  We theoretically investigate general existence conditions for broadband bulk
large-wavevector (high-k) propagating waves (such as volume plasmon polaritons
in hyperbolic metamaterials) in subwavelength periodic multilayer structures.
Describing the elementary excitation in the unit cell of the structure by a
generalized resonance pole of a reflection coefficient, and using Bloch's
theorem, we derive analytical expressions for the band of large-wavevector
propagating solutions. We apply our formalism to determine the high-k band
existence in two important cases: the well-known metal-dielectric, and recently
introduced graphene-dielectric stacks. We confirm that short-range surface
plasmons in thin metal layers can give rise to hyperbolic metamaterial
properties, and demonstrate that long-range surface plasmons cannot. We also
show that graphene-dielectric multilayers tend to support high-k waves and
explore the range of parameters for which this is possible, confirming the
prospects of using graphene for materials with hyperbolic dispersion. The
approach is applicable to a large variety of structures, such as continuous or
structured microwave, terahertz (THz) and optical metamaterials.

Optics;Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics