Bulk-plasmon polaritons in metamaterial–metamaterial one-dimensional photonic superlattices

We perform a theoretical study of the bulk-plasmon polaritons in one-dimensional photonic superlattices made up of alternate layers of different metamaterials with dispersive dielectric permittivities and magnetic permeabilities for both normal and oblique incidence. We demonstrate that for oblique incidence a finite projection along the growth direction of the electric or magnetic field of the incident wave associated with the transverse-magnetic or transverse-electric modes, respectively, leads to a coupling in each layer of the heterostructure of the photon modes with the bulk electric or magnetic metamaterial plasmons, respectively. Such photon-plasmon coupling gives rise to electric or magnetic longitudinal bulk-plasmon polariton bands in the photonic band structure of the metamaterial–metamaterial superlattice. We also analyze the conditions for suppression of the longitudinal bulk-plasmon polaritons in the photonic band structure and reflection spectra of such metamaterial–metamaterial heterostructures.

► A theoretical study of longitudinal plasmon polaritons in photonic superlattices is performed. ► In contrast with previous works, new properties of the plasmon-polariton modes are investigated. ► We demonstrated that the plasmon-polariton modes are suppressed under certain conditions. ► This result is not observed in the RHM–LHM superlattices studied in previous works.