Advanced microwave near-field technique for investigation of material properties

In this paper, we present an approach for near-field imaging developed on the basis of microwave guidance into a specially designed waveguide tip, which allows imaging and monitoring with subwavelength resolution of the investigated object´s material properties with negligibly low losses and dispersion. We present the simulation results of electromagnetic energy distribution in the tip to optimize the signal and also measurement results obtained using a microwave near-field microscope based on a specially designed sapphire tip. We performed measurements on various plants and also different parts of them, such as leaves and roots. This allows the biomass distribution to be studied which can later be suitable for investigating plant growth and the influence of different treatments on the growth process and molecular control mechanisms.