Dirk HEBERLING
Professor, Institute for High Frequency Technology at RWTH Aachen University, GERMANY
Research interests:
Antennas and antenna systems, metamaterial, antenna measurement
Keynote address:
Metamaterial: Breaking physical Limits? An RF-view
Abstract:
Back in 1968, Veselago introduced the concepts of double-negative (negative ε and μ, known also as DNG) materials and postulated several interesting applications of such materials, such as focusing and anomalous refraction. However, there was little activity in the area of such materials for quite some time, since DNG materials are not readily available in nature, especially at microwaves. Later, several researchers led the quest for such materials at microwaves; this, in turn, led the researchers to search for artificial dielectrics known also as “metamaterials,” called such because they are not found in nature. These materials comprise metallic and/or dielectric inclusions embedded in a background medium and often have resonant properties. An example of such a medium that has caught considerable recent attention consists of a combination of split-ring resonators and thin wires that together exhibit DNG behavior at certain frequencies. Starting at the turn of this century numerous papers on the topic of metamaterials at microwaves had been published. The works can be conveniently divided into three main categories: microwave circuits containing the so-called LH (left-handed) transmission lines, planar structures often used for microwave antenna composites using metamaterials for enhanced performance or size reduction and three dimensional structures to realize artificial lenses. A very prominent example is the idea of cloaking using metamaterials, to make at least theoretically make volumes invisible. So the question arises: Can we break physical limits with metamaterial?
Dirk HEBERLING received his Dipl.-Ing. (M.S.E.E.) and Dr.-Ing. (Ph.D.E.E.) degrees from RWTH Aachen University, Germany in 1987 and 1993, respectively. From 1987 to 1993, he was a Research Assistant at the Institute for High Frequency Technology, RWTH Aachen University, Germany. In March 1993, he joined IMST GmbH, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany. From February 1995 to July 2003 he was head of the department of Antennas and EMC, from August 2003 to September 2008 he was head if the department of Information and Communication Systems. In October 2008, he was appointed as Full Professor at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. He is Director of the Institute for High Frequency Technology at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. His research topics include microwave techniques, antenna simulation and design, metamaterial, antenna measurement, wave propagation, material measurements. He is national delegate in the European COST activity IC1102 “Versatile, Integrated, and Signal-aware Technologies for Antennas” and vice chair of the German VDE/ITG expert group on antennas. He is the author or coauthor of over 60 technical papers.
Prof. Heberling serves as a Lecturer for Antennas for the Carl Cranz Series for Scientific Education. He was chairman and organizer of the international antenna conference INICA 2003, September 2003, Berlin and is steering board member and co-organizer of the EuCAP 2009 in Berlin, 2011 in Rome and 2012 in Prague. He was co-organizer of the European network of excellence on antennas ACE.
