The Applied Electromagnetics (AEM) group focuses its research activities on several areas of electromagnetics, ranging from antennas design and analysis to numerical methods, and from the study of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biophysical systems to microwave imaging methods and systems. In particular, during the last two decades the AEM group mainly devotes its activities to the following topics:
- Analytical and numerical modeling for RF and microwave electronics, information technologies, and biomedical applications. This activity led to the development of numerical simulators, presently available at the laboratory, able to solve complex electromagnetic problems in the frequency (e.g., based on the finite element method) and in the time (e.g., based on the finite difference time domain method) domains. In this framework, the activity of the AEM Group also concerns the evaluation of commercial simulators.
- Tools for radar cross section (RCS) computation, magnetic signature estimation and maritime applications.
- Antennas. In this framework, the AEM Group worked on the development of wide band antennas and smart systems for antenna processing (e.g., beamforming, cognitive radio, direction-of-arrival estimation).
- Imaging, nondestructive testing, environmental monitoring, and security. In this framework, several numerical codes for the inversion of noisy electric field data in 2D and 3D scenarios have been developed and tested. Recently, a fruitful cooperation with the laboratory TTHF of the SUPSI of Manno, Switerland, also led to the development of a prototype of a microwave 2D tomograph able to nondestructively inspect dielectric structures.
- Innovative material characterization (e.g., metamaterials and bianisotropic media).
- Interactions between electromagnetic fields and biological systems.
The AEM Group has also the ability of performing experimental works thanks to an anechoic chamber and a joint laboratory with the EMC S.r.l. company. The results of the research activities of the AEM Group are published in top-level international journals and conference proceedings in the field of applied electromagnetism.