This thesis will focus on spherical near-field antenna measurements and the methods developed or modified for the work of this thesis to estimate the uncertainty in a particular far-field radiation pattern. We will discuss the need for error assessment in spherical near-field antenna measurements. A procedure will be proposed that, in an automated fashion, can be used to determine the overall uncertainty in the measured far-field radiation pattern of a particular antenna. This overall uncertainty will be the result of a combination of several known sources of error common to SNF measurements. This procedure will consist of several standard SNF measurements, some newly developed tests, and several stages of post-processing of the measured data. The automated procedure will be tested on four antennas of various operating frequencies and directivities to verify its functionality. Finally, total uncertainty data will be presented to the reader in several formats.

No / Near field imaging using microwaves in medical applications has gained much attention recently as various researchers have shown its capability and accuracy in identifying features of interest compared to well-known screening tools. This paper documents microwave imaging experiments for breast cancer detection. A simple phantom consisting of a plastic container with a low dielectric material imitating fatty tissue and a high dielectric constant object emulating tumor is scanned with a UWB microstrip antenna between 4 to 8 GHz. The measured results indicate that the prototype is a good candidate for imaging application.

This thesis presents a practical approach to reduce the overall testing time in a spherical near-field (SNF) antenna measurement environment. The premise of this work is that the acquisition time is mostly dominated by the mechanical movement and the processing electronic. Moreover, it is assumed that the transformation time to go from the near-field domain to the far-field domain (NF-FF transform) is small compared to the acquisition time. Thus this operation can be done repeatedly while the acquisition is on-going without significantly affecting the overall test time. This situation allows to continuously evaluate the far-field (FF) of the antenna under test (AUT), so that certain decision functions based on the radiation pattern of the antenna can be monitored. Such decision functions are based on the antenna specification, such as the gain, the side lobe level, etc. We do not proceed with a complete scan of the measurement sphere but effectively allow the probe to follow a directed path under control of an acquisition rule, so that the sampled near-field (NF) datapoints constitute an acquisition map on the sphere. The acquisition can then be terminated based on decision function values, allowing the smallest amount of data needed to ensure accurate determination of the AUT performance measures.

This thesis presents a practical approach to reduce the overall testing time in a spherical near-field (SNF) antenna measurement environment. The premise of this work is that the acquisition time is mostly dominated by the mechanical movement and the processing electronic. Moreover, it is assumed that the transformation time to go from the near-field domain to the far-field domain (NF-FF transform) is small compared to the acquisition time. Thus this operation can be done repeatedly while the acquisition is on-going without significantly affecting the overall test time. This situation allows to continuously evaluate the far-field (FF) of the antenna under test (AUT), so that certain decision functions based on the radiation pattern of the antenna can be monitored. Such decision functions are based on the antenna specification, such as the gain, the side lobe level, etc. We do not proceed with a complete scan of the measurement sphere but effectively allow the probe to follow a directed path under control of an acquisition rule, so that the sampled near-field (NF) datapoints constitute an acquisition map on the sphere. The acquisition can then be terminated based on decision function values, allowing the smallest amount of data needed to ensure accurate determination of the AUT performance measures.

Ce travail de thèse a permis de développer un système de microscopie en champ proche terahertz en régime continu. Deux principales configurations ont été étudiée, l'un utilisant un sonde à ouverture et l'autre utilisant une pointe. Lors du développement de ce système, l'utilisation de guides d'onde de surface cylindriques (modes de Sommerfeld) a été nécessaire et une étude de ces modes a été faite tant sur le plan théorique qu'expérimental. / We developed two configurations of terahertz near field microscope. Th first one use an aperture and the other use a tip. We studied Sommerfeld wire waves.

