The surface (photosphere) of the Sun is threaded throughout by magnetic fields. Groups of magnetic fields form magnetic features (of a wide range of sizes in flux and area) on the surface where the fields are directed into or out of the Sun. The aim of this thesis is to examine in detail the four key processes, emergence, cancellation, fragmentation and coalescence, which determine the behaviour of small-scale magnetic features, in the Sun's photosphere. I identify features in both Hinode/NFI and SOHO/MDI full-disk to enable these processes to be examined at the currently smallest observable scales and over an entire solar cycle. The emerging event frequency versus flux distribution, for intranetwork emerging regions to active regions, is found to follow a power-law distribution with index -2.50, which spans nearly 7 orders of magnitude in flux (10¹⁶ - 10²³ Mx) and 18 orders of magnitude in frequency. The global rate of flux emergence is found to be 3.9 x 10²⁴ Mx day⁻¹. Since the slope of all emerged fluxes is less than -2 this implies that most of the new flux that is fed into the solar atmosphere is from small-scale emerging events. This single power-law distribution over all emerged fluxes suggest a scale-free dynamo, therefore indicating that in addition to dynamo actions in the tachocline producing sunspots, a turbulent dynamo may act throughout the convection zone. Similarly for cancellations I find a power-law relationship between the frequency of cancellation and the peak flux lost per cancelling event (for events detected in both Hinode/NFI and SOHO/MDI full-disk), with slope -2.10. Again, the process of cancellation appears to be scale free and the slope is less than -2 indicating that numerous small-scale features are cancelling the majority of flux on the Sun. I also estimate the frequency of all surface processes at solar maximum and find, 1.3 x 10⁸, 4.5 x 10⁷, 4.0 x 10⁷ and 3.6 x 10⁶ events per day over the whole surface for emergence, cancellation, fragmentation and coalescence events, respectively. All the surface processes are found to behave in a similar manner over all flux scales. The majority of events for all processes occur in features with flux below 10²º Mx, which highlights the dynamic nature of the magnetic carpet. Using SOHO/MDI full-disk data I investigate the cyclic variation of the 4 key processes throughout cycle 23. It is found that the rate of emerging events, cancellations, fragmentations and coalescences varied in anti-phase with the solar cycle by factors of 3.4, 3.1, 2.4 and 2.2, respectively over the cycle. Not surprisingly, therefore, the number of network features detected throughout the cycle also exhibits an anti-phase variation over the solar cycle by a factor of 1.9. The mean peak flux of tracked small-scale network, fragmenting, coalescing and cancelling features showed in-phase relationships with the solar cycle by factors of 1.4, 1.7, 2.4 and 1.2, respectively. The total flux which is emerged and cancelled by small-scale events, varied in anti-phase with the solar cycle, by factors of 1.9 and 3.2. This is clearly due to the variation in the number of emerging and cancelling events and the fact that the flux of individual emerging events showed no cyclic variation. The results in this thesis show that the large-scale solar cycle plays a complex role in the surface processes features undergo. The fact that the number of ephemeral regions emerging has an anti-phase variation to the solar cycle has a knock-on effect in the number of features which are available to undergo surface processes. Also decaying active regions, during more active periods, contribute more small-scale features, with high flux density, into the network which has an effect on the surface processes. This work has revealed the significant importance of small-scale features in the flux budget through continual emergence and cancellation, plus highlighted how through dynamic surface motions, small-scale features form the fundamental components with which the network is developed.

