We demonstrate four experimentally simple methods for measuring very complex ultrashort light pulses. Although each method is comprised of only a few optical elements, they permit the measurement of extremely complex pulses with time-bandwidth products greater than 65,000. First, we demonstrate an extremely simple frequency-resolved-optical gating (GRENOUILLE) device for measuring the intensity and phase of pulses up to ~20ps in length. In order to achieve the required high spectral resolution and large temporal range, it uses a few-cm-thick second harmonic-generation crystal in the shape of a pentagon. This has the additional advantage of reducing the device's total number of components to three. Secondly, we introduce a variation of spectral interferometry (SI) using a virtually imaged phased array and grating spectrometer for measuring long complex ultrashort pulses up to 80 ps in length. Next, we introduce a SI technique for measuring the complete intensity and phase of relatively long and very complex ultrashort pulses. It involves making multiple measurements using SI (in its SEA TADPOLE variation) at numerous delays, measuring many temporal pulselets within the pulse, and concatenating the resulting pulselets. Its spectral resolution is the inverse delay range--many times higher than that of the spectrometer used. The waveforms were measured with ~ fs temporal resolution over a temporal range of ~ns and had time-bandwidth products exceeding 65,000, which to our knowledge is the largest time-bandwidth product ever measured with ~fs temporal resolution. Finally, we demonstrate a single-shot measurement technique that temporally interleaves hundreds of measurements with ~fs temporal resolution. It is another variation of SI for measuring the complete intensity and phase of relatively long and complex ultrashort pulses in a single shot. It uses a grating to introduce a transverse time delay into a reference pulse which gates the unknown pulse by interfering it at the image plane of an imaging spectrometer. It provided ~125 fs temporal resolution and a temporal range of 70 ps using a low-resolution spectrometer.

<p>Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is well known as an efficient technology for wireless communications and is widely used in many of the current and upcoming wireless and wireline communication standards. However, it has some intrinsic drawbacks, e.g., sensitivity to the inter-carrier interference (ICI) and high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). Additionally, the cyclic prefix (CP) is not spectrum efficient and fails when the channel delay spread exceeds the length of CP, which will result in inter-symbol interference (ISI). In order to combat or alleviate these drawbacks various techniques have been proposed, which can be categorised into two main classes: techniques that keep the structure of OFDM and meanwhile increase the system robustness or re-organise the symbol streams on each sub-carrier, and techniques that increase the ISI/ICI immunity by adopting well designed pulse shapes and/or resorting to general system lattices. The latter class are coined as Generalised FDM (GFDM) throughout this thesis to distinguish with the former class.</p><p>To enable seamless handover and efficient usage of spectrum and energy, GFDM is expected to dynamically adopt pulse shapes that are optimal in doubly (time and frequency) dispersive fading channels. This is however not an easy task as the method of optimal pulse shape adaptation is still unclear, let alone efficient implementationmethods. Besides, performance of GFDM highly depends on the channel estimation quality, which is not straightforward in GFDM systems.</p><p>This thesis addresses, among many other aspects of GFDM systems, measures of the time frequency localisation (TFL) property, pulse shape adaptation strategy, performance evaluation and channel estimation.  We first provide a comparative study of state-of-the-art GFDM technologies and a brief overview of the TFL functions and parameters which will be used frequently in later analysis and discussion. A framework for GFDM pulse shape optimisation is formulated targeting at minimising the combined ISI/ICI over doubly dispersive channels. We also propose a practical adaptation strategy utilising the extended Gaussian functions (EGF) and discuss the trade-off between performance and complexity.  One realisation under the umbrella of GFDM, namely OFDM/OQAM, is intensively studied and an efficient implementation method by direct discretisation of the continuous time model has been proposed.  Besides, a theoretical framework for a novel preamble-based channel estimation method has been presented and a new preamble sequence with higher gain is identified. Under the framework, an optimal pulse shape dependent preamble structure together with a suboptimal but pulse shape independent preamble structure have been proposed and evaluated in the context of OFDM/OQAM.</p>

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2005. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 74 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1981.

Thesis--M. Phil., University of Hong Kong, 1981.

Thesis--M. Phil., University of Hong Kong, 1984.

The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic collapse of composite shells in a constant external pressure water environment that is representative of a naval underwater structure. Laminated carbon/epoxy composite shells with diameters of 1.735 in., wall thickness of 0.041 in, length-to-diameter ratios ranging for 2.8 to 12 and [55/-55/(90)3/-55/55] layup were collapsed in a custom pressure testing facility that provided a constant pressure water environment. Buckling was sudden, dynamic, led to failure and fragmentation of the shells; the whole event lasted only a couple of ms. The dynamic collapse of the shells was recorded using high-speed digital imaging and dynamic pressure sensors synchronized with the camera were used to monitor the emanating pressure waves. All shells buckled in mode 2 at pressure levels predicted by models adopted. Collapse led to a localization zone in the central section of the shells, approximately spanning on a 4D length for the longer ones, and shorter for the shorter shells. A