Light bending and quasi-transparency in metallic graded photonic crystals

Graded photonic crystals (GPhCs) have the remarkable ability to bend the path of light on the wavelength scale. A mirage effect has recently been reproduced experimentally in a two-dimensional structure made of metallic rods operating in the microwave regime (Akmansoy et al., 2008 [7]). This paper is intended to provide some theoretical insight onto the optical properties of metallic GPhCs and to report on the existence of a distinct regime of operation, in which light passes through the structure in a weakly curved trajectory. Experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions, thereby further proving the ability of GPhCs to mold the flow of light in different ways at different frequencies.