Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The topic for this project entailed the development of a ‘Low Phase Noise – Microwave – Voltage Controlled Oscillator’ for use in radar applications. First of all, a low phase noise oscillator was designed. In order to minimise the phase noise of the oscillator, a high-Q, transmission line – cavity resonator was developed. By derivation it was confirmed that an optimal point for minimum phase noise does exist. The latter was done by evaluating the equation for the output power spectral density of the oscillator phase noise (as defined by Leeson’s Phase Noise Model) at its minimum point. Subsequently, the amount of power that needed to be dissipated inside the resonator could be compared to that dissipated in the source and the load. This identified the amount of coupling to the resonator allowed, assuring minimum phase noise. Since a specific amount of coupling to the resonator was sought after, it had to be practically feasible. Therefore several coupling techniques were investigated to ensure the most user-friendly way of tuning the amount of coupling to the resonator, and hence easily reaching the optimum point of minimum phase noise. After successful completion of the low phase noise oscillator design, it was modified for voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) use by means of variable tuning diodes. These varactor diodes were situated inside the cavity of the resonator. Again the most suitable position to place the diodes had to be determined. The latter was done through considerably detailed transmission line theory; where the loaded Q, the tuning bandwidth (amount of change in frequency reached) and the amount of power dissipated inside the resonator were measured against each other. By means of the necessary phase noise measurements, it was confirmed that in order to keep the phase noise to a minimum, the tuning bandwidth had to be kept small and the amount of power dissipated inside the resonator maximised; so as to keep the overall loaded Q-value of the circuit as high as possible.

Today's information and communication industry is confronted with a serious bottleneck due to the prohibitive energy consumption and limited transmission bandwidth of electrical interconnects. Silicon photonics offers an alternative by transferring data optically and thereby eliminating the restriction of electrical interconnects over distance and bandwidth. Due to the inherent advantage of using the same material as that used for the electronic circuitry, silicon photonics also promises high volume and low cost production plus the possibility of integration with electronics. In this thesis, I introduce an all-silicon optical interconnect architecture that promises very high integration density along with very low energy consumption. The basic building block of this architecture is a vertically coupled photonic crystal cavity-waveguide system. This vertically coupled system acts as a highly wavelength selective filter. By suitably designing the waveguide and the cavity, at resonance wavelength of the cavity, large drop in transmission can be achieved. By locally modulating the material index of the cavity electrically, the resonance wavelength of the cavity can be tuned to achieve modulation in the transmission of the waveguide. The detection scheme also utilizes the same vertically coupled system. By creating crystal defects in silicon in the cavity region, wavelength selective photodetection can be achieved. This unique vertical coupling scheme also allows us to cascade multiple modulators and detectors coupled to a single waveguide, thus offering huge channel scalability and design and fabrication simplicity. During this project, I have implemented this vertical coupling scheme to demonstrate modulation with extremely low operating energy (0.6 fJ/bit). Furthermore, I have demonstrated cascadeability and multichannel operation by using a comb laser as the source that simultaneously drives five channels. For photodetection, I have realized one of the smallest wavelength selective detector with responsivity of 0.108 A/W at 10 V reverse bias with a dark current of 9.4 nA. By cascading such detectors I have also demonstrated a two-channel demultiplexer.

This thesis studies a new class of high gain planar resonant cavity antennas based on metamaterial surfaces. High-gain planar antennas are becoming increasing popular due to their significant advantages (e.g. low profile, small weight and low cost). Metamaterial surfaces have emerged over the last few years as artificial structures that provide properties and functionalities not readily available from existing materials. This project addresses novel applications of innovative metamaterial surfaces on the design of high-gain planar antennas. A ray analysis is initially employed in order to describe the beamfonning action of planar resonant cavity antennas. The phase equations of resonance predict the possibility of low-profile/subwavelength resonant cavity antennas and tilted beams. The reduction of the resonant cavity profile can be obtained by virtue of novel metamaterial ground planes. Furthermore, the EBG property of metamaterial ground planes would suppress the surface waves and obtain lower backlobes. By suppressing the TEM mode in a resonant cavity, a novel aperture-type EBG Partially Reflective Surface (PRS) is utilized to get low sidelobes in both planes (E-plane and H-plane) in a relatively finite structure. The periodicity optimization of PRS to obtain a higher maximum directivity is also investigated. Also it is shown that antennas with unique tilted beams are achieved without complex feeding mechanism. Rectangular patch antennas and dipole antennas are employed as excitations of resonant cavity antennas throughout the project. Three commercial electromagnetic simulation packages (Flomerics Microstripes ™ ver6.S, Ansoft HFSSTM ver9.2 and Designer ™ ver2.0) are utilized during the rigorous numerical computation. Related measurements are presented to validate the analysis and simulations.

