Frequency-division-multiplexing information transmission based on index-near-zero metamaterials

To meet the demand of high-speed transmission of information, this paper proposes a new implementation architecture of the frequency division multiplex (FDM) based on the concept of index-near-zero (INZ) metamaterials. In our design, the INZ metamaterial is constituted by an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) background containing arbitrarily-located photonic dopants. The analytical theory framework demonstrates that photonic dopants are capable of flexibly controlling the effective permeability as well as the transmission response of the INZ metamaterial. Furthermore, by surrounding the photonic dopants with metallic cloaking where switches are mounted, independent amplitude modulation of multiple frequency bands can be achieved. The numerical simulation and theoretical calculation indicate that, by introducing N photonic dopants, we can realize N channels for information transmission, which efficiently increase the channel capacity. The proposed FDM implementation architecture based on the INZ metamaterial features the unique advantages of easy deployment and tuning. As the ENZ response can be realized or emulated in microwave, terahertz and even optical regions, the proposed architecture for information transmission can find promising applications in a wide range of frequency.