No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Cotutela ICFO-Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya i Institut Fresnel-Université Aix-Marseille / In this PhD thesis, we study properties of stationary transverse magnetic polarized waves in structures built of a Kerr-type nonlinear dielectric layer, metal and linear dielectric layers. Although these waves, called here plasmon-solitons, have been studied for more than 30 years, there is still no experimental confirmation of their existence. The main reason being that, in all the configurations predicted so far, the nonlinear index modification required to observe plasmon-solitons corresponds to light intensities orders of magnitude higher than the damage threshold of typical nonlinear materials. The goal of this thesis is to improve the understanding of plasmon-solitons, so as to design structures that support these nonlinear waves at low power levels. Firstly, we study configurations with a semi-infinite nonlinear medium. We develop two semi-analytical models based on Maxwell's equations. The first model treats the Kerr-type nonlinearity in a simplified way, but allows us to obtain analytical expressions for both the field profiles and the nonlinear dispersion relation. The second model treats the nonlinearity in an exact way. It allows us to obtain an analytical expression for the nonlinear dispersion relation, but the field profiles in the nonlinear medium are found numerically. We study for the first time three-layer structures (nonlinear dielectric/metal/linear dielectric) for which the linear permittivities of the dielectric cladding are different on both sides of the metal. In these configurations, we find narrow regions of structure opto-geometric parameters in which low-power plasmon-solitons exist. Because our models are formulated for four-layer structures, they allow us to study for the first time configurations with an additional dielectric layer introduced between the nonlinear dielectric and the metal film. We provide dispersion diagrams and field plots for such structures with various parameters. The semi-analytical formulation of our models allows us to rapidly scan the phase space of the structure parameters. Using these scans, we report possible four-layer configurations with realistic parameters that support plasmon-solitons at power levels below the material damage threshold. Secondly, we study configurations called nonlinear slot waveguides, in which a finite-size nonlinear dielectric core is sandwiched between two semi-infinite metal cladding layers. We develop two models based on Maxwell's equations. The first model uses a simplified treatment of the Kerr nonlinearity, but provides analytical expressions for the field profiles and the nonlinear dispersion relations expressed in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions. The second model treats the Kerr nonlinearity in the exact way and allows us to obtain an analytical condition that reduces the parameter space in which the solutions for a given structure are numerically computed. We study the dispersion plots and the mode transformations along the dispersion curves for the symmetric nonlinear slot waveguides. Except for the first-order modes already known in such structures, we report the existence of higher-order modes. All the modes of the nonlinear slot waveguide can be divided in two families: a family of symmetric and antisymmetric modes with nodes that resemble the linear modes of a modified linear slot waveguide; and a family of symmetric and asymmetric node-less modes that do not have linear counterparts. We report that in the node-less family, the symmetric modes appear through a fold bifurcation and the asymmetric modes, appear from the symmetric modes through a Hopf bifurcation. We also study the effects of the core size and of the permittivity contrast between the core and the cladding on the dispersion diagrams. We show that a careful choice of these parameters may lead to nonlinear effects that can be observed at low powers. Finally, we study asymmetric nonlinear slot waveguides (with different permittivities of the two metal claddings). / El objetivo de esta tesis es la mejora en el conocimiento de los SP, así como el diseño de estructuras capaces de soportar estas ondas no lineales a bajos niveles de intensidad.En primer lugar, se ha estudiado la configuración correspondiente a un medio no lineal semiinfinito. Para ello se han desarrollado dos modelos semianalíticos basados en las ecuaciones de Maxwell. El primero trata la no linealidad de tipo Kerr de una manera sencilla, pero permite obtener expresiones analíticas para tanto los perfiles de campo como para las relaciones de dispersión no lineales. El segundo considera la no linealidad de un modo exacto. Esto permite obtener una expresión analítica de la mencionada relación de dispersión no lineal; sin embargo, los perfiles de campo han de ser obtenidos numéricamente. Se estudian también por primera vez estructuras de tres láminas (dieléctrico no lineal/metal/ dieléctrico lineal) en las que las constantes dieléctricas lineales del recubrimiento son distintas en ambos lados del metal. En estas estructuras se optimizan los parámetros y se obtienen pequeñas zonas con presencia de SP de baja energía. Puesto que los modelos están desarrollados para estructuras de cuatro láminas, se pueden estudiar por primera vez configuraciones con una lámina dieléctrica adicional situada entre el dieléctrico no lineal y el metal. Se proporcionan a su vez diagramas de dispersión y perfiles de campo para las anteriores estructuras en función de varios parámetros. La formulación