Negative reflections of electromagnetic waves in chiral media

Abstract

We investigate the reflection properties of electromagnetic/optical waves in isotropic chiral media. When the chiral parameter is strong enough, we show that an unusual \emph{negative reflection} occurs at the interface of the chiral medium and a perfectly conducting plane, where the incident wave and one of reflected eigenwaves lie in the same side of the boundary normal. Using such a property, we further demonstrate that such a conducting plane can be used for focusing in the strong chiral medium. The related equations under paraxial optics approximation are deduced. In a special case of chiral medium, the chiral nihility, one of the bi-reflections disappears and only single reflected eigenwave exists, which goes exactly opposite to the incident wave. Hence the incident and reflected electric fields will cancel each other to yield a zero total electric field. In another word, any electromagnetic waves entering the chiral nihility with perfectly conducting plane will disappear.