Date: Friday 10 July 2009 14:00-15:00
Venue: EM 2.33
Name: Dr J.L. Gómez Tornero (Technical University of Cartagena)
Leaky-waves are a type of modal solutions which appear in transmission media with open boundaries. This type of electromagnetic modes corresponds to waves which radiate at the same time that they propagate along the aforementioned open transmission medium, and can be easily described by a complex propagation constant. In this seminar, the basic concepts of leaky-waves will be first addressed in a simple and descriptive way, so that the attendants will be able to understand how the control of the complex propagation constant of a leaky-wave allows for moulding the flow and radiation of the electromagnetic energy carried by this wave. After this simple theory, it will be illustrated how leaky-wave theory can help us understand many interesting physical phenomena, such as: the malfunction of communication systems in spacecrafts entering the Earth atmosphere, Cerenkov radiation and inverse Cerenkov radiation, enhanced Goos-Hanchen shift, Wood’s Anomalies, excitation of plasmons, or extraordinary transmission thorough subwavelength holes. To finish, some well-known applications and other not-that-well-known new and potential application of the leaky-waves will be addressed, covering the following interesting fields of Antenna Engineering: travelling-wave antennas, 1D and 2D antennas, phased array and scanning antennas, reflector antennas, conformal antennas, lenses and focusing systems for hyperthermia applications, prisms and spectrum analyzers... This seminar is pretended to give a broad and consistent view of the role that the leaky-mode theory might play in electromagnetism theory and applications, which might be of help for people doing a Ph.D in Optics and Antenna-Microwave Engineering. The attendants are expected to have basic knowledge (graduate level) of electromagnetic theory, with especial emphasis in wave-guiding and radiation principles.
José Luis Gómez Tornero was born in Murcia, Spain, in 1977. He received the Telecommunications Engineer degree from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Valencia, Spain, in 2001, and the "laurea cum laude" Ph.D degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), Cartagena, Spain, in 2005.
In 1999 he joined the Radio Communications Department, UPV, as a research student, where he was involved in the development of analytical and numerical tools for the automated design of microwave filters in waveguide technology for space applications. In 2000, he joined the Radio Frequency Division, Industry Alcatel Espacio, Madrid, Spain, where he was involved with the development of microwave active circuits for telemetry, tracking and control (TTC) transponders for space applications. In 2001, he joined the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), Spain, as an Assistant Lecturer. From October 2005 to February 2009, he held de position of Vice Dean for Students and Lectures affairs in the Telecommunication Engineering Faculty at the UPCT. Since 2008, he has been an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication and Information Technologies, UPCT. His current research interests include analysis and design of leaky-wave antennas and the development of numerical methods for the analysis of novel passive radiating leaky structures in planar and waveguide technologies. Dr. Gómez-Tornero has published more than 30 papers in prestigious international journals in the field of leaky-wave theory and applications.
José Luis Gómez Tornero received in July 2004 the national award from the foundation EPSON-Ibérica to the best Ph.D project in the field of Technology of Information and Communications (TIC). In June 2006, Dr. Gómez-Tornero received the Vodafone foundation-COIT/AEIT (Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación) award to the best Spanish Ph.D. thesis in the area of Advanced Mobile Communications Technologies. This thesis was also awarded in December 2006 as the best thesis in the area of Electrical Engineering, by the Technical University of Cartagena.