Discrete breathers in nonlinear magnetic metamaterials

Magnetic metamaterials composed of split-ring resonators or U-type elements may exhibit discreteness effects in THz and optical frequencies due to weak coupling. We consider a model one-dimensional metamaterial formed by a discrete array of nonlinear split-ring resonators where each ring interacts with its nearest neighbors. On-site nonlinearity and weak coupling among the individual array elements result in the appearance of discrete breather excitations or intrinsic localized modes, both in the energy-conserved and the dissipative system. We analyze discrete single and multibreather excitations, as well as a special breather configuration forming a magnetization domain wall and investigate their mobility and the magnetic properties their presence induces in the system.