Influence of the losses on the super-resolution performances of an impedance matched negative index material

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how losses in impedance-matched negative index materials influence super-resolution capabilities of Veselago-Pendry lenses, revealing that even with high losses, super-resolution surpasses the Abbe limit under certain conditions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that impedance-matched NIMs can achieve super-resolution beyond the Abbe limit despite significant material losses, using a lossy Drude model analysis.

Findings

Impedance-matched NIMs resolve 30% better than the Abbe limit.

High losses do not necessarily prevent super-resolution.

Conditions identified where positive permittivity and permeability still enable super-resolution.

Abstract

We discuss by a Poynting vector analysis how the losses of a negative index material (NIM) affect the resolution performances of a Veselago-Pendry lens and we analyze those performances in the framework of the Abbe criterion. Both the limit of high losses and low losses are explored. We find that the impedance matched NIM is able to resolve 30% better than the limit imposed by the Abbe criterion even when the imaginary part of the refractive index (the material losses) exceeds the absolute value of the real part of the refractive index. The NIM is described by a lossy Drude model with equal permittivity and permeability. By increasing the damping parameter of the Drude model we also explore the regime where both permittivity and permeability are positive and point out the conditions under which the metamaterial is still able to super-resolve.