medium theory – Lorentz and Maxwell-

Garnett theory

3
 Link from microscopic to macroscopic
Permittivity is related to the
susceptibility of the crystal.

The susceptibility 𝝌 relates the

polarization of the medium to the
electric field

The polarization P is a macroscopic quantity, is the density of

dipole moment p.
Are they the same E field? No!
 crystals support the Lorentz relation.
e between E, which isLorentz known asLocal the Maxwell
field field and the local f
ollows. The field E is a macroscopic quantity, and as such is an a
taken over a large number of molecules (Fig. 3). It is this field whi
Lorentz
tions, whichrelation
areprovides the difference
used for between thedescription
the macroscopic macro (averaged)
of dielectr
electric field, E, and the micro (local) electric field, Eloc, in a polarized
on the field E is a constant throughout the medium.
medium.
hand, the local field Eloc is a microscopic field which fluctuates ra
he figure indicates, this field is quite large at the molecular sites them
An intuitive picture
Eloc

E
 nteraction of our dipole with the other dipoles lying inside
icroscopically, which is necessary since the discrete nature
Example: Macro and Local Electric field at
s should be taken into account. The local field, acting on the

center of a sphere
(17)
-- +
+ For a dielectric object with the shape of ellipsoids,
-
- P E1 + E
including spheres, cylinders, and discs as limiting
- + 0
forms, a uniform polarization produces a uniform
- to the polarization
field due
+
+ charges lying at thefield
depolarization external
inside the body.
-- +
J. Math. Phys. 28, 978 (1987)
harges lying on the surface of the Lorentz sphere, which is
The uniform polarization creates surface charges on the surface, leading
lyingtowithin
depolarization
the sphere. field E1 opposite to external field E0, which is
proportional to P by a geometrical parameter g (Depending on the shape
of the structure).

EFor
1 a dielectric sphere The bound surface charge density 𝜎 = 𝐏 $ 𝑛%

1
𝑔=
3
for sphere
 Macro and Local Electric field at center of a
sphere
-- +
+ For a dielectric object with the shape of ellipsoids,
- +
- P E1 + E0
including spheres, cylinders, and discs as limiting
- forms, a uniform polarization produces a uniform
- +
+ depolarization field inside the body.
-- +
J. Math. Phys. 28, 978 (1987)

The uniform polarization creates surface charges on the surface, leading

to depolarization field E1 opposite to external field E0, which is
proportional to P by a geometrical parameter g (Depending on the shape
of the structure).

For a dielectric ellipsoid, along the three principle axis

 Macro and Local Electric field at center of a
sphere
-- +
+
Macro E field inside the sphere:
- +
- P E1 + E0
-
- +
-- + Remember the polarization is related to the macro
+
E field by
 Macro and Local Electric field at center of a
sphere
Microscopically, the dielectric sphere consists of spatial arrangement of
ensemble of molecules (dipoles). The local field acting on the central one
is the sum of the contribution from all other dipoles.

E0

ri
𝜽i
 d, Local field at an atom (nanoparticle)
tionConsider
field, i.e. the field due to the polarization charges lying at the ex
an atom inside a bulk dielectric medium. To evaluate the local
le, field at the location of the atom, one can define a sphere centered at the
atom (radius large enough such that atoms outside the sphere can be
he polarization charges lying on the surface of the Lorentz sphere, wh
treated as continuous medium, this is about 10 lattice constants). The
eld. interaction of our dipole with the other dipoles lying inside the cavity is,
e tohowever, to be treated
other dipoles lying microscopically, which is necessary since the
within the sphere.
discrete nature of the medium very close to the dipoles should be taken
into account.
E0
The total field has four contributions:

E1

Depolarization field
Lorentz field
Feld from dipoles
E2 within the sphere
d.
Local
to other dipoles field
lying at the
within ansphere.
atom (nanoparticle)
E0
The total field has four contributions:
E1

Depolarization field
Lorentz field
E2 Field from dipoles
within the sphere

Macroscopic field

for computing the local field, (b) The procedure for calculating E2, the field due t
surface of the Lorentz sphere. Lorentz local field

he medium between the sphere and the external surface does not contri
olume polarization charges compensate each other, resulting in a zero
 Lorentz theory

Polarization to macroscopic field

Polarization as density of dipole moments:

 Maxwell-Garnett theory
Similar to Lorentz theory, but considered
ε dielectric spheres dispersed in a
background medium of different
permittivity.

First assume the background medium

is vacuum
What is the polarizability of each sphere?

-- +
+
-
- +
P E1 + E0
-
- +
-- +
+

What is the polarizability

of each sphere?
 Maxwell-Garnett theory

According to Lorentz equation

εb

Where is the filling ratio

If the background medium

has a permittivity 𝞮b
Applicability of Maxwell Garnett formula

1. 𝜆 ≫ averge particle separation

2. Uniform penetration of the field inside the

particle.

For metallic particles, the size should be

smaller than skin depth

-- +
+
- +
- P E1 + E0
-
- +
+
-- +
 Dispersion of Multilayer Stacks

ϵ1 d1
ϵ2 d2 y
x
z

In the limit d1<< 𝜆/n1 and d2<< 𝜆/n2 , the system can be considered as
a homogeneous medium, but anisotropic.

The permittivity tensors along three principle axis: 𝜺x = 𝜺y ≠ 𝜺z

The effective permittivity tensor elements can be evaluated by

averaging the fields in space.
 Dispersion of Multilayer Stacks

ϵ1 d1
ϵ2 d2 y
x
z

For in-plane E field component, it is continuous across the interface.

So E field is homogeneous everywhere

Average of D field:

Effective permittivity:
 Dispersion of Multilayer Stacks

ϵ1 d1
ϵ2 d2 y
x
z

For out-of-plane E field component, D field is continuous across the interface.

Average of E field:

Effective permittivity:
 Examples of layered medium
A Si/SiO2 multilayer with 50% duty cycle (d1 = d2) @ 𝜆 = 1300 nm

Permittivity of silicon: 12.25

Permittivity of SiO2: 2.25

The composite material has very high anisotropy ~ 28% difference in refractive indices.

In comparison: Some of the strong birefringent crystals Rutile (9.9%) and Calcite (10.3%)
 Examples of layered medium
An Ag/SiO2 multilayer with 33.3% duty cycle (d1 = d2/2) @ 𝜆 = 500 nm

Permittivity of silver: -9.8+0.31i

Permittivity of SiO2: 2.25

Opposite signs between the permittivity tensors along different

directions – Hyperbolic medium.
The assumption for above effective medium formula to hold is that
the field penetrate uniformly into the metallic layer - so the layer
thickness has to be much less than the skin depth, which is about
20 nm.