ABSTRACT

This chapter shows how the macroscopic properties of metamaterial can be controlled by the parameters of the structure elements, their arrangement, and the characteristics of nonlinear insertions. It focuses on the magnetic properties, and describes with permeability and nonlinear magnetic susceptibilities. The wide variety of methods providing metamaterials with nonlinear response can be divided, conceptually, into three approaches, which are schematically introduced. In crystals, various intrinsic nonlinearities naturally provide nonlinear response starting from moderate intensities. In metamaterials, with the structural units being artificially assembled, the response is essentially linear as long as the effective contour comprises linear components. The chapter reviews the progress in analyzing various nonlinear phenomena and peculiarities of nonlinear processes available in metamaterials. From the theoretical point of view, all the approaches finally aim to provide a universal description of possible nonlinear processes in terms of effective medium parameters including nonlinear susceptibilities of required order.