Negative Refraction Makes a Perfect Lens

TL;DR

This paper discusses how negative refraction enables perfect lensing by focusing all Fourier components of an image, surpassing traditional limits, with practical implementations in microwave and visible light frequencies.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a super lens using negative refractive index materials capable of focusing all Fourier components, including evanescent waves.

Findings

Super lenses can be realized in microwave frequencies with current technology.

A thin silver slab can act as a super lens at visible light frequencies.

Simulations demonstrate the feasibility of near-field imaging beyond diffraction limits.

Abstract

With a conventional lens sharpness of the image is always limited by the wavelength of light. An unconventional alternative to a lens, a slab of negative refractive index material, has the power to focus all Fourier components of a 2D image, even those that do not propagate in a radiative manner. Such super lenses can be realised in the microwave band with current technology and a version operating at the frequency of visible light, but at short distances of a few nanometres, can be realised in the form of a thin slab of silver as our simulations show.