This thesis describes the design and construction of a novel two-phase spherical electric machine that generates rotating uniform magnetic fields, known as a fluxball machine. Alternative methods for producing uniform magnetic fields with air-cored solenoidal magnets are discussed and evaluated. Analytical and numerical models of these alternatives are described and compared. The design details of material selection, slot geometry, and mechanical connections are described for the fluxball machine. The electrical properties of the machine are predicted and measured. Based on these properties, two modes of operation for the fluxball machine, normal and resonant, are described, and reference tables of important operating parameters are given. The drive and measurement circuitry for the fluxball machine are described. The magnetic properties of the fluxball machine are measured using Hall effect sensors. The calibration of two different Hall effect sensors is performed, providing the ability to measure the magnetic fields accurately to +or- 1%. Measurements of the magnetic field in the uniform field region are taken and compared with predicted values. The attenuation and distortion of the magnetic fields due to diffusion through the inner fluxball winding is measured as a function of operating frequency. Finally, future uses of this machine for various applications are discussed. / Contract number: N62271-97-G-0026 / US Navy (USN) author.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. February 16, 2015. / The Adomian decomposition method is an effective procedure for the analytical solution of a wide class of dynamical systems without linearization or weak nonlinearity assumptions, closure approximations, perturbation theory, or restrictive assumptions on stochasticity. Our aim here is to apply the Adomian decomposition method to steady two-dimensional blood flow through a constricted artery in the presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field. Blood flow is the study of measuring blood pressure and determining flow through arteries. Blood flow is assumed to be Newtonian and is governed by the equation of continuity and the momentum balanced equation (which are known as the Navier-Stokes equations). This model is consistent with the principles of ferro-hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics and takes into account both magnetization and electrical conductivity of blood. We apply the Adomian decomposition method to the equations governing blood flow through arteries in the presence of an external transverse magnetic field. The results show that the e ect of a uniform external transverse magnetic field applied to blood flow through arteries favors the physiological condition of blood. The motion of blood in stenosed arteries can be regulated by applying a magnetic field externally and increasing/decreasing the intensity of the applied field.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. August 2015. / This work investigates the impact of the extragalactic background light fluctuations on very high energy !-ray spectra from distant blazars. We calculate the extragalactic background light spectral energy distribution using a model that extends those proposed by Razzaque et al. (2009ApJ.697.483R) and Finke et al. (2010ApJ.712.238F). We introduce a model for fluctuations in the extragalactic background light based on fluctuations in the star formation rate density, since these two fluctuations can reasonably be expected to be correlated. Fluctuations in the star formation rate are estimated from the semi-analytical galaxy catalogue of Guo et al. (2013MNRAS.428.1351G), we use his model to derive the resulting opacities for !-rays from distant sources. We determine the mean, lower and upper limits for the scatter of the star formation rate density, which then allow us to compute corresponding limits on the extragalactic background light spectrum. We then calculate the impact of these fluctuations limits on the !-ray optical depth. This appears to be the first detailed analytical model that aims to account for the impact of extragalactic background light fluctuations on the !-ray opacity. The model predicts relatively high variations ( 15%) on the opacity in the energy range less than 100 GeV for nearby sources. The impact is found to be smaller (⇠ 5%) for very high energy !-rays from distant sources.

Inserido no paradigma da transdisciplinaridade, o presente trabalho foi desenvolvido em etapas, com os seguintes objetivos: a) Construir um dispositivo com base de metal não magnético para ímãs permanentes, visando à geração de um Campo Magnético Estático (CME) ou de um Campo Magnético Compensado (CMC); b) Expor culturas de células mesenquimais a um CME e a um CMC, ou a nenhum campo (controle); c) Analisar a influência destes campos na viabilidade e proliferação celular e nos casos em que houve alteração em pelo menos um destes parâmetros, utilizar a análise proteômica como ferramenta para a compreensão dos mecanismos envolvidos. O dispositivo foi construído utilizando aço inoxidável, capaz de gerar dois tipos de Campos Magnéticos: Compensado (CMC) com intensidade de aproximadamente 0 mT e Estático (CME) com intensidade média de 165 mT. Estes campos foram aplicados a culturas de células mesenquimais de medula óssea de camundongos AJ (MSC/AJ), nos períodos de 0, 24, 48, 72 e 96 h (CMC) e 24 h (CME). Os efeitos sobre a proliferação e a viabilidade foram avaliados por método de contagem manual de células com marcação por azul de tripan. A análise proteômica foi realizada para os