Precursor Effect [Backscatter]

Upon reviewing the April 2010 issue of IEEE Microwave Magazine, the “Microwave Bytes” column by Steve Cripps attracted my attention because I share his critical views on metamaterials, PBG, etc. I plan to respond on the need to go back to the science of periodic structures [1] that underlies both of these popular subjects. (We applaud a move in this direction in the article, “FDTD for Nanoscale and Optical Problems,” by Salski et al., pp. 50–59.) More recently I discovered an item in this issue that deserves the critical review sought by Cripps, when the results appear to violate expected physical laws or the common sense of the professional engineer.