Directive electromagnetic radiation of a line source scattered by a conducting cylinder coated with left-handed metamaterial

In this paper, we rigorously analyze the electromagnetic radiation of a line source scattered by an infinite conducting cylinder coated with left-handed metamaterial (LHM). The numerical calculations show the improved directivity of the electromagnetic radiation of the cylindrical structure, as a consequence of the negative refraction phenomenon of the LHM. Unlike the planar structure that utilizes the zero refraction index of the LHM at a certain frequency, when the LHM has a moderate refraction index we obtain directive radiation and therefore achieve better radiation power gain. We also take into consideration the dispersion in the practical LHM and show that directive radiation with a best half-power beam width of 10 degrees can he achieved with acceptable radiation-power gain within a certain frequency range. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.