experimentos com CMC, com o objetivo de descrever as proteínas envolvidas nas alterações encontradas. A exposição ao CMC tendeu a reduzir a proliferação das células de medula óssea MSC/AJ em relação ao controle em 96 h, porém sem diferença significativa, o que poderia estar relacionado a proteínas que inibem a transcrição, como a Forkhead box protein P2 Foxp2. Este mesmo campo aumentou a viabilidade celular em relação ao baseline para todos os tempos experimentais, o que poderia estar relacionado a proteínas relacionadas à ligação ao Ca+2. Esses mecanismos, entretanto, precisam ser estudados mais profundamente para que possam ser comprovados ou não. Já a exposição ao CME levou a uma tendência à diminuição da proliferação e viabilidade celular em relação ao grupo controle, embora sem diferenças significativas, provavelmente por conta do tamanho amostral e tempo de avaliação (24 h). / Inserted in the transdisciplinarity paradigm, the present work was developed by steps with the following aims: a) To build a device of non-magnetic metal to hold permanent magnets for the generation of a Static Magnetic Field (SMF) or a Compensated Magnetic Field (CMF); b) To expose mesenchimal cells to the SMF and to CMF or to none of the fields (control); c) To analyze the influence of these fields on cell viability and cell proliferation and in the case where it occurred alteration in at least one of these parameters, to use proteomics as a tool for the comprehension of the involved mechanisms. The device was built in stainless steel, able to generate two kinds of Magnetic Fields: Compesated (CMF) with an intensity of nearly zero mT and Static (SMF) with a mean intensity of 165 mT. These fields were applied to bone marrow mesenchimal cell cultures from AJ mice (MSC/AJ), for 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h (CMF) and 24 h (SMF) periods. The effects on the proliferation and viability were assessed by tripan blue dying and manual counting of the cells. Proteomics was done for the experiments with CMF, aiming to describe the involved proteins on found alterations. The exposition to CMF tends to reduce the bone marrow cell proliferation of MSC/AJ in relation to control in 96 h, but with no significant difference, which may be related to proteins that inhibit the transcription, like Forkhead box protein P2 Foxp2. This very field raised the cell viability in relation to the baseline for all the experimental times that could be related to proteins connected to Ca2+ binding. However, these mechanisms need more experiments, so they can be confirmed or not. The exposition to the SMF tends to decrease both cell proliferation and viability in relation to the control group, although with no significant difference, probably because of the sample number and the exposition time (24h).

Jatos e discos de acreção associados a objetos galácticos e extragalácticos tais como, microquasares (i.e., buracos negros de massa estelar presentes em alguns sistemas binários estelares), núcleos ativos de galáxias (NAGs) e objetos estelares jovens (OEJs), frequentemente exibem eventos de ejeção de matéria quase periódicos que podem fornecer importantes informações sobre os processos físicos que ocorrem nas suas regiões mais internas. Entre essas classes de objetos, os microquasares com emissão transiente em raios-X vêm sendo identificados em nossa Galáxia desde a última década, e tal como os NAGs e quasares distantes, alguns desses sistemas também produzem jatos colimados com velocidades aparentemente superluminais, não deixando dúvidas de que se tratam de um gás ejetado com velocidades relativísticas. Um exemplo amplamente observado em comprimentos de onda do rádio aos raios-X é o microquasar GRS 1915+105 (e.g., Dhawan et al.,2000), que foi o primeiro objeto galáctico a exibir evidências de um jato com movimento aparentemente superluminal (Mirabel e Rodríguez, 1998, 1994). Um modelo para explicar a origem dessas ejeções superluminais, bem como a emissão rádio sincrotrônica em flares não muito diferentes dos que ocorrem na coroa solar, foi desenvolvido por de Gouveia Dal Pino e Lazarian (2005), onde é invocado um processo de reconexão magnética violenta entre as linhas de campo magnético que se erguem do disco de acreção e as linhas da magnetosfera da fonte central. Em episódios de acreção onde a razão entre a pressão efetiva do disco e a pressão magnética diminui para valores menores ou da ordem de 1 e as taxas de acreção se aproximam da taxa crítica de Eddington, a reconexão pode tornar-se violenta e libera grandes quantidades de energia magnética em pouco tempo. Parte dessa energia aquece o gás, tanto da coroa quanto do disco, e parte acelera as partículas a velocidades relativísticas por um processo de Fermi de primeira ordem, pela primeira vez estudado em zonas de reconexão magnética por esses autores, produzindo um espectro sincrotrônico de lei de potência com índice espectral comparável às observações. Neste trabalho realizamos um estudo complementar, iniciado por Piovezan (2009), no qual generalizamos o modelo acima descrito para o caso dos NAGs. Nesse estudo, constatamos que a atividade de reconexão magnética na região coronal, na base de lançamento do jato, pode explicar a origem das ejeções relativísticas, dos microquasares aos NAGs de baixa luminosidade (tais como galáxias Seyfert e LINERS). A potência liberada em eventos de reconexão magnética em função das massas dos buracos negros dessas fontes, de 5 massas solares a 10^10 massas solares, obedece a uma correlação que se mantém por todo esse intervalo, abrangendo 10^9 ordens de magnitude. Essa