Negatively buoyant jets are turbulent flows that are frequently employed by the desalination industry to disperse reject brines into oceanic environments. Although such brines are characterised by elevated concentrations of the same elemental components as the discharge environment contains, there is significant potential for marine ecosystem damage if this waste is not diluted properly. Numerous workers have analysed the dilution and spatial characteristics of negatively buoyant jets, but published data demonstrates notable inconsistencies. An important reason for these discrepancies is the variety of bottom-boundary conditions employed. This complicates comparison with predictions by integral models typically employed for discharge design, as these generally have not been developed with consideration to boundary interaction. In the present study, negatively buoyant jet experimental data is collected where bottom boundary distances are sufficiently large to avoid boundary influence at the point where the discharge returns to its source height (the return point). Near-field centreline dilution data is measured under still ambient conditions, for the source inclinations of 15–75°. Considerable attention is paid to experimental data quality, and all relevant issues are mitigated where possible. In order to ensure the boundary has no influence, source heights in this study range between 2.33 d F0 and 8.07 d F0. A variety of time-averaged and temporal statistics are calculated, and these statistics are compared with published experimental data and predictions by integral models. Normalised trajectory and dilution data from the source through to the return point collapses well at each inclination. The attention to signal quality and the self-consistency of derived experimental results in this study suggest a high level of accuracy, and large distances to the bottom boundary ensure that results are not confused by boundary interaction. Data for dilution rate at the return point supports the use of higher source inclinations (60° and 75°) to maximise dilution capability. A new ‘forced jet’ model is developed that incorporates the concept of a reducing buoyancy flux as the flow rises to maximum height. While this model is not applicable above source inclinations of 60°, predictions at other inclinations are reasonable. Dilution predictions are notably improved when compared to those from existing integral models. Finally, CFD simulations of negatively buoyant jets are conducted using the k-ε turbulence model. Despite the sophistication of this model, the quality of spatial and dilution bulk flow predictions at the centreline maximum height are no better than those obtained from the forced jet model or analytical solutions of Kikkert et al. (2007).

Working with nanoscale optics requires methods and equipment designed for the purpose. This thesis describes the development of techniques and a system for performing highly localised spectroscopy. The system consists of a nanonics multiview 2000 scanning near-field optical microscope, a grating spectrometer and a photonic crystal fibre supercontinuum light source. Discussion of the microscope includes its modes of operation and development of software to collect and analyse data. In order to demonstrate the setup, an example of localised spectroscopy is presented in the form of an investigation of hollow core photonic crystal fibre. Taking spectra of the components of the cladding of these fibres makes it possible to investigate the origins of bandgap guidance. A core focus of nanoscale optics is the interaction of light with metal structures. This field is called plasmonics. Fabrication of structures is presented and requires special facilities and processes. These processes are both time consuming and expensive, both factors that emphasise the need for prior modelling. Forward difference time domain modelling of a proposed structure comprising of a concentrically arranged ring and disk is explored using home written code and a commercial package called CST Microwave Studio. The investigation of this concentric design through modelling shows a very highly localised field enhancement which can be engineered to have a narrow spectral resonance in the near infrared. The interaction of the two components which govern this resonance is explained using a theory called plasmon hybridization. Once the optical behaviour of small metal objects is understood they can be used in other ways. An example of this is shown in Porous Silicon. As a material it provides an excellent template for formation of metal nano-particles. Embedded in a high surface area network of silicon these particles can be used as very effcient catalysts.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The photochemistry of poly{p-phenylene[1-(tetrahydrothiophen-1-io)ethylene chloride]} (PPTEC), a water soluble precursor of the semiconducting polymer, poly{p-phenylenevinylene} (PPV), has been studied both under atmospheric conditions and in environments devoid of oxygen. UV-visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence data has been used to provide a picture of the mechanistic pathways involved in UV irradiation of the PPTEC material. A new quantitative model for the effect of UV irradiation upon film morphology is presented. The technique of near-field scanning optical lithography (NSOL) has been used to produce arbitrary structures of the semi-conducting polymer poly{p-phenylenevinylene} at sizes comparable with optical wavelengths. Structures on this scale are of interest for integrated optical devices and organic solar cells. The structures are characterised using AFM and SEM and examined in the context of the electric field distribution at the NSOM tip. The Bethe-Bouwkamp model for electric field distribution at an aperture has been used, in combination with the developed model for precursor solubility dependence on UV energy dose, to predict the characteristics of lithographic features produced by NSOL. Fine structure in the lithographic features that are characteristic of the technique are investigated and their origins explained. Suggestions for the improvement of the technique are made. Presented here for the first time is a device manufactured by the technique of NSOL functioning as an optical device. The technique of NSOL is used to manufacture an optical transmission phase grating (or phase mask) of PPV, this was done as a proof of concept for device manufacture by this method and to demonstrate the potential usefulness of the unique characteristics of the technique. The phase mask was characterised using AFM and SEM and examined in the context of how well a diffraction pattern matches with theoretical calculations.

