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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 57: Quanteneffekte (QED / Lichtstreuung)

Q 57.6: Talk

Friday, March 14, 2008, 12:15–12:30, 2D

Lossless Negative Refraction in An Active Dense Gas of Atoms — •Jörg Evers, Peter P. Orth, and Christoph H. Keitel — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg

Negative index materials promise far-reaching applications in a broad range of areas from sub-wavelength imaging to antenna design. Since current designs are passive, however, negative index materials suffer from losses, prohibiting applications in particular towards optical frequencies. Here we predict lossless negative refraction in an active, i.e. amplifying, dense gas of atoms [1]. External laser fields are used to tune the medium’s electromagnetic response and an additional weak pumping field controls the absorption properties. We identify metastable Neon as a suitable experimental candidate at infrared frequencies. Our approach provides negative refraction without losses as required for applications and offers the unique opportunity to study the controlled transition to active negative index material.

[1] P. P. Orth, J. Evers, and C. H. Keitel, arXiv:0711.0303