Theory of Pump-Probe Experiments of Metallic Metamaterials Coupled to a Gain Medium

Zhixiang Huang, Th. Koschny, and C. M. Soukoulis

Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 187402 – Published 4 May 2012

Abstract

We establish a new approach for pump-probe simulations of metallic metamaterials coupled to the gain materials. It is of vital importance to understand the mechanism of the coupling of metamaterials with the gain medium. Using a four-level gain system, we have studied light amplification of arrays of metallic split-ring resonators with a gain layer underneath. We find that the differential transmittance $Δ T / T$ can be negative for split-ring resonators on the top of the gain substrate, which is not expected, and $Δ T / T$ is positive for the gain substrate alone. These simulations agree with pump-probe experiments and can help to design new experiments to compensate for the losses of metamaterials.

Received 17 October 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.187402

Authors & Affiliations

Zhixiang Huang^1,2, Th. Koschny¹, and C. M. Soukoulis^1,3

¹Ames Laboratory and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
²Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China
³Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, FORTH, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece