About fifty years ago, research began in the field of computational human phantoms primarily for radiation dose calculations. This field has grown exponentially due to the potential for solving complicated medical problems. Modeling electromagnetic, structural, thermal, and acoustic response of the human body to different internal and external stimuli has been limited by the availability of numerically efficient computational human models. This study describes the recent development of a computational full-body human phantom €“ Visible Human Project (VHP) €“ Female Model. This human phantom has been validated for certain frequencies in the ISM band and beyond. The anatomical accuracy of the phantom is established by comparing the CAD phantom with the original VHP image dataset. This thesis also applies the VHP €“ Female CAD Model (version 3.1) for investigating the effects of MRI radiation. The simulation environment ANSYS HFSS is used for studying the effects of RF birdcage coil on the human phantom. Finally, a non-ionizing technique for osteoporosis detection is investigated numerically.

We have numerically investigated the influence of a nanoscale silicon tip in proximity to an illuminated gold nanoparticle. We describe how the position of the high-permittivity tip and the size of a nanoparticle impact the absorption, peak electric field and surface plasmon resonance wavelength under different illumination conditions. We detail the finite element method (FEM) approach we have used for this, whereby we specify a volume excitation field analytically and calculate the difference between this source field and the total field (i.e., scattered-field formulation). We show that a nanoscale tip can locally enhance the absorption of the particle as well as the peak electric field at length scales far smaller than the wavelength of the incident light.

No description available.

The interaction of an evanescent wave and plasmonic nanostructures are simulated in Finite Element Method. Specifically, the optical absorption cross section (Cabs) of a silver nanoparticle (AgNP) and a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) in the presence of metallic (gold) and dielectric (silicon) atomic force microscope (AFM) probes are numerically calculated in COMSOL. The system was illuminated by a transverse magnetic polarized, total internally reflected (TIR) waves or propagating surface plasmon (SP) wave. Both material nanoscale probes localize and enhance the field between the apex of the tip and the particle. Based on the absorption cross section equation the author was able to demonstrate the increment of absorption cross section when the Si tip was brought closer to the AuNP, or when the Si tip apex was made larger. However, the equation was not enough to predict the absorption modification under metallic tips, especially for a AgNP's Cabs; neither it was possible to estimate the optical absorption based on the localized enhanced field caused by a gold tip. With the help of the driven damped harmonic oscillator equation, the Cabs of nanoparticles was explained. In addition, this model was applicable for both TIR and Surface Plasmon Polaritons illuminations. Fitting the numerical absorption data to a driven damped harmonic oscillator (HO) model revealed that the AFM tip modifies both the driving force (F0), consisting of the free carrier charge and the driving field, and the overall damping of the oscillator beta. An increased F0 or a decreased beta will result in an increased Cabs and vice versa. Moreover, these effects of F0 and beta can be complementary or competing, and they combine to either enhance or suppress absorption. Hence, a significantly higher beta with a small increment in F0 will result in an absorption suppression. Therefore, under a Si tip, Cabs of a AuNP is enhanced while Cabs of a AgNP is suppressed. In contrast, a Au tip suppresses the Cabs for both Au and Ag NPs. As an extension of this absorption model, further investigation of the guided mode and a close by nanostructure is proposed, where the scattered wave off the structure attenuates the guided mode with destructive interference.

Dans ce travail, les propriétés des réseaux diffractifs ordonnés de nanoparticules d'or sont étudiées numériquement et expérimentalement. Ces résonances sont beaucoup plus étroites que celles observées dans le cas d'une nanoparticule isolée. D'après les simulations numériques, deux régimes distincts de réponse sont identifiés, l'un correspond à l'anomalie de Rayleigh (RA) l'autre au mode plasmon de réseau 2D (LPM). Dans la partie expérimentale nous avons fabriqué des réseaux de nanoparticules d'or en utilisant la lithographie d'électronique. La transmission spectrale a été mesurée dans le domaine optique pour caractériser ces réseaux. Toutes les caractéristiques essentielles des spectres expérimentaux sont en bon accord avec les simulations numériques. Les distributions du champ électrique pour différents paramètres de réseau sont étudiées pour obtenir le maximum d'augmentation du champ à la surface de la nanoparticule. L'excitation des résonances plasmon dans les réseaux diffractifs de nanoparticules d'or en condition asymétrique de l'indice de réfraction est examinée expérimentalement. L'excitation des modes plasmon à profil spectral étroit dans l'environnement asymétrique a été expérimentalement vérifiée. La possibilité d'accorder la longueur d'onde de ces résonances dans le proche infrarouge en changeant les paramètres structurels des réseaux périodiques en combinant taille et forme des nanoparticules est discutée. Ces résultats sont importants pour les applications telles que les spectroscopies en champ électrique exalté et la détection en biologie ou en chimie. / The properties of ordered diffractive arrays of gold nanoparticles are studied numerically and experimentally. Using numerical simulations I identify, two distinct regimes of lattice response, associated with two-characteristic states of the spectra: Rayleigh anomaly and lattice plasmon mode. In experimental part gold nanoparticle arrays were fabricated using e-beam lithography. Spectroscopic transmission measurements then were carried out to optically characterize these arrays. All the essential features of the experimental spectra were reproduced well by numerical simulations. Electric field distributions for different lattice parameters are studied in order to maximize the enhancement of electric field at the nanoparticle surface. The excitation of plasmon resonances in diffractive arrays of gold nanoparticles placed in asymmetric refractive index environment is examined experimentally. The excitation of the plasmon modes with narrow spectral profile in asymmetric environment was experimentally verified. The ability to tune the wavelength of these resonances in the near infrared range by varying the structural parameters of the periodic arrays in combination with size and geometry of the constituent nanoparticles is discussed. The presented results are of importance for the field enhanced spectroscopy as well as for plasmonic bio and chemical sensing.

