Multi-species two-level atomic media displaying electromagnetic left handedness

A multi-species two-level atomic system, the simplest being a representative two species collection of atoms studied here, contained in either a gaseous host medium or as dopants in a solid state host medium, determines the macroscopic permittivity and permeability seen by a probe field. Electronic or optical state initialization prepares the diagonal density matrix. Multi-species design of the atomic system allows assignment of different constituent densities in relation to the electric or magnetic matrix elements, generating left-handed electrodynamics in some detuning regions of the probe field. Published by Elsevier B.V.