Transformation media producing quasi-perfect isotropic emission

Using the idea of wave manipulation via transformation optics, we propose a way to create a quasi-perfect isotropic emission from a directional one. The manipulation is enabled by composite metamaterials that correspond to a space stretching around the source. It is shown that the directive radiation of a plane source larger than the operating wavelength can be transformed into an isotropic one by modifying the electromagnetic properties of the space around it. A set of parameters allowing practical realization of the proposed device is defined. Numerical simulations using Finite Element Method (FEM) are performed to illustrate the proposed coordinate transformation. This idea, which consists in strongly reducing the apparent size of a radiating source, can find various applications in novel antenna design techniques. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America