Experimental Demonstration of Directive Scattering from Reconfigurable Dielectric Resonators with Impedance Surfaces

Metallic and dielectric resonators are one of the main components in many electromagnetic structures as they enable efficient tailoring of the underlying fields. In this work, a dielectric resonator with reconfigurable scattering properties is
examined analytically, numerically and experimentally. The resonator consists of an impedance surface integrated in a dielectric resonator. We utilize the hybrid configuration to enable simultaneous excitation of different modes to effectively
shape the scattered fields. In particular, we demonstrate a reconfigurable resonator, which scatters mainly in the forward direction. A simple prototype, consisting of metal and water, is fabricated and characterized experimentally demonstrating the forward scattering properties. The resonator design holds a strong potential within the area of functional material structures, antennas and sensing for operation from microwave to optical frequencies.