US Patent 8400021 Wireless energy transfer with high-Q sub-wavelength resonators

Described herein are embodiments of transferring electromagnetic energy that includes a first electromagnetic resonator structure receiving energy from an external power supply, said first resonator structure may have a first mode with a resonant frequency ω1, an intrinsic loss rate Γ1, and a first Q-factor Q1=ω1L1/R1ohm+R1rad). A second electromagnetic resonator structure being positioned distal from said first resonator structure and not electrically wired to the first resonator structure, said second resonator structure having a second mode with a resonant frequency ω2, an intrinsic loss rate Γ2, and a second Q-factor Q2=ω2L2/(R2ohm+R2rad). The electromagnetic energy may be transferred from said first resonator structure to said second resonator structure over a distance D that is smaller than each of the resonant wavelengths λ1 and λ2 corresponding to the resonant frequencies ω1 and ω2, respectively, where the characteristic sizes of the resonator structures are less than the resonant wavelengths and where Q1>100, Q2>100, R1ohm>R1rad, and R2ohm>R2rad.