Metamaterials and the Landau–Lifshitz Permeability Argument: Large Permittivity Begets High-Frequency Magnetism
Metamaterials and the Landau–Lifshitz permeability argument: Large permittivity begets high-frequency magnetism Roberto Merlin1 Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040 Edited by Federico Capasso, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and approved December 4, 2008 (received for review August 26, 2008) Homogeneous composites, or metamaterials, made of dielectric or resonators, have led to a large body of literature devoted to metallic particles are known to show magnetic properties that con- metamaterials magnetism covering the range from microwave to tradict arguments by Landau and Lifshitz [Landau LD, Lifshitz EM optical frequencies (12–16). (1960) Electrodynamics of Continuous Media (Pergamon, Oxford, UK), Although the magnetic behavior of metamaterials undoubt- p 251], indicating that the magnetization and, thus, the permeability, edly conforms to Maxwell’s equations, the reason why artificial loses its meaning at relatively low frequencies. Here, we show that systems do better than nature is not well understood. Claims of these arguments do not apply to composites made of substances with ͌ ͌ strong magnetic activity are seemingly at odds with the fact that, Im S ϾϾ /ഞ or Re S ϳ /ഞ (S and ഞ are the complex permittivity ϾϾ ഞ other than magnetically ordered substances, magnetism in na- and the characteristic length of the particles, and is the ture is a rather weak phenomenon at ambient temperature.* vacuum wavelength). Our general analysis is supported by studies Moreover, high-frequency magnetism ostensibly contradicts of split rings, one of the most common constituents of electro- well-known arguments by Landau and Lifshitz that the magne- magnetic metamaterials, and spherical inclusions.
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