Radial Photonic Crystal Shells and Their Application as Resonant and Radiating Elements

Radial photonic crystals (RPCs) are a class of microstructured media that possess very particular electromagnetic features. Their properties are driven by radially dependent permittivity and permeability profiles that are also anisotropic. A two dimensional RPC structure is designed and analyzed in order to assess its principal characteristics. This is done through the study of the dispersion diagram of the periodic multilayered structure and also through the analysis of a finite size device. In the later case, research is performed in view of possible applications of RPCs as resonant devices and also when they are combined with line sources. Finally, a device with reduced complexity is designed and implemented by means of a microstructured resonator array. This device is numerically analyzed and the comparison of two independent models shows very good agreement. Potential use of RPCs as frequency and location sensors is pointed out.