Combined surface plasmon and classical waveguiding through metamaterial fiber design.

A metamaterial integration for fiber optics, leading to a dual effect of surface plasmon and classical waveguiding, is presented along with experimental potentiality. We theoretically propose a metamaterial fiber in which, depending on the wavelength (from ultraviolet to infrared) and the particular metamaterial composition, one can transmit information through surface plasmon mediated or classical waveguidance. The metamaterial can be used as the core or cladding of a fiber which allows waveguidance through a subwavelength geometry.