Interest in negative refractive index, or left-handed (LH) materials, has escalated rapidly over the last few years and it now appears that useful LH materials may be realizable in the microwave region. However there is also considerable interest in LH materials for infrared and visible applications. The purpose of this paper is to explore the limitations of LH materials at short wavelengths du...

We have studied theoretically high-harmonic-order and single attosecond pulse generation with elliptically polarized laser pulses at wavelengths ranging from the visible to the mid-infrared. Results of ab initio simulations of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation show that the ellipticity dependence of the high-harmonic signal intensifies with increasing wavelength of the driving pulse and s...

Recent advances in nanofabrication techniques allow for the manufacture of optical metamaterials, bringing their unique and extraordinary properties to the visible regime and beyond. However, an analytical description of optical nanoplasmonic metamaterials is challenging due to the characteristic optical behavior of metals. Here we present an analytical theory that allows us to bring establishe...

We observed Titan with the Hubble Space Telescope in November 2000 using the Wide-Field Planetary Camera (WFPC2) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). Considerable change is apparent between these and observations in 1994-1997 : in particular the North-South asymmetry at visible wavelengths has reversed, with the southern hemisphere brighter, as during the Voyager epoch. The asym...

Sulfur, selenium, and tellurium were loaded into sub-mm size ZSM-5 single crystals and the optical properties have been comparatively studied. S and Te show similar features, while Se is unique. S and Te have optical absorption edges at wavelengths of ~400 nm with transmission dips at ~450 nm, while Se has the edge at ~550 nm. The three materials provide photoluminescence at visible wavelengths...

Precise ablation of metals using tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses with intensities close to the damage threshold can yield sub-wavelength, nanometer-sized holes or craters. These structures in metals can exhibit plasmonic effects, thereby affecting the interactions involved. We numerically simulate light propagation inside such holes and model the ablation process. We show that surface ...