semianalítica de los modelos permite hacer un rápido barrido del espacio fásico de los parámetros de la estructura. De este modo, se muestran configuraciones de cuatro láminas con unos parámetros realistas para la creación de los citados SP de baja energía.En segundo lugar, se han estudiado las guías de onda metálicas no lineales (GOMNL), en las que un núcleo dieléctrico no lineal de tamaño finito es intercalado entre dos láminas metálicas. Para ello se han desarrollado de nuevo dos modelos basados en las ecuaciones de Maxwell. El primero trata la no linealidad de tipo Kerr de un modo sencillo, pero proporciona expresiones analíticas para los perfiles de campo y las relaciones de dispersión no lineales mediante funciones elípticas de Jacobi. Por otra parte, el segundo modelo trata la no linealidad de tipo Kerr de un modo exacto y proporciona una condición analítica para la eliminación de una de las dimensiones del espacio fásico en el cual las soluciones son buscadas numéricamente. A su vez se estudian las curvas de dispersión así como sus posibles transformaciones de modo asociadas para las GOMNL. Además de los modos de primer orden típicos en este tipo de estructuras, se muestra la existencia de modos de orden superior. Todos los modos de las GOMNL pueden ser divididos en dos familias: la de los modos simétricos y antisimétricos con nodos que se asemejan a los modos lineales de una guía de onda metálica lineal modificada; y la de los modos simétricos y asimétricos sin nodos y que no se asemejan a ningún tipo de modos lineales. En esta última familia, los modos simétricos aparecen a través de una bifurcación silla-nodo y los asimétricos a través de una bifurcación de Hopf. Se estudian también los efectos producidos sobre los diagramas de dispersión al variar el tamaño del núcleo y el contraste dieléctrico entre el núcleo y el recubrimiento metálico.

This thesis addresses the inhomogeneity and the high SAR values associated with the state-of-art 7 T high field MR system. The high signal to noise ratio associated with such high field systems ≥ 7 T is a continuous driver to use such systems where high resolution images are acquired at short acquisition time. However, these systems come with many challenges. The central brightening effect in MR images indicates a B1 degraded field uniformity. For example, at 7 T with an operational electromagnetic frequency of 298 MHz the wavelength is about 12 cm in tissues. At such short wavelengths, circuit and electromagnetic theory will be invalid an analytical solution and is no longer feasible to predict magnetic field distribution. In this thesis the full wave method, Transmission Line Modelling (TLM) technique is used in conjunction with Tikhonov regularisation inverse method in order to optimise phases and amplitude of elementary drive currents of four different coils for optimal uniformity and low SAR values. Two dimensional 8 and 16 rungs birdcage-like coils were first optimised. Then the optimisation was carried out for the three dimensional problem for 8 and 16 rungs birdcage-like coils and then compared to 32 and 64 multi-element coils. The travelling wave approach is a recent approach to overcome field inhomogeneity and high SAR values. An Antenna is used to couple head/body to a travelling wave RF signal. Using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method, a patch antenna has been designed, and the effect of using matching load for maximising the power flow in the magnet bore, field uniformity and reducing SAR values in the head have been explored. An end tapered waveguide has been designed for local imaging and tested on the 7 T Philips Acheiva system. Further developments have been suggested for the end tapered waveguide by suggesting the design of a dielectric transformer. It is envisaged that the waveguide approach is ideally suited for a multi-transmit system which would employ a number of waveguide ports.

A field-gradient torque magnetometer has been designed and constructed which measures the magnetic moment of isotropic superconductors using a Quantum Design torque chip. The magnetometer fits onto the base of an Oxford Instruments Heliox probe; thus the temperature range is 300 mK to 20 K, in magnetic fields up to 15 T. The superconductors measured on the torque magnetometer in vacuum were NbTi wire, PbMo(_6)S(_8), and Pb(_0.75)Eu(_0.25)Mo(_6)S(_8) as a function of magnetic field, magnetic field- gradient and temperature. The utility of the torque magnetometer was demonstrated by determining the critical current density (J(_c)) and the upper critical field (B(_c2)(0)) of the samples. These superconducting properties were compared with the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) values, for the same samples. The change in the superconducting parameters and properties of Pb(_1-x)Eu(_x)Mo(_6)S(_8), for x = 0.0 & 0.25 were investigated. The samples were fabricated using two different heat treatment methods, which finished with hot isostatic pressing (HIP'ing) at 2000 bar and 800 C for 8 hours. To characterise the superconductors, ac resistivity, ac susceptibility, specific heat and magnetic measurements were carried out, as a function of magnetic field and temperature. From the magnetisation data, the GL parameter (k) and the Sommerfeld constant (y) were determined for the magnetic superconductor x = 0.25. For both samples, k was determined in the temperature range 6 K to T(_c), from the magnetisation data. For x = 0.0 & 0.25, the critical temperature (T(_c)), the upper critical field (B(_c2(0)), the critical current density (J(_c)) and the irreversibility fields (B(_irr)) were determined from the experimental data.