title: A plasmonic random composite with atypical refractive index.
abstract: We present a material composite consisting of randomly oriented elements governed by non-resonant interactions. By exploiting near-field plasmonic interaction in a dense ensemble of subwavelength-sized dielectric and metallic particles, we reveal that the group refractive index of the composite can be increased to be larger than the effective refractive indices of constituent metallic and dielectric parent composites. These findings introduce a new class of engineered photonic materials having customizable and atypical optical constants.
authors.affiliation: Ultrafast Optics and Nanophotonics Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2V4. elezzabi@ece.ualberta.ca
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Elezzabi
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Chau
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maraghechi