The Speedy Delivery (SD) waveform was introduced in patent US 6,441,695 B1 issued August 27, 2002 to the inventor Dr. Robert Flake. In the most basic form, the SD boundary condition is an exponential, D⋅e [superscript α⋅t] . The propagating waveform is described by an analytic, closed form solution of the wave equation in lossy media and has several very special properties. The most surprising property is that the leading edge of the waveform propagates with attenuation but without distortion. The lack of distortion occurs even in lossy transmission media with frequency dependent parameters. This is unlike any other known pulse shape. Additionally, varying the waveforms parameter, α, can vary the propagation velocity and the attenuation of the waveform. Because the exponential waveform is unbounded it cannot continue indefinitely and must be truncated and closed by a non-SD closing edge. This dissertation discusses the transmission behavior and two applications of truncated SD waveforms. A brief analysis of SD propagation in lossy transmission lines is presented and some practical considerations associated with truncating the SD waveforms are addressed. The parameters needed to describe the propagation of the SD waveform are defined and techniques for determining their values are presented. Finally, examples applying these truncated SD waveforms to time domain reflectometry and Communication Technology are presented. / text

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems are increasingly being used for the detection and location of buried objects within the upper regions of the earth’s surface. The antenna is the most critical component of such a system. This thesis presents a comprehensive study of resistor-loaded planar dipole antennas for GPR applications using both theory and experiments. The theoretical analysis is performed using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) technique. The analysis starts with the most popular planar dipole, the bow-tie. A parametric study is done to find out how the flare angle, length, and lumped resistors of the antenna should be selected to achieve broadband properties and good target detection with less clutter. The screening of the antenna and the position of transmitting and receiving antennas with respect to each other and ground surface are also studied. A number of other planar geometrical shapes are considered and compared with the bow-tie in order to find what geometrical shape gives the best performance. The FDTD simulations are carried out for both lossless and lossy, dispersive grounds. Also simulations are carried out including surface roughness and natural clutter like rocks and twigs to make the modeling more realistic. Finally, a pair of resistor-loaded bow-tie antennas is constructed and both indoor and outdoor measurements are carried out to validate the simulation results. / <p>QC 20100923</p>