Verification of the electromagnetic deep-penetration effect in the real world.

The deep penetration of electromagnetic waves into lossy media can be obtained by properly generating inhomogeneous waves. In this work, for the very first time, we demonstrate the physical implementation and the practical relevance of this phenomenon. A thorough numerical investigation of the deep-penetration effects has been performed by designing and comparing three distinct practical radiators, emitting either homogeneous or inhomogeneous waves. As concerns the latter kind, a typical Menzel microstrip antenna is first used to radiate improper leaky waves. Then, a completely new approach based on an optimized 3-D horn TEM antenna applied to a lossy prism is described, which may find applications even at optical frequencies. The effectiveness of the proposed radiators is measured using different algorithms to consider distinct aspects of the propagation in lossy media. We finally demonstrate that the deep penetration is possible, by extending the ideal and theoretical evidence to practical relevance, and discuss both achievements and limits obtained through numerical simulations on the designed antennas.

Introduction to electromagnetic scattering, part II: tutorial.

In this paper, some generalizations of electromagnetic scattering problems by elementary shapes are presented. In particular, the aim of the paper is to provide solutions to the scattering problem by multiple objects with simple shapes, either in concentric configuration or arbitrarily distributed in the space. The vector harmonics, representing the fields, and their properties are applied in order to solve five different problems: the electromagnetic scattering by an infinitely long circular stratified cylinder, by a multilayered sphere, by an ensemble of parallel cylinders, by an ensemble of multi-spheres, and ultimately by a sphere embedded in a circular cylinder. Numerical results in particularly important configurations are shown.

An Analytical Study of Electromagnetic Deep Penetration Conditions and Implications in Lossy Media through Inhomogeneous Waves.

This paper illustrates how the penetration of electromagnetic waves in lossy media strongly depends on the waveform and not only on the media involved. In particular, the so-called inhomogeneous plane waves are compared against homogeneous plane waves illustrating how the first ones can generate deep penetration effects. Moreover, the paper provides examples showing how such waves may be practically generated. The approach taken here is analytical and it concentrates on the deep penetration conditions obtained by means of incident inhomogeneous plane waves incoming from a lossless medium and impinging on a lossy medium. Both conditions and constraints that the waveforms need to possess to achieve deep penetration are analysed. Some results are finally validated through numerical computations. The theory presented here is of interest in view of a practical implementation of the deep penetration effect.

Polarization-maintaining reflection-mode THz time-domain spectroscopy of a polyimide based ultra-thin narrow-band metamaterial absorber.

This paper reports the design, the microfabrication and the experimental characterization of an ultra-thin narrow-band metamaterial absorber at terahertz frequencies. The metamaterial device is composed of a highly flexible polyimide spacer included between a top electric ring resonator with a four-fold rotational symmetry and a bottom ground plane that avoids misalignment problems. Its performance has been experimentally demonstrated by a custom polarization-maintaining reflection-mode terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system properly designed in order to reach a collimated configuration of the terahertz beam. The dependence of the spectral characteristics of this metamaterial absorber has been evaluated on the azimuthal angle under oblique incidence. The obtained absorbance levels are comprised between 67% and 74% at 1.092 THz and the polarization insensitivity has been verified in transverse electric polarization. This offers potential prospects in terahertz imaging, in terahertz stealth technology, in substance identification, and in non-planar applications. The proposed compact experimental set-up can be applied to investigate arbitrary polarization-sensitive terahertz devices under oblique incidence, allowing for a wide reproducibility of the measurements.

Introduction to electromagnetic scattering: tutorial.

In this paper, an introduction to electromagnetic scattering is presented. We introduce the basic concepts needed to face a scattering problem, including the scattering, absorption, and extinction cross sections. We define the vector harmonics and we present some of their properties. Finally, we tackle the two canonical problems of the scattering by an infinitely long circular cylinder, and by a sphere, showing that the introduction of the vector wave function makes the imposition and solution of the boundary conditions particularly simple.

Scattering of an electromagnetic plane wave by a sphere embedded in a cylinder.

In this paper, we face the problem of the scattering of a plane wave by a sphere embedded in an infinitely long circular cylinder. The problems of scattering by both a sphere and a cylinder are canonical problems in optics. However, the scattering problems involving different objects with different geometries have not been solved analytically in the literature: only asymptotic or approximated solutions are available. The problem of scattering by cylinders and spheres concurrently present can be of great importance in several areas, from optical microscopy to biomedical applications, and from metamaterials to civil engineering applications. To solve the problem, the incident wave is expressed as a superposition of cylindrical harmonics. The scattered wave by the cylinder, being a cylindrical wave as well, has been expressed as a superposition of spherical harmonics in order to take into account the interaction with the sphere. The theoretical procedure returns a linear system of equations for the computation of the unknown coefficients of the series. A numerical code is presented to compute the scattered field, where a suitable truncation criterion for the series expansions has been proposed. Comparisons with a finite-element method have been presented to validate the results.

