Large negative lateral shifts due to negative refraction

TL;DR

This paper discusses how negative refraction in thin structures like metallo-dielectric layers or photonic crystals causes significant negative lateral shifts in reflected and transmitted beams, serving as a signature of negative refraction.

Contribution

It demonstrates that negative lateral shifts can be enhanced by interference effects in structures exhibiting negative refraction, providing a measurable signature of this phenomenon.

Findings

Large negative lateral shifts observed in negative refraction structures

Interference enhances the geometrical shift signature

Negative lateral shift serves as an experimental signature of negative refraction

Abstract

When a thin structure in which negative refraction occurs (a metallo-dielectric or a photonic crystal) is illuminated by a beam, the reflected and transmitted beam can undergo a large negative lateral shift. This phenomenon can be seen as an interferential enhancement of the geometrical shift and can be considered as a signature of negative refraction.