Opportunities

Exeter's School of Physics is ranked as the 8th best Physics department in the UK. 95% of our research has been classified as being of international quality in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Recent funding achievements are bolstering this success, and we are continuing to seek top-quality academic staff and PhD students.

There is currently an opportunity to join our research team as a PhD student. 

Magnetic metamaterial elements for VHF, UHF and SHF frequencies

Over the past decade, there has been much progress in the development of novel materials with electromagnetic properties that have been induced through sub-wavelength layering or patterning.  Many of the extraordinary effects exhibited by these materials can only be achieved through the resonant behaviour of the structures under test.  Conventionally their electromagnetic response is compared to that expected from bulk materials with negative or enhanced permittivity and/or permeability (which may or may not exist naturally), and therefore effective material parameters are normally assigned to these metamaterials. 

A wide range of materials with exotic permittivity values commonly occur in nature.  Significantly enhanced positive permittivity can also be easily obtained at microwave frequencies through the use of highly polarisable ionic crystals (e.g. titania) or by the distribution of small metallic elements within a dielectric matrix. 

While unstructured materials with negative real permittivity do not exist at low frequencies, negative permeability materials, in the form of ferrites are, by contrast, readily obtainable.  Magnetic material, in the form of spherical particles or, perhaps more significantly, highly elongated flakes, may be sintered or incorporated into resins to form composites with novel permeability attributes.  It is the aim of the project to develop a range of composites loaded with magnetic inclusions, and to characterise their electromagnetic response.  These magnetic composites, which will considerably extend the palette of electromagnetic materials available will then be incorporated into new metamaterial designs to enhance their response, for example to make broadband high refractive index materials, impedance matched media, or lower-loss negative index material.

For enquiries and information about how to apply, please contact Dr Alastair Hibbins .  Funding is for 3.5 years to cover tuition fees (UK/EU) and an annual maintenance allowance at current research council rate.