A team of researchers at the Public University of Navarra--working with teams from the University of Seville and the Barcelona Universidad Autónoma--have developed a new radiofrequency device. The translation of the news release may be a little difficult to understand, but an article published in Physical Review Letters, Babinet Principle Applied to the Design of Metasurfaces and Metamaterials provides a much better explanation of the device.
According to Babinet's Principle, the diffraction pattern produced by a object of a given size and shape is the same as that from an aperture in a large surface of same size and shape. The researchers used Babinet's principle to develop a new approach for the design of planar metamaterials and metasurfaces. A key element of this approach is the use of the compliment of a split ring resonator (CSSR). Split ring resonators (SSRs) have been used in the past to develop artificial metamaterials and metasurfaces with special electromagnetic properties such as negative effective permeability at certain frequencies.
Applications of these concepts could include design of frequency selective surfaces and polarizers, antennas, filters and other microwave devices, according to the paper. CSRRs and SRRs have a small electrical size, making them attractive for use in miniaturized devices.
Even though the paper is filled with formulas, it is easy to follow and includes numerous plots comparing the transmission characteristics of SRRs and CSRRs.
