Positive and Negative Goos-Hanchen Shifts and Negative Phase--Velocity Mediums (alias Left-Handed Materials)

Abstract

On total reflection from a half-space filled with an isotropic, homogeneous, weakly dissipative, dielectric-magnetic medium with negative phase-velocity (NPV) characteristics, it is shown here that a linearly polarized beam can experience either a negative or a positive Goos-Hanchen shift. The sign of the shift depends on the polarization state of the beam as well as on the signs of the real parts of the permittivity and the permeability of the NPV medium.