Eur. Phys. J. D (2013) 67: 28
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2012-30512-7

Regular Article

Algebraic analysis of electromagnetic chirality-induced negative refractive index in a four-level atomic system

¹ Physics department, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, P.R. China
² College English department, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, P.R. China

^a e-mail: zscnum1@126.com

Received: 18 August 2012
Received in final form: 31 October 2012
Published online: 6 March 2013

Abstract

This paper presents a algebraic analysis of electromagnetic chirality-induced negative refractive index in a four-level atomic medium. According to analyze mathematically its argument of the complex refractive index for one circular polarization, it found that the negative refractive index without simultaneously negative permittivity and permeability can be obtained when the argument is in the second quadrant of the cartesian coordinate system, and that the probe field coupling to two equal transition frequencies in the atomic level doesn’t require. This undoubtedly reduced stringent conditions to negative refractive index by quantum optics. As an application, our scheme may possibly give a novel approach to obtain negative refractive index by electromagnetic chirality-inducing.