Optical properties of strongly anisotropic metamaterials

We study the behavior of wave propagation in strongly anisotropic metamaterials with different principal dielectric constants. Analytical expressions of the dispersion relation, Poynting vector, and group velocity are derived theoretically. The light propagation properties for TM and TE waves in these metamaterials are explored, in which the backward wave, negative refraction, phase-compensation effects, and far-field propagation wave carrying subwavelength information are discussed. These theoretical results are supported by numerical simulation.