Dielectric resonator antenna

Adielectric resonator antenna(DRA)isaradioantennamostlyusedatmicrowavefrequenciesandhigher,thatconsistsofablock

ofceramicmaterialofvariousshapes,thedielectricresonator,mountedonametalsurface,agroundplane.Radiowavesare
introducedintotheinsideoftheresonatormaterialfromthetransmittercircuitandbouncebackandforthbetweentheresonator
walls,formingstandingwaves.Thewallsoftheresonatorarepartiallytransparenttoradiowaves,allowingtheradiopowerto
radiateintospace.[1]
Anadvantageofdielectricresonatorantennasistheylackmetalparts,whichbecomelossyathighfrequencies,dissipatingenergy.
Sotheseantennascanhavelowerlossesandbemoreefficientthanmetalantennasathighmicrowaveand millimeterwave
frequencies.[1]Dielectricwaveguideantennasareusedinsomecompactportablewirelessdevices,andmilitarymillimeter-wave
radarequipment.TheantennawasfirstproposedbyRobertRichtmyerin1939. [2]In1982,Longetal.didthefirstdesignandtestof
dielectricresonatorantennasconsideringaleakywaveguidemodelassumingmagneticconductormodelofthedielectricsurface. [3]
Thus,theyarguedthatthedielectricantennabehavedlikeamagneticdipoleantenna.Themagneticconductormodeldoesnot
explainhowcurrentinthedielectricmediumistransformedintoelectromagneticwaveswhichresultsinradiation.Theelectricfield
fromoscillationofpolarizeddipolefalloffinverselywithcubeofdistanceandcannotberesponsibleforfarfieldradiation.There
arenofreecurrentsinthesystemasisthecaseinmetallicantennas.Thesequestionshavebeenaddressedinarecentworkbya
groupfromtheUniversityofCambridgewheretheyproposedthatdielectricresonatorsoperationcanbeunderstoodbylookingat
thesystemasanasymmetricresonator,i.e.aresonatorwhosesymmetryhasbeenexplicitlybrokenbyexcitingfromoneendwhile
leavingtheotherendfloatingwhichresultsinrelatedbrokensymmetriesoftheelectricfieldwhichresultsinradiation. [4][5]An
antennalikeeffectisachievedbyperiodicswingofelectronsfromitscapacitiveelementtothegroundplanewhichbehaveslikean
inductor.TheauthorsfurtherarguedthattheoperationofadielectricantennaresemblestheantennaconceivedbyMarconi,theonly
differenceisthatinductiveelementisreplacedbythedielectricmaterial.