Near-field subsurface detection using metamaterial inspired probes

摘要

Recently, it was shown that single negative media can significantly enhance the sensitivity of near-field probes. Inspired by this recent finding, a new near-field probe is proposed for noninvasive subsurface detection. The new probe uses a single split ring resonator (SRR) instead of a periodic arrangement of SRRs for negative material realization. Experimental tests were conducted to detect the presence of cracks on aluminum plates, the presence of small aluminum blocks located behind a layer of ground chicken (lossy medium), and the presence of a small aluminum block submerged in sodium chloride solution (lossy medium) with a salinity of 1%. Preliminary results show that the proposed near-field probe enables detection of electrically small targets buried in lossy media.