Decoupling Magnetic Dipoles by Mu-Near-Zero Metamaterials

A decoupling method for magnetic dipole antenna array based on mu-near-zero (MNZ) metamaterials is proposed in this paper. A small loop antenna with a circumference of 0.085λ<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</inf> is used as an equivalent magnetic dipole, operating at a center frequency of 35 MHz. The MNZ metamaterials with double split resonant ring-wire (DSRR-wire) units are placed in the spacer of coaxial small loop antennas. The simulated results show that the coupling between small loop antennas is successfully suppressed, with a maximum decrease of 12.55 dB. This proposed decoupling method is a candidate for future full-duplex communication and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology applications.