Title

Application of double negative metamaterials for improving the performance of maritime antennas

Date of Completion

January 2007

Keywords

Engineering, Electronics and Electrical|Engineering, Marine and Ocean

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

Recent interest in a new class of materials known collectively as metamaterials has sparked great interest in the antenna research community. Metamaterials are materials whose electrical properties go beyond those which can be achieved with conventional materials science. Some examples of metamaterials are electronic bandgap materials, artificial magnetic conductors, and artificial chiral materials. This work shall focus on the sub-group of metamaterials known as double negative metamaterials—materials with negative relative permittivity and permeability—and what benefits they can bring to improving the performance of antennas designed to operate using the ocean as a ground plane. ^ Two specific cases shall be considered. The first is the vertical electric dipole antenna surrounded by a double negative metamaterial shell operating over the ocean's surface. The second is the horizontal electric dipole antenna with a double negative metamaterial coating operating at or just below the ocean's surface. In both cases, the Sommerfeld integral representation of the fields shall be derived and predictions on the antenna performance made. Should significant improvement be predicted, genetic algorithms shall be used to optimize the antenna's performance. Where possible and practical, experimental measurements shall be used to validate the theoretical treatment presented. ^

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