Light tunneling anomaly in interlaced metallic wire meshes

Abstract

For long wavelengths three-dimensional connected metallic wire meshes are impenetrable by light and have an electromagnetic response similar to that of an electron gas below the plasma frequency. Surprisingly, here it is shown that when two opaque metallic meshes are spatially-interlaced the combined structure enables an anomalous light tunneling in the long wavelength regime. The effect is due to the destructive interference of the waves scattered by the two wire meshes, which leads to a Fano-type resonance.