Work

Two-Dimensional Pulse Propagation without Anomalous Dispersion

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Anomalous dispersion is a surprising phenomenon associated with wave propagation in an even number of space dimensions. In particular, wave pulses propagating in two-dimensional space change shape and develop a tail even in the absence of a dispersive medium. We show mathematically that this dispersion can be eliminated by considering a modified wave equation with two geometric spatial dimensions and, unconventionally, two timelike dimensions. Experimentally, such a wave equation describes pulse propagation in an optical or acoustic medium with hyperbolic dispersion, leading to a fundamental understanding and new approaches to ultrashort pulse shaping in nanostructured metamaterials.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.119.114301

Authors: Carl M. Bender, Francisco J. Rodríguez-Fortuño, Sarben Sarkar, Anatoly V. Zayats

Institutions: King's College London, Washington University in St. Louis

Language: English

Topic: Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications

Subfield: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Royal Society, Wolfson Foundation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, H2020 European Research Council