correlação implica em uma dependência quase linear (em um diagrama log-log), aproximadamente independente das características físicas locais dos discos de acreção dessas fontes. Além do mais, ela é compatível com o chamado plano fundamental, obtido empiricamente, que correlaciona a emissão rádio e raios-X dos microquasares e NAGs às massas dos seus buracos negros (veja Merloni et al., 2003). Assim, o modelo de de Gouveia Dal Pino e Lazarian (2005), oferece uma interpretação física simples para a existência dessa correlação empírica, como devida à atividade magnética coronal nessas fontes. Já os quasares e NAGs mais luminosos não satisfazem à mesma correlação, possivelmente porque a densidade ao redor da região coronal nessas fontes é tão alta que mascara a emissão devida à atividade magnética. A emissão rádio nesses casos deve-se, possivelmente, a regiões mais externas do jato supersônico, onde ele já expandiu o suficiente para tornar-se opticamente fino e visível, e onde os elétrons relativísticos são possivelmente produzidos em choques (veja também de Gouveia Dal Pino et al., 2010a,b). Paralelamente, investigamos a formação de eventos de reconexão magnética através de simulações magnetohidrodinâmicas axissimétricas (2.5D-MHD), da interação entre o campo magnético poloidal ancorado no disco de acreção viscoso (satisfazendo ao modelo padrão de Shakura e Sunyaev, 1973) e a magnetosfera dipolar da fonte central em rotação. Para esse fim, consideramos condições iniciais semelhantes às dos OEJs. Nos testes preliminares aqui realizados, a reconexão magnética das linhas ocorre em presença de uma resistividade numérica, que não é intensa o bastante para determinar um processo de reconexão a taxas da ordem da velocidade de Alfvén, ou seja, ela é essencialmente lenta. Ainda assim, pudemos identificar alguns dos efeitos previstos pelo modelo de reconexão magnética rápida aqui estudado. Por exemplo, verificamos que a frequência e a intensidade com que eventos de reconexão magnética podem ocorrer é sensível tanto à topologia inicial do campo magnético do sistema quanto às taxas de acreção do disco (como previsto pelo modelo de de Gouveia Dal Pino e Lazarian, 2005), de modo que tais eventos ocorrem de forma mais eficiente em regimes de alta taxa de acreção. Finalmente, além da investigação sobre o desenvolvimento de eventos de reconexão magnética, pudemos também examinar a partir das simulações a formação natural de funis de acreção, os quais são colunas de acreção que conduzem gás do disco para a superfície da fonte central através das linhas do campo magnético. Os resultados desse estudo foram comparados com as observações de funis de acreção de objetos estelares jovens. / Jets and accretion disks associated with galactic and extragalactic objects such as microquasars (i.e., stellar-mass black holes occurring in some binary stellar systems), active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and young stellar objects (YSOs), often exhibit quasi-periodic ejections of matter that may offer important clues about the physical processes that occur in their inner regions. Among these classes of objects, microquasars with transient emission in X-rays have been identified in our Galaxy since the last decade and like AGNs and distant quasars, some of them also produce collimated jets with apparent superluminal speeds, leaving no doubt that we are also dealing with ejected gas with relativistic velocities. One example widely investigated from radio wavelengths to X-rays is the microquasar GRS 1915+105 (e.g., Dhawan et al.,2000), which was the first Galactic object to show evidence of a jet with apparent superluminal motion (Mirabel e Rodríguez, 1998, 1994). A model to explain the origin of the superluminal ejections and the synchrotron radio emission in flares which are not very different from those occurring in the solar corona, was developed by de Gouveia Dal Pino e Lazarian (2005), where they invoked a process of violent magnetic reconnection between the magnetic field lines that arise from the accretion disk and the lines of the magnetosphere of the central source. In accretion episodes where the ratio between the effective disk pressure and magnetic pressure decreases to values smaller than the unity and the accretion rate approaches the critical Eddington rate, the reconnection may become violent and releases large amounts of magnetic energy in a short time. Part of this energy heats the coronal and the disk gas and part accelerates particles to relativistic velocities through a first-order Fermi-like process, which was investigated for the first time in magnetic reconnection by these authors and results a synchrotron radio power-law spectrum that is compatible to the observations. In the present work we conducted a complementary study, initiated by Piovezan (2009), which generalize the model described above for the case of AGNs. We found that the activity due to magnetic reconnection in the coronal region, at the base of the launching jet, can explain the origin of relativistic ejections from microquasars to low luminous AGNs (LLAGNs, such as Seyfert galaxies and LINERs). The power released by magnetic reconnection events as a function of the black hole masses of these sources, between 5 solar mass and 10^10 solar mass, obeys a correlation that is maintained throughout this interval, spanning 10^9 orders of magnitude. This correlation implies an almost linear dependence (in a log-log diagram), which is approximately independent of the physical properties of the accretion disks of these sources. Moreover, it is compatible