07/17/2025
By Brandon Gomes

The Kennedy College of Sciences, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, invites you to attend a master’s thesis defense by Brandon Gomes on: “Far-Field Radiation Patterns of Elongated Structures Based on 2D Finite Element Simulations.”

Date: Monday, July 28, 2025
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Virtual. Please contact Brandon_Gomes@student.uml.edu for Zoom access details.

Committee Members:

  • Advisor: Viktor A. Podolskiy, Ph.D., Professor, Assistant Chair, and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Physics & Applied Physics at UMass Lowell
  • Hugo Ribeiro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Applied Physics at UMass Lowell
  • Timothy Cook, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Physics & Applied Physics, UMass Lowell

Abstract:
Highly elongated (quasi-two-dimensional) structures are frequently employed in photonic systems for far-field radiation control, subwavelength imaging, and light manipulation. This thesis develops a Fourier transform–based technique to approximate the optical response of such structures using 2D finite element simulations. By reconstructing far-field radiation patterns from cylindrical wave expansions, the method reduces computational cost while maintaining physical fidelity. Validation against COMSOL results demonstrates accuracy across various slit configurations and boundary conditions, including PEC and lossy media. The technique is further applied to multi-slit systems and metamaterial-based hypergratings.