Longitudinal elliptically polarized electromagnetic waves in anisotropic magnetoelectric split ring composites

We study the propagation of plane eletromagnetic waves through different systems consisting of arrays of split rings of different orientations. We find a mode such that the electric field becomes elliptically polarized with a component in the \textbf{longitudinal} direction (i.e., parallel to the wave vector). Even though the group velocity and the wave vector are parallel, the Poynting vector possesses a component perpendicular to the wave vector. The speed of light can be real even when the product $\epsilon\mu$ is negative. Other novel properties are explored.