Microscopic antennas are now possible due to an electromagnetism innovation. Professor Amaratunga, along with his colleagues, believe that they have solved one of the mysteries of electromagnetism. They claim it will be possible to make microscopic antennas small enough to fit into micro-electronic chip. A dipole antenna’s radiation pattern shows symmetry breaking in the electric field. The researchers published their findings in Physical Review Letters. They believe these super-small antennas will be a significant milestone in wireless communication. According to the authors, electromagnetic waves can be generated by both the acceleration and symmetry breaking of electrons. This phenomenon, known as electron acceleration due to radiation was discovered more than a century ago. The only equivalent is quantum mechanics which claims electrons can jump between higher and lower energy states. According to the authors, their observations on radiation that results from the broken symmetry in the electric field could reveal connections between these fields. Mobile devices and communications towers have antennas that can launch electromagnetic and radio waves into space. They also collect the energy in space for data transfer. Antenna size is a significant limitation in modern electronics. Antennas are bulky, incompatible with modern electronic circuits. Professor Amaratunga identified the main obstacle to micro-electronics as the antenna. “Antennas or aerials are the most significant problem in micro-electronics. Below a certain size the losses can become too high.” He explained that researchers don’t understand the physical factors related to radiation. There is no mathematical model that can be used to describe the operations of practical aerials. There has been little progress in electromagnetic radiation research since Clerk Maxwell’s theories. James Clerk Maxwell , a Scottish scientist, was the first person to suggest theories about electromagnetic radiation. These theories state that it is created by acceleration electrons. We haven’t made any significant progress on electromagnetic radiation research since then. Maxwell’s theory is problematic when it comes to radio waves from dielectric solids. These materials are usually insulators and electrons cannot move freely. However, dielectric resonances are still used for mobile phones antennas. Lead author Dr. Dhiraj sinha said that “In dielectric antennas, the medium is high permittivity. This means that radio waves have a lower velocity as they enter the medium.” What has not been understood, however, was how dielectric media results in the emission of electromagnetic radiations. For more than 60years, engineers and scientists have been trying to solve this mystery. The Cambridge science team used thin film of piezoelectric material, which is an insulator that vibrates or deforms when voltage is applied. These materials can also be used to create aerials by becoming efficient radiators and resonators at a particular frequency. This phenomenon is believed to be due to electron acceleration causing symmetry. According to physicists, symmetry indicates that a particular aspect of an object is constant. There is harmony in an electric field if electronic charges remain still. Dr. Sinha said: “In aerials the symmetry in the electric field can be broken explicitly which results in an array of lines radiating from transmitters such as two-wire systems in which parallel geometry has been broken.” Sinha and his colleagues discovered that the symmetry in the system could also be broken when thin piezoelectric film were exposed to an asymmetrical excitation. This resulted in the breaking down of the electric fields and the production of electromagnetic radiation. The dielectric material emits electromagnetic radiation. This is due to the accelerated electrons of metallic electrodes and an explicit symmetry break in the electric field. Professor Amaratunga stated that breaking the symmetry is necessary in order to have accelerating electrons. It will open up new possibilities.” The technology breakthroughs in Mobile Technology and Internet of Things, where almost everything is connected to the Internet of Things, are two areas that have been pushed forward. The Internet will soon be available to all of them. It will take billions of devices to connect them all, making it possible to insert tiny antennas into electronic chips. This would represent a huge technological breakthrough. You can make piezoelectric materials in thin films using gallium nitride, lithium niobate or gallium arsenide. Already on the market are amplifiers and filters made from gallium arsenide. The new technology opens up novel methods of attaching antennas to chips and other parts. According to Dr. Sinha, “It is actually very easy when you break it down.” After understanding the workings of these devices, we have made a breakthrough in our application research.” Funding for the project was provided by the East of England Development Agency and Cambridge University Entrepreneurs. Citation: Gehan A. J. Amaratunga and Dhiraj Sinha. “Electromagnetic radiation in the absence of explicit symmetry.” Physical Review Letters 114, (2015).
