New mechanism for optical super-resolution via anisotropic near-zero index metamaterials

Abstract In this paper, we propose a new mechanism for obtaining optical super-resolution based on anisotropic near-zero index metamaterials (AZIMs). It is found that AZIMs can not only achieve perfect transmission of electromagnetic energy but also realize a super-resolution lens. Moreover, we find the performance of super-resolution imaging is not sensitive to the loss and impedance mismatching, as analytically and numerically demonstrated. Our findings provide a new way to explore high-resolution optical imaging.