The behavior of two structures composed of split ring resonators (SRRs) and strip wires (SWs) is examined through full wave simulations. It is shown that both structures exhibit a transmission peak in the region where the real parts of the electric permittivity and magnetic permeability are presumed to be negative, a property which is usually assumed to imply a negative index of refraction. However, an analysis of the dispersion characteristics and insertion phase of the two structures shows that the first structure, in which the SRRs and SWs are printed on opposite sides of a dielectric substrate, is a left-handed medium in the passband, whereas the second structure, in which SRRs and SWs are printed on the same side, is a right-handed medium in the passband. Hence the transmission magnitude alone does not provide sufficient evidence of a negative index of refraction. To determine the sign of the index correctly, the insertion phase for propagation through several lengths of the structure or calculations of dispersion diagrams are necessary. The impact of the unit cell size on the “handedness” of the structure is also examined.

• Received 21 December 2004

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.71.066605