We derive an effective medium model to characterize the macroscopic electromagnetic response of metallic nanowire arrays embedded in a host dielectric with a Kerr-type nonlinear permittivity function. It is shown that the macroscopic electromagnetic fields are coupled to the conduction current in the nanowires and to an additional quasistatic potential through a system of nonlinear equations. We prove that a weak nonlinearity leads to an electromagnetic response closer to that of an indefinite medium, and to isofrequency contours with increased hyperbolicity. For high field intensities the negative refraction of electromagnetic waves at an air-nanowire material interface is enhanced when the nanowires are embedded in a self-focusing Kerr medium.

• Received 21 August 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.165127