In the literatures of investigating the coupling mechanism between laser diodes and fibers, Gaussian beam profile was used to describe the propagation of laser beams. But the real laser diode beams exist astigmatism. In order to understand the distributions of real laser diode beams, we used single-mode fiber interferometer to measure the near-field intensity and phase distributions of laser diodes. The nanometer aperture of taper fiber was used to scan through the horizontal and vertical directions across the maximal intensity point of the planes which were perpendicular to propagation axis to measure the intensity and phase distributions of laser diodes. In the measurement of phase distributions, these two single-mode fibers produced interference fringes through accepting laser beams. When the taper fiber scanned the optical field and the reference fiber kept a fixed distance from a laser diode for a stationary phase, the interference fringes shifted because of the phase difference of laser diodes change. In the measurement, in order to improve the stability of interference fringes and consider the aperture of taper fiber, we altered some experiment frameworks. There were four types of experimental framework. According to the experiment results of the near-field measurements, the measured beam widths along the horizontal and vertical directions at the laser diode facet were 4.11 £gm and 1.57 £gm respectively. The measured wavefront radius curvature were 6.59 £gm and 2.96 £gm in horizontal axis and vertical axis respectively. After Gaussian beam fitting, the beam widths along the horizontal and vertical directions at the laser diode facet were 4.04 £gm and 0.83 £gm respectively. The difference in beam widths between measured values and Gaussian fitting were 0.07 £gm and 0.74 £gm. The measured beam widths and the Gaussian beam curve fitting had similar results. We could see that the beam spread tendency in the z-axis for the laser beam which propagated in the z direction. In the phase distribution measurement, the measured wavefront radius curvatures and the theoretically calculated Gaussian beam values had a slight difference. The calculated wavefront radius curvatures at the laser diode facet were 11921.51 £gm and 3.48 £gm in horizontal axis and vertical axis respectively. They were 1809 times and 1.2 times of the measured values. The aperture of taper fiber was expanded because of the energy of laser beams, which also caused the spatial resolution degeneration. Moreover, the wavefront radius curvature in horizontal direction was biggish so the measurement framework also limited the ability of the phase distribution measurement. The above points were the reasons to cause the error of the phase distribution measurement. Furthermore, the measurement of the laser diode facet is under investigation.

This thesis presents a computational analysis of the magnetic field of low-frequency power transmission lines, and the approaches to its suppression. First, according to the structure of Taiwan's three-phase A.C. transmission network, this research calculated the distribution of conducting wires' magnetic field under specific configuration by applying the theories of Near-field effect, Biot Savart's law, and double complex number. Second, this research explored the features of various approaches to magnetic field suppression with magnetic-field vector analyses and Matlab simulations. Finally, two magnetic-field cancellation methods, the ¡§circuit space arrangement¡¨ and ¡§time phase permutations¡¨ were adopted to investigate their magnetic effects under various structures and combinations of transmission lines. This study reveals that the magnetic field can be effectively suppressed by using appropriate configuration of transmission lines in space and phase. By applying the result to the design and construction of transmission lines, we can meet not only the requirements of magnetic field reduction, but also the needs of the least cost.