Superabsorbing metamaterial wormhole: Physical modeling and wave interaction effects

Abstract

Conjugate-impedance matched superabsorbers are metamaterial bodies whose effective absorption cross section greatly exceeds their physical dimension. Such objects are able to receive radiation when it is not directly incident on their surface. Here, we develop methods of physical modeling of such structures and investigate interactions of the superabsorbers with passing electromagnetic radiation. The particular superabsorbing structure under study is a wormhole composed of meshes of loaded transmission lines. A theory of electromagnetic wave propagation and absorption in such metamaterial structures is developed. At the frequency of operation, the structure exhibits greatly enhanced absorption as compared to the black-body-type absorber of the same size. Peculiar wave absorption effects such as trapping of nearby passing beams of electromagnetic radiation are demonstrated by numerical simulations. Possible modifications of the wormhole structure under the goal of optimizing absorption while minimizing complexity of the involved metamaterials are discussed. Conjugate-impedance matched superabsorbers may find applications as efficient harvesters of electromagnetic radiation, antennas, and sensors.