Electromagnetic inhomogeneous waves at planar boundaries: tutorial.

In this review paper, we summarize the fundamental properties of inhomogeneous waves at the planar interface between two media. We point out the main differences between the wave types: lateral waves, surface waves, and leaky waves. We analyze each kind of inhomogeneous wave, giving a quasi-optical description and explaining the physical origin of some of their properties.

Analysis of the polarizability of an array of spherical metallic inclusions in a dielectric host sphere.

The polarizability of an array of metallic spheres embedded in a dielectric host sphere is obtained by means of a quasi-static analysis of the electromagnetic interaction. The proposed model is validated through comparisons with the results obtained with software based on the finite element method. A parametric study of the polarizability as a function of the number of inclusions, their radii, and their positions is presented. An analysis of the plasmon resonances of the particle as a function of the same parameters is performed.

Generalized image principle for cylindrical waves.

In this Letter, we analyze the reflection of cylindrical waves (CWs) at planar interfaces. We consider the reflected CW proposed in the literature as a spectral integral. We present a Laurent series expansion of the Fresnel coefficient convergent on the whole real axis and we use it to solve analytically the reflected-wave integral. We found a solution that involves both Bessel functions and Anger-Weber functions, i.e., solutions of both the homogeneous and inhomogeneous Bessel differential equations. We compare the analytical solution with the numerical results obtained with a quadrature formula presented in the literature. Moreover, we present a physical interpretation that connects our solution to the image principle.

Electromagnetic interaction with two eccentric spheres.

In this paper, we consider the interaction of an electromagnetic field with two eccentric spheres. We propose a quasi-static approach in order to calculate the scattered field and the polarizability and the effective permittivity of the eccentric spheres. We analyze the behavior of the scattering parameters as a function of the dimension and position of the spherical inclusions. Moreover, we consider the case of plasmonic spheres and study the behavior of the plasmon resonances for different reciprocal positions of the two spheres.

On the perfectly matched layer and the DB boundary condition.

In this paper, we consider a particular uniaxial material able to achieve the DB boundary condition. We show how, for particular transverse electromagnetic properties, this material behaves like a perfectly matched layer (PML). Moreover, we find that, with an approximation, the material becomes passive, i.e., loses the active part of the permittivity and of the permeability typical of a PML. In this case, the uniaxial medium becomes realizable as a particular absorbing metamaterial. We present simulations with both guided and free-space waves to show the absorbing behavior of the proposed material.

Spectral domain method for the electromagnetic scattering by a buried sphere.

A rigorous method to analyze the electromagnetic scattering of an elliptically polarized plane wave by a sphere buried in a dielectric half-space, is presented. The electric field components of the incident and the scattered monochromatic plane waves are expanded in series of vectorial spherical harmonics, with unknown expansion coefficients. The scattered-reflected and scattered-transmitted fields are computed by exploiting the plane-wave spectrum of the scattered field, considering the reflection and transmission of each elementary plane wave by the interface. The boundary-condition imposition leads to a linear system that returns the unknown coefficients of the scattered field. To achieve a numerical solution, a code has been implemented, and a truncation criterion for the involved series has been proposed. Comparisons with the literature and simulations performed with a commercial software are presented. A generalization of the method to the case of a short pulse scattered by a buried sphere is presented, taking into account the dispersive properties of the involved media.

On the electromagnetic power transmission between two lossy media: discussion.

An overview of the problems involved in the study of electromagnetic power transmission between lossy media is presented. Starting from the well-known problem of the transmission at a dielectric-conductor interface, the different representations of the complex propagation vector of the plane waves are introduced. Analytical expressions to convert from one formulation to the other are obtained. Moreover, the transmission of a plane wave at the interface between two lossy media is taken into account. An explanation of the strange behavior of the transmitted wave is developed by means of power considerations. Finally, the interesting effect of the parallel-attenuated transmitted wave is presented, and its properties as a function of the incident phase vector amplitude are deduced.

Deeply penetrating waves in lossy media.

The incidence of an inhomogeneous plane wave on the interface between two lossy media is analyzed. The analytical expressions of the incidence angle of the phase vector, for which the transmitted wave has the phase or the attenuation vector parallel to the interface, are obtained. The transmitted wave with the attenuation vector parallel to the interface is physically interpreted, finding a wave in a lossy medium without attenuation away from the interface. The same effect appears at the interface between a lossless medium and a lossy one.