3D Magnetic EZ Antenna

After our breakthrough in super-resolution imaging, the other news which dominated the national scene is the electrically small and low-profile magnetic EZ Antenna by Richard Ziolkowski et al. [...] This work is a collaboration between the University of Arizona, Boeing Research and Technology, and NIST. To avoid being technical, this metamaterial-inspired, near-field resonant parasitic antenna has a much higher performance that other antennas with similar sizes.

And, quoting Christopher Holloway (NIST):

“The purpose of an antenna is to launch energy into free space. But the problem with antennas that are very small compared to the wavelength is that most of the signal just gets reflected back to the source. The metamaterial makes the antenna behave as if it were much larger than it really is, because the antenna structure stores energy and re-radiates it,”

The antennas developed by the group are printed on copper squares with sizes of only 65 millimeters. A Z-shaped element on their backs acts like a metamaterial, storing energy magnetically.


Image comment: This is the new. metamaterial-based antenna created by experts at NIST
Image credits: C. Holloway / NIST


Richard Ziolkowski is best known for his pioneering work, together with Ehud Heyman on wave propagation in media having negative permittivity and permeability [...]. While Minas Tanielian from Boeing is known for his 3D cubic arrangement of split ring resonators. On a personal note, besides being great researchers, Ziolkowski and Tanielian are very approachable and extremely efficient people.