  The basic purpose of this work is to demonstrate, by quite simple and
explicit calculation, the possibility that a simple laminate composed of
ordinary materials can display the kind of response associated with a
"metamaterial". Specifically, a wave of Floquet--Bloch type is analyzed, taking
careful account of the requirements of causality and passivity. Then, the
generation of such a wave by transmission, from ordinary homogeneous material,
into a half-space composed of the laminate is considered. As is well-known for
any dispersive material, phase velocity is distinct from group velocity, and
information is carried by the latter. Thus, in line with the discussion of
photonic crystals by Notomi [1], refraction is considered in terms of the group
velocity. Negative refraction appears never to occur, if the interface between
ordinary material and composite is parallel to the interfaces in the composite
but negative refraction is possible, over an appreciable frequency range, if
the interface between ordinary material and composite is orthogonal to the
interface in the composite.
