Radiation by a straight thin-wire antenna embedded in an isotropic chiral medium

Radiation characteristics of a straight thin-wire antenna embedded in an isotropic chiral medium are explored. The radiation field contains both left-circularly polarized (LCP) and right-circularly polarized (RCP) components. The radiation pattern is found to be symmetric about the plane θ=π/2, azimuthally isotropic, and TEM (transverse electromagnetic) in nature; however, all three of these features are found as well for isotropic achiral media. Some specific features of the radiation field on certain constant spherical surfaces are also examined. If the antenna is reduced to a point dipole, it is shown that the radiation resistance is enhanced by the presence of chirality in the embedding medium, and the antenna LCP gain differs from the RCP gain