Degenerate Band Edge Crystals for Directive Antennas

We present an experimental demonstration of the degenerate band edge (DBE) behavior in anisotropic photonic crystals. Specifically, we present the design of a DBE crystal using a full-wave analysis method, its realization using laminate layers of printed strips emulating anisotropy, and experimental verification of field amplitude growth using field probe measurements. Although the DBE and magnetic photonic crystal theory has been presented before, this work is the first experimental demonstration of such anisotropic assemblies.