Propagation dynamics of vortex electromagnetic waves in dispersive left-handed materials

Abstract

The interactions between electromagnetic (EM) waves and Metamaterials have always been considered as research focus of electronic information science and technology. In this work, we focus on the dynamical properties of EM waves with vortex structure propagating in left-handed materials (LHMs) exhibiting dispersive characteristics. The analytical expressions for the electric and magnetic field components of vortex EM waves without the limitation of the paraxial condition are derived using the spectral domain method. A canonical approach is utilized to explore the dynamical properties, including the energy, momentum, spin and orbital angular momentum, of vortex EM waves in dispersive LHMs. Numerical results show that the orientation of transverse energy flow in the LHM is reversed compared to that in the free space. The waves with higher angular frequency are beneficial to improve the dynamical characteristics. Furthermore, the topological charge and polarization state have a significant effect on the dynamical quantities. This study is expected to provide useful insights into the interactions of vortex EM waves with metamaterials, and their further applications.

KEYWORDS:

• Vortex electromagnetic waves
• left-handed materials
• momentum
• angular momentum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (No. 2020JM-210), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61675159).