基于人工结构（metamaterials）的超常电磁介质具有新颖的物理性质和重要的应用前景，近年来引起了越来越多的关注，并逐渐向高频方向发展。然而，这类人工结构材料在光学频段面临着加工技术、物理学和材料学极限。为了突破这些极限，发展可在光频下工作的超常介质，本项目提出了利用稀土离子f-f能级间的电偶极跃迁和磁偶极跃迁实现光频超常电磁响应的研究设想。拟在对镧系稀土离子f-f能级电磁偶极跃迁的光谱结构研究的基础上,探索f-f能级跃迁共振频率下的超常电磁响应及其宏观性质研究及其与稀土掺杂固体组成与性质的关系，发展出基于电子跃迁过程实现光频超常电磁响应的新途径，初步建立基于稀土f-f跃迁的本征型光频超常电磁介质的基本理论框架和材料设计原则，研制出基于上述机制的超常电磁介质材料，为发展非人工结构的新型光频左手材料等超常介质提供理论和实验基础。

Metamaterials as a new class of artificial materials with novel physical properties and important application promise have been paid much attention recently. A trend for materials is much high working frequency. However，limitations from fabrication technique, physics principles and materials properties are encountered while the frequency assess to visible optical frequency. To overcome these limitations and develop new abnormal media with the properties of metamaterials in visible area, we propose a new electromagnetic response mechanism based on f-f electronic transition, including electric dipole transition and magnetic one in rare-earth ions in this proposal. Research include the investigation on the optical spectroscopy of rare-earth ions doped solids and novel electromagnetic response and their effect on the permittivity and permeability in transition resonance area, to explore a new nonmetamaterial rout for optical abnormal media and establish the theoretical framework for the design the materials. Left-handed materials based these mechanism will be synthesized, and the theoretical and experimental basis for these novel materials will be established.