Electromagnetic properties and macroscopic characterization of composite materials

Abstract

Composite materials possess peculiar properties like left-handed triad, scattering enhancement, and negative refraction. In this thesis, the microscopic/macroscopic properties, the control of the geometry and functionality, and potential applications of various composites are explored. Numerical and theoretical tools are presented for the purpose of characterizing structured composites. The thesis consists of four connected parts: 1) multilayered dielectric cylinders, extraordinary scattering and realization guidelines; 2) novel scattering theory for anisotropic and gyrotropic spheres, extraordinary scattering, and physical insights; 3) exact wave solutions of magnetoelectric composites in chiral (gyrotropic) media, and the control of cross coupling so as to achieve unusual scatterings; 4) complementary systematic tools to characterize waves in structured composites based on integral and differential approaches. To summarize, the wave interactions with composite materials were analyzed in a broad sense, providing a better understanding of electromagnetics of various composite materials.