Towards some real applications for negative materials

The near field technologies, negative index materials (NIM), photonic crystals and plastrionics combined with innovation in high dielectric antennas, wireless systems, and photonic circuits open the prospect of novel antennas, integrated circuits, sensors (chemical, biological and individual molecule), medical scanners, displays and imagers, which have the potential to outperform conventional technology and create many commercial opportunities [AJ. Holden, Inside the Wavelength, Electromagnetics in the Near Field, State of the Science Review for DTI Foresight, UK, February 2004, available at: http://www.foresight.gov.uk/]. A selection of these applications is reviewed and the challenges for the technologies set in context. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.