In this work, an ultra-thin silver film-coated grating as a split silver nanotube array exhibits not only high TE polarized reflectance as a conventional subwavelength grating but also high TM polarized reflectance that is close to or higher than TE reflectance at certain wavelength range. The TM reflectance peak shifts with the morphology of the silver covering. The near-field analysis reveals that the silver nanotube array is an ultra-thin optical double negative metamaterial. The negative permeability associated magnetic field reversal is induced within the grating that is surrounded by a split current loop at the TM reflectance peak wavelength. The near field simulation is used to retrieve the equivalent electromagnetic parameters and optical constants that cause the anomalous TM high reflection. It is demonstrated that the TM impedances have a low magnitude and high magnitude with respect to unity for light incident onto the top and bottom of the grating at the peak wavelength, respectively.
© 2022. The Author(s).