with the so-called fundamental plan obtained empirically, which correlates the radio and X-rays emission of microquasars and AGNs with the masses of their black holes (see Merloni et al., 2003). Thus, the model of de Gouveia Dal Pino e Lazarian (2005) provides a simple physical interpretation for the existence of this empirical correlation as due to coronal magnetic activity in these sources. More luminous AGNs and quasars do not seem to obey the same correlation, possibly because the density around the coronal region in these sources is so high that it \"masks\" the emission due to the magnetic activity. The radio emission in these cases is possibly due regions further out of the supersonic jet, where it has already expanded enough to become optically thin and visible and where the relativistic electrons are probably accelerated in shocks (see also de Gouveia Dal Pino et al., 2010a,b). In addition, we investigated the development of magnetic reconnection events through axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic simulations (2.5D-MHD) of the interaction between the poloidal magnetic field that arises from the viscous accretion disk (which satisfies the standard model of Shakura e Sunyaev, 1973) and the dipolar magnetosphere of the rotating central source. To this aim, we considered initial conditions which are compatible to those of YSOs. In the preliminary tests conducted here, magnetic reconnection occurs in the presence of numerical resistivity only, which is not intense enough to determine a process of reconnection with rates of the order of the Alfvén speed, i.e., it is essentially slow. Nevertheless, we were able to identify some of the effects predicted by the model of fast magnetic reconnection studied here. For example, we found that the frequency and strength with which events of magnetic reconnection can occur is sensitive to both the initial topology of the magnetic field of the system and the accretion disk rates (as predicted by the model of de Gouveia Dal Pino e Lazarian, 2005), so that such events occur more efficiently under high accretion rates. Finally, besides the investigation of the development of magnetic reconnection events, we could also examine in our numerical studies the natural formation of funnel flows which are accretion columns that transport gas from the accretion disk to the surface of the central source along the magnetic field lines. The results of these studies were compared with the observations of funnel flows in young stellar objects.

Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) located at GaAs/Al0.33Ga0.67As heterojunctions are modulated by a periodic magnetic field generated by a magnetic grating fabricated at the surface of the heterostructure and are irradiated by microwaves. The devices were investigated for the detection of excitations of both paramagnetic and ferromagnetic spins in the magnetoresistance. Electron spin antiresonance was electrically detected, where spin flips are propelled by two transitions: one activated by snake orbit oscillations in the slanted magnetic field, the other by the microwaves. The double resonance forms a dark state which blocks spin flips, decreases Overhauser shift and freezes snake orbit drift, therefore changing the conduction in the 2DEG. The antiresonance is quantitatively described in the coherent population trapping framework. Collective and localised spin wave modes in dysprosium and cobalt gratings were detected as well in the 2DEG. Such effects were investigated as a function of microwave power, temperature, tilt angle of the applied magnetic field, and by varying the structural and material parameters to change the strength of dipolar interactions. The data reveal two types of spin waves. Dipolar magnetisation waves propagate across the grating through the magnetostatic interaction between stripes. An analytical expression of their dispersion curve was derived and a good fit of the ferromagnetic resonance broadening was obtained. The second type are dipolar edge spin waves which manifest through a series of sharp resonances at lower magnetic field. These waves are confined near the pole surfaces in spin wave ”wells”. The eigenfrequencies of the quantised modes were calculated and a qualitative explanation of the low field resonances was obtained. The experiments show that photovoltage measurements in hybrid semiconductor-ferromagnetic structures provide a sensitive and non-invasive tool for probing the spin waves of small magnets

La majorité des patients atteints d'un cancer sont soignés par la technique de la radiothérapie, l'une des trois principales modalités de traitement avec la chirurgie et la chimiothérapie. Elle consiste en la délivrance d'une radiation de haute énergie sur un volume cible. Son but est de détruire les cellules cancéreuses sans endommager les tissus sains. En pratique, on utilise divers outils numériques afin de prévoir de quelle manière sera déposée l'énergie dans le corps du patient. Ces méthodes peuvent néanmoins présenter des imprécisions ou un temps de calcul trop long pour leur utilisation en milieu clinique. Par conséquent, nous avons développé un nouveau modèle permettant de simuler le transport et le dépôt d'énergie de particules dans des tissus humains, de manière rapide et précise. De nouvelles installations permettant de traiter les patients de cette manière tout en effectuant une imagerie par résonance magnétique entrent actuellement sur le marché. Les champs magnétiques induits par cette technique ont pour effet secondaire et délétère de dévier les particules