2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/95963Artificially fabricated structures with periodically modulated parameters such as photonic crystals offer novel ways of controlling the flow of light due to the existence of a range of forbidden frequencies associated with a photonic bandgap. It is believed that modulation of the refractive index in all three spatial dimensions is required to open a complete bandgap and prevent the propagation of electromagnetic waves in all directions. Here we reveal that, in a sharp contrast to what was known before and contrary to the accepted physical intuition, a one-dimensional periodic structure containing the layers of transparent left-handed (or negative-index) metamaterial can trap light in three-dimensional space due to the existence of a complete bandgap.4 pages, 5 figuresOpticsMaterials ScienceComplete bandgaps in one-dimensional left-handed periodic structurestext