Artificial dielectrics

Artificial dielectrics are fabricated composite materials, often consisting of arrays of conductive shapes or particles in a nonconductive support matrix, designed to have specific electromagnetic properties similar to dielectrics. As long as the lattice spacing is smaller than a wavelength, these substances can refract and diffract electromagnetic waves, and are used to make lenses, diffraction gratings, mirrors, and polarizers for microwaves. These were first conceptualized, constructed and deployed for interaction in the microwave frequency range in the 1940s and 1950s. The constructed medium, the artificial dielectric, has an effective permittivity and effective permeability, as intended.^[1]^[2]

In addition, some artificial dielectrics may consist of irregular lattices, random mixtures, or a non-uniform concentration of particles.

Artificial dielectrics came into use with the radar microwave technologies developed between the 1940s and 1970s. The term "artificial dielectrics" came into use because these are macroscopic analogues of naturally occurring dielectrics. The difference between the natural and artificial substance is that the atoms or molecules are artificially (human) constructed materials. Artificial dielectrics were proposed because of the need for lightweight structures and components for various microwave delivery devices.^[2]

Artificial dielectrics are a direct historical link to metamaterials.

^ Milonni, Peter W.; Institute of Physics (November 30, 2004). Fast light, slow light and left-handed light. CRC Press. pp. 221, 222. ISBN 978-0-7503-0926-4. First published in 2004 according to the CRC Press web page Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine for this book. According to the copyright page of this book, accessible via Google Books, it had gone into its tenth printing by sometime in 2005.
^ ^a ^b Wenshan, Cai; Shalaev, Vladimir (November 2009). Optical Metamaterials: Fundamentals and Applications. Springer. pp. xi, 3, 8, 9, 59, 74. ISBN 978-1-4419-1150-6.

[Milonni-bk-1] Milonni, Peter W.; Institute of Physics (November 30, 2004). Fast light, slow light and left-handed light. CRC Press. pp. 221, 222. ISBN 978-0-7503-0926-4. First published in 2004 according to the CRC Press web page Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine for this book. According to the copyright page of this book, accessible via Google Books, it had gone into its tenth printing by sometime in 2005.

[Cai-book-2] Wenshan, Cai; Shalaev, Vladimir (November 2009). Optical Metamaterials: Fundamentals and Applications. Springer. pp. xi, 3, 8, 9, 59, 74. ISBN 978-1-4419-1150-6.

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