Multiple intersection properties of optical resonance modes in metallic metamaterials

Unusual behavior of Fabry-Perot-like waveguide resonance modes is presented for a quasi-dielectric metamaterial that consists of two metallic sub-wavelength cut-through slit-array slabs separated by an air-gap region. Simulations based on the finite-difference time-domain method were conducted. The unique optical properties were interpreted in terms of multiple intersection of the resonance modes. Depending on the intersection conditions of the optical modes, furthermore, a variety of crossing characteristics, i.e., fade-out crossing with/without an isolated loop, anticrossing with/without intensity reduction, and anticrossing with/without frequency repulsion, were identified for the air-gap dependence of the transmission spectra. These findings, which were obtained by careful observation of the properties of this type of metamaterial, present a novel and interesting aspect of the behavior of the optical resonance modes.