Effect of metal permittivity on resonant properties of terahertz metamaterials

We investigate the effect of metal permittivity on resonant transmission of metamaterials by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Our experimental results on double split-ring resonators made from different metals confirm the recent numerical simulations [Phys. Rev. E 65, 036622 (2002)] that metamaterials exhibit permittivity-dependent resonant properties. In the terahertz regime, the measured inductive-capacitive resonance is found to strengthen with a higher ratio of the real to the imaginary parts of metal permittivity, and this remains consistent at various metal thicknesses. Furthermore, we found that metamaterials made even from a generally poor metal become highly resonant owing to a drastic increase in the value of the permittivity at terahertz frequencies.