No description available.

Radars, as the name suggests, were traditionally used for Radio Detection and Ranging. Nevertheless, advances in high resolution electromagnetic simulations, Ultra Wide-Band sources, signal processing and computer technologies have resulted in a possible perception of radars as sensors for target discrimination. In this thesis, the feasibility of discrimination between targets even with minor variations in structure and material composition on the basis of radar echoes is effectively demonstrated. It is well-known that the echoes from any target are affected by its natural frequencies which are dependent only on the shape and material composition of the target, and independent of the aspect angle or the incident waveform. The E-pulse technique is based on the fact that incident waveforms can be designed that uniquely annihilate the echoes from chosen regions of a target, and forms the basis of the method of discrimination proposed in this thesis. Earlier methods reported in the literature, effectively discriminated only between different classes of targets with substantial variations in the overall dimensions of the body. Discrimination of targets of the same class with a minor structural modification or with a material coating on specific areas was rather difficult. This thesis attempts and successfully validates a method which comprehensively addresses this problem. The key idea of this method is to use the higher frequency resonances (which characterise the finer details of a target) in the E-pulse technique. An obviously important aspect of target discrimination is therefore that of precisely estimating the natural frequencies for each target and understanding the changes in these frequencies, and their associations with the changes in structure and material composition. Current approaches to determine these frequencies are either based In the time or frequency domains. While the latter approach comprises the computation of the roots of a related determinantal equation, in the time domain, the natural frequencies are extracted from the response of a target to an impulse. Such a response can either be generated from actual experiments or by simulating the scattering response using Computational Electromagnetic (CEM) techniques. In this work, the impulse response is obtained from the frequency response of the scatterers in the frequency range of interest. Since no single CEM technique can effectively cover the entire range of frequencies needed for the E-Pulse synthesis. The Method of Moments and Physical Optics have been used for low and high frequency scattering respectively. The results obtained using the latter technique are validated by comparing with those obtained using Method of Moments at the transition frequencies and Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD). The natural frequencies (i.e., poles of a corresponding transfer function) are extracted from the impulse response using Prony's algorithm. One of the parameters in this method is the number of such poles (i.e.. the order of the transfer function) present in the response, and the accuracy of the computed pole values depends on this assumed order. Here, the Hankel singular values of a transfer function is used to estimate the number of poles. This in turn implies that a specific norm of the error between a transfer function corresponding to the frequency response generated earlier, and a transfer function with an assumed order obtained using Prony's method is minimised. In the thesis, a wide range of target shapes are considered for purposes of illustration: wires, cylinders, spheres, plates and complex bodies such as aircraft, and the discrimination capability is demonstrated by introducing minor perturbations in their shape and/or material composition. .The following cases are considered here: (a) Wires: Conducting wires with a protrusion in one segment; conducting wire from another coated with a dielectric in a segment, (b) Cylinders: Conducting cylinders with one perturbed; conducting cylinders with a portion scrapped off in the middle, (c) Plates: Conducting plates with a elongation on one comer; conducting plate with another one with a hole in the centre, (d) Spheres: Conducting spheres with different radii; conducting spheres with Radar Absorbing Material coated spheres with different coating thickness; conducting spheres with chiral coated spheres with varying coating thickness, (e) Aircraft: Canonical model of MiG-29 aircraft from a similar one with stores placed under the wing.

The emergence of Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology application has yielded tremendous and vital impacts in the field of microwave wireless communications. These applications include military radar imaging, security screening, and tumour detection, especially for early detection of breast cancer. These indicators have stimulated and inspired many researchers to make the best use of this promising technology. UWB technology challenges such as antenna design, the problem of imaging reconstruction techniques, challenges of severe signal attenuation and dispersion in high loss material. Others are lengthy computational time demand and large computer memory requirements are prevalent constraints that need to be tackled especially in a large scale and complex computational electromagnetic analysis. In this regard, it is necessary to find out recently developed optimisation techniques that can provide solutions to these problems. In this thesis, designing, optimisation, development, measurement, and analysis of UWB antennas for near-field microwave imaging applications are considered. This technology emulates the same concept of surface penetrating radar operating in various forms of the UWB spectrum. The initial design of UWB monopole antennas, including T-slots, rectangular slots, and hexagonal slots on a circular radiating patch, was explicitly implemented for medical imaging applications to cover the UWB frequency ranging from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. Based on this concept, a new bow-tie and Vivaldi UWB antennas were designed for a through-the-wall imaging application. The new antennas were designed to cover a spectrum on a lower frequency ranging from 1 GHz - 4 GHz to ease the high wall losses that will be encountered when using a higher frequency range and to guarantee deeper penetration of the electromagnetic wave. Finally, both simulated and calculated results of the designed, optimised antennas indicate excellent agreement with improved performance in terms of return loss, gain, radiation pattern, and fidelity over the entire UWB frequency. These breakthroughs provided reduced computational time and computer memory requirement for useful, efficient, reliable, and compact sensors for imaging applications, including security and breast cancer detection, thereby saving more lives. / Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET Fund) Supported by the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)