chargées, injectées ou créées dans le milieu, pouvant modifier fortement le dépôt d'énergie. Malgré cela, il n'existe actuellement pas de modèle permettant de rendre compte de ces effets de manière précise et rapide. Nous nous proposons d'introduire les effets magnétiques dans notre modèle afin de répondre à cette problématique. Nous appuyons la validation de notre modèle par des comparaisons numériques avec un code Monte-Carlo de référence, FLUKA, ainsi que par des comparaisons expérimentales effectuées à l'Institut Bergonié. / The majority of patients diagnosed with cancer are treated by radiotherapy, one of the principal treatment modality with surgery and chemotherapy. It consists in the delivery of high energy radiation on a target volume. It aims to destroy the cancerous cells without damaging sane tissues. In clinical practice, numerical tools are used in order to predict how the energy will be deposited in the patient's body. However, these methods can lack of accuracy or cost too much in terms of calculation time to be suitable for clinical use. As a consequence, we developed a new model able to calculate the transport and energy deposition of ionizing particles in human tissues, efficiently and accurately. New installations allowing the treatment of patients by radiotherapy while imaging them by Magnetic Resonance Imagery are currently marketed. The magnetic fields induced by this technology have as secondary and noxious effect to deflect the charged particles injected or created in the target medium, which might modify highly the deposited energy. Despite that, there aren't yet commercially available numerical solution allowing to reproduce these effects accurately and quickly. We implemented the magnetic effects in our model to. We validate our model by numerical comparisons with a reference Monte-Carlo code, FLUKA, and with experimental comparisons led in the Bergonié Institute (Bordeaux).

In low-mass (≲1.2 M⊙) main-sequence stars, the combination of differential rotation and turbulent flows in the outer convective region generates strong magnetic fields. It has been observed that in these stars, the rotation rate and the strength of the magnetic field decrease over time. This is thought to result from a feedback loop in which magnetized winds carry angular momentum away from the star, braking its rotation and weakening the magnetic dynamo. A well-calibrated age-rotation-activity relation (ARAR) would be particularly valuable for low-mass stars. If we knew the dependence of rotation or magnetic activity on age, a measurement of one of these quantities could be used to determine an accurate age for any isolated field star. Empirical calibrations of the ARAR rely on observations of the co-eval populations of stars in open clusters. In this work, I characterize rotation and magnetic activity, using light curves for the former and X-ray and Hα emission for the latter, in two open clusters of different ages (Alpha Persei, ≈60 Myr, and Messier 37, ≈500 Myr) to analyze the relation between rotation and activity across the low-mass stellar range. I also compare coronal (X-rays) and chromospheric (Hα) activity to understand how magnetic heating varies across stellar atmospheric layers. My results inform models of angular momentum evolution in low-mass stars.

In the second part, after performing in-vitro experiments to measure the resistant force of the small intestine, we propose a magnetic actuation method. The magnetic marker for localization acts as a seed to be actuated by multiple coils placed outside of the human body. The basic idea is that the magnetic seed is subject to a force and a torque in a magnetic field. An efficient computation scheme is designed and implemented to calculate the coil currents for real-time actuation. Simulations are performed on a six-coil actuation system to evaluate the method. As an alternative method, an internal actuator, which consists of a magnetic spring and can propel itself forward under an alternating current, is introduced to increase the mobility of the capsule and decrease the demand for a strong external field. The external magnetic field is also simulated to orient the internal actuator. / The development of wireless capsule endoscope realizes the examination of the whole gastrointestinal tract. The technology reduces patients' pain and benefits the doctors as well. However, it loses some functions that conventional endoscope owns because of the passive locomotion mode. To improve the situation, an active capsule endoscope is preferred by the community. / We put emphasis on two important problems in design of an active capsule endoscope: localization and actuation. The first part of our work focuses on the study of localization of the capsule taking advantage of the magnetic field. A small permanent magnet is enclosed in the capsule as a marker, and a tracking method is proposed based on the modelling of the marker as an ideal dipole. The five localization parameters are computed by minimizing the differences between the theoretical field values and sensing signals using Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. One-axis Hall sensors and three-axis magnetoresistive sensors are employed respectively to implement the localization method. The system performance is evaluated by a series of tracking experiments. / Wang Xiaona. / "September 2006." / Adviser: Max Meng. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-03, Section: B, page: 1771. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-171). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.