Complex networks are an important class of models used to describe the behaviour of a very broad category of systems which appear in different fields of science ranging from physics, biology and statistics to computer science and other disciplines. This set of models includes spin systems on a graph, neural networks, decision networks, spreading disease, financial trade, social networks and all systems which can be represented as interacting agents on some sort of graph architecture. In this thesis, by using the theoretical framework of statistical mechanics, the equilibrium and the dynamical behaviour of such systems is studied. For the equilibrium case, after presenting the region graph free energy approximation, the Survey Propagation method, previously used to investi- gate the low temperature phase of complex systems on tree-like topologies, is extended to the case of loopy graph architectures. For time-dependent behaviour, both discrete-time and continuous-time dynamics are considered. It is shown how to extend the cavity method ap- proach from a tool used to study equilibrium properties of complex systems to the discrete-time dynamical scenario. A closure scheme of the dynamic message-passing equation based on a Markovian approximations is presented. This allows to estimate non-equilibrium marginals of spin models on a graph with reversible dynamics. As an alternative to this approach, an extension of region graph variational free energy approximations to the non-equilibrium case is also presented. Non-equilibrium functionals that, when minimized with constraints, lead to approximate equations for out-of-equilibrium marginals of general spin models are introduced and discussed. For the continuous-time dynamics a novel approach that extends the cav- ity method also to this case is discussed. The main result of this part is a Cavity Master Equation which, together with an approximate version of the Master Equation, constitutes a closure scheme to estimate non-equilibrium marginals of continuous-time spin models. The investigation of dynamics of spin systems is concluded by applying a quasi-equilibrium approach to a sim- ple case. A way to test self-consistently the assumptions of the method as well as its limits is discussed. In the final part of the thesis, analogies and differences between the graph- ical model approaches discussed in the manuscript and causal analysis in statistics are presented. / <p>QC 20160904</p>

In my thesis I focused on the relationship between the influence of risk factors and the dental health status. The evaluation of the results was made on the basis of testing and verification of the set hypotheses, using my own graphs and statistical evaluation (in the program Statistica 6.0). For the research I used the data of 613 dental patients. I could draw these data from the provided file of their medical cards. The study is divided into the theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part I focused on the anatomical structure of teeth, on dental caries, dental stone, and their creation and prevention. A large part of my work is dedicated to disease of the oral cavity and its hygiene. In this section I deal with various types of periodontal diseases (chronica of gingivitis, periodontitis) and their prevention. The practical part deals with the hypotheses themselves. I set seven hypotheses. The set hypotheses focus on risk factors, namely sex, residence, age, oral hygiene, frequency of preventive medical examinations, and illnesses which the patients suffer from. I evaluated the influence of these risk factors with regard to the cariosity and overall dental health of the dental patients. The results show that there is a difference in the state of the dental health according to the gender (the...

La simulation d'écoulements dans des cavités cylindriques en rotation présente une difficulté particulière en raison de l'apparition de singularités sur l'axe. Le présent travail propose une méthode collocative pseudospectrale suffisamment efficace et précise pour surmonter cette difficulté et résoudre les équations 3D de Navier-Stokes écrites en coordonnées cylindriques. Cette méthode a été développée dans le cadre des différentes études menées au laboratoire M2P2, utilisant une méthode collocative de type Chebychev dans les directions radiale et axiale et Fourier-Galerkin dans la direction azimutale [thêta]. Pour éviter de prescrire des conditions sur l'axe, une nouvelle approche a été développée. Le domaine de calcul est défini par (r,[thêta],z)&#8712;[-1,1]×[0,2π]×[-1,1] avec un nombre N pair de points de collocation dans la direction radiale. Ainsi, r=0 n'est pas un point de collocation. La distribution de points de type Gauss-Lobatto selon r et z densifie le maillage seulement près des parois ce qui rend l'algorithme bien adapté pour simuler les écoulements dans des cavités cylindriques en rotation. Dans la direction azimutale, le chevauchement des points dû à la discrétisation est évitée par l'introduction d'un décalage égal à π/2K à [thêta]>π dans la transformée de Fourier. La méthode conserve la convergence spectrale. Des comparaisons avec des résultats expérimentaux et numériques de la littérature montrent un très bon accord pour des écoulements induits par la rotation d'un disque dans des cavités cylindriques fermées. / When simulating flows in cylindrical rotating cavities, a difficulty arises from the singularities appearing on the axis. In the same time, the flow field itself does not have any singularity on the axis and this singularity is only apparent. The present work proposes an efficient and accurate collocation pseudospectral method for solving the 3D Navier-Stokes equations using cylindrical coordinates. This method has been developed in the framework of different studies of rotor-stator flows, using Chebyshev collocation in the radial and axial directions and Fourier-Galerkin approximation in the azimuthal periodic direction [thêta]. To avoid the difficulty on the axis without prescribing any pole and parity conditions usually required, a new approach has been developed. The calculation domain is defined as (r,[thêta];,z)&#8712;[-1,1]×[0,2π]×[-1,1] using an even number N of collocation points in the radial direction. Thus, r=0 is not a collocation point. The method keeps the spectral convergence. The grid-point distribution densifies the mesh only near the boundaries that makes the algorithm well-suited to simulate rotating cavity flows where thin layers develop along the walls. In the azimuthal direction, the overlap in the discretization is avoided by introducing a shift equal to π/2K for [thêta]>π in the Fourier transform. Comparisons with reliable experimental and numerical results of the literature show good quantitative agreements for flows driven by rotating discs in cylindrical cavities. Associated to a Spectral Vanishing Viscosity, the method provides very promising LES results of turbulent cavity flows with or without heat transfer.

A mesh-less method for solving incompressible, multi-phase flow problems has been developed and is discussed along with the presentation of benchmark results showing good agreement with theoretical and experimental results. Results of a systematic, parametric study of the single phase flow around a 2D circular cylinder at Reynolds numbers up to 1000 are presented and discussed. Simulation results show good agreement with experimental results. Extension of the method to deal with multiphase flow including liquid-to-vapor phase transition along with applications to cavitating flow are discussed. Insight gleaned from numerical experiments of the cavity closure problem are discussed along with recommendations for additional research. Several conclusions regarding the use of the method are made.

A two-dimensional (2-D), mathematical model is adopted to investigate the development of circulation patterns for compressible, laminar, and shear driven flow inside a rectangular cavity. The bottom of the cavity is free to move at a specified speed and the aspect ratio of the cavity is changed from 1.0 to 1.5. The vertical sides and the bottom of the cavity are assumed insulated. The cavity is filled with a compressible fluid with Prandtl number, Pr =1. The governing equations are solved numerically using the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) package ANSYS FLUENT 2015 and compared with the results for the primitive variables of the problem obtained using in house CFD code based on Coupled Modified Strongly Implicit Procedure (CMSIP). The simulations are carried out for the unsteady, lid driven cavity flow problem with moving boundary (bottom) for different Reynolds number, Mach numbers, bottom velocities and high initial pressure and temperature.

Nous présentons la combinaison de la propagation de la lumière lente avec les propriétés de résonance d'une cavité à cristal photonique et par le mode lent d'un guide d'ondes à cristal photonique. Nous démontrons théoriquement et expérimentalement que la lumière lente générée par les oscillations cohérentes des populations (OCP) permet d'avoir une cavité de petite taille et ultra-haute facteur de qualité (Q), quels que soient les enjeux technologiques et de design. La démonstration expérimentale est réalisée dans une cavité L3 dans un cristal photonique (CPh) bidimensionnel avec puits quantiques semi-conducteurs, milieu actif dans lequel l'effet OCP est induit. Nous obtenons une facteur-Q de la cavité de 520000 qui correspond à une amélioration de 138 en comparant avec le facteur-Q initial de la cavité. Nous présentons une approche théorique à la combinaison de la lumière lente obtenue par l'effet OCP et le mode lent dans des guides d'ondes à CPh, ce qui montre que l'indice du groupe total correspond à une multiplication des indices de groupes associés à la lumière lente générée par OCP et aux modes lents des guides d'ondes. Nous avons aussi posé les bases pour la démonstration expérimentale, faisant la conception et de la fabrication des échantillons dans les salles blanches du LPN et abordant la difficulté du couplage et de l'extraction de la lumière dans les guides d'ondes à CPh. Une conception particulière des guides d'ondes sous forme de un super réseau qui permet de coupler la lumière perpendiculairement au plan du CPh à partir de l'espace libre est proposée. Le coupleur vertical a été connu et fabriqué le long du guide et a été expérimentalement caractérisé. L'investigation expérimentale de la combinaison de lumière lente basée sur l'effet OCP dans les guides à CPh est toujours en cours. / We report on the combination of slow light propagation with the resonance properties of a photonic crystal (PhC) cavity and with the slow mode of a PhC waveguide. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that slow light induced by the Coherent Population Oscillation (CPO) effect enables to have small-size and ultrahigh quality (Q) factor cavity, regardless of the technological and design issues. The experimental proof is performed in a L3 2D PhC cavity with semiconductor quantum wells as active, medium in which the CPO effect is induced. We achieve a cavity Q-factor of 520000, which corresponds to an enhancement by a factor 138 in comparison with the original Q-factor of the cavity. We present a theoretical approach to the combination of CPO-based slow light and slow mode in PhC waveguides, showing that the total group index is a multiplication of the group indices associated respectively to the CPO slow light and to the waveguide slow mode. We also set the basis for the experimental demonstration by designing and fabricating samples in the clean room facilities of LPN and addressing the challenging issue of coupling and extracting light in and from the waveguides. A particular design of the PhC in the waveguide is issued as a grating that allows to couple light perpendicularly to the plane of the PhC from free space. The vertical coupler has also been designed and fabricated along the waveguide and has been experimentally characterized. Slow light based on CPO effect in the PhC waveguides is always under experimental investigation.

La détection de cavités en milieu urbain est importante pour prévenir différentes causes d'accidents liés à des possibles effondrements. Les cavités sont aussi des cibles d'intérêts pour les archéologues, car les cavités oubliées sont de potentielles sources de matériel révélant des usages passés. Ces cavités sont de tailles différentes, d'origine anthropique ou non, en milieu extérieur ou sous des bâtiments. Leur taille, ainsi que les propriétés physiques du milieu extérieur dans lequel elles se situent, permettent l'utilisation de différentes méthodes géophysiques. Nous nous sommes concentrés sur l'utilisation de deux méthodes géophysiques, le radar de sol et la tomographie par mesures de résistivité électrique, pour localiser et déterminer les cavités métriques à sub-métrique dans le proche sous-sol (6 premiers mètres). Les mesures de radar de sol sont sensibles aux variations de permittivité diélectrique entre la cavité et le milieu extérieur. Nous montrons par des modélisations numériques un effet sur l'amplitude de la réfléchie en fonction du déport qui permet de discriminer entre une cavité vide et une cavité pleine d'eau. Nous étudions aussi l'amplitude de la réfléchie à incidence normale sur le toit d'une cavité à section carrée en fonction de sa profondeur et de sa taille. Nous mettons en évidence une relation logarithmique profondeur versus taille de cavité pour laquelle l'amplitude de la réfléchie est maximum pour les fréquences de prospection typiques du radar de sol. Par ailleurs nous confirmons qu'alors que les mesures radar permettent de déterminer avec précision les dimensions d'une anomalie dans un sous-sol homogène et peu conducteur, les mesures de résistivité électrique permettent elles de déterminer des zones de hautes résistivités à l'emplacement des cavités. Nous couplons ces deux méthodes géophysiques dans deux études de cas, en utilisant la profondeur des interfaces déterminées sur des radargrammes pour contraindre les modèles de résistivité inversés par l'ajout d'information a priori. / The detection of cavities in urban areas is important to prevent different causes of accidents related to possible collapse. The cavities are also interesting targets to archaeologists because forgotten cavities are potential sources of material revealing past uses. These cavities are of different sizes, of anthropogenic origin or not, in an outdoor setting or under buildings. Their size and the physical properties of the external environment in which they are located, allow the use of different geophysical methods. We focused on the use of two of them, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), to locate and determine cavities in the near subsurface (first 6 meters). GPR data are sensitive to variations in dielectric permittivity between the cavity and the external environment. We show by numerical modelling an effect on the amplitude of the reflected signal depending on the offset which could enable discrimination between an empty cavity and a cavity filled with water. We also study the amplitude of the reflected wave at normal incidence on the roof of a cavity of square cross section in terms of its depth and size. We show a logarithmic relationship between the cavity size and its depth at which the amplitude of the reflection is maximum for frequencies of typical exploration with GPR. Furthermore, we confirm that while GPR data determine accurately the size of an anomaly in homogeneous low conductive medium, ERT helps to determine areas with high resistivity at the location of cavities. We combine these two geophysical methods in two case studies, using the depth of interfaces detected on radargrams as a priori information to constrain the inversion of electrical resistivity models.