Phys. Rev.

Volume B67, Page 201101

2003

Optical gain removes absorption and increases resolution in a near-field lens

 

S. Anantha Ramakrishna and J.B. Pendry

Abstract:

A recent paper showed how to construct a lens that focuses near field radiation and hence produce resolution unlimited by wavelength. The prescription requires lossless materials with negative refractive index: finite loss cuts off the finer details of the image. In this paper we suggest compensating for losses by introducing optical gain media into the lens design. Calculations demonstrate a dramatic improvement in performance for a silver/gain composite medium at optical frequencies.

 

This paper is available as a PDF file.

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