Enlargement of polarization-independent omnidirectional band gaps in the photonic heterostructures containing single-negative materials

We show that the frequency range of the zero effective phase gap in a photonic heterostructure containing single-negative materials can be enlarged owing to the property that its lower and upper frequency edges depend on the thickness ratio of the epsilon-negative and mu-negative materials. Compared to the zero effective phase gap of a single photonic crystal, the frequency range of the zero effective phase gap in a photonic heterostructure can be notably enlarged. Moreover, it is shown that the band edges of the zero effective phase gap is insensitive to incident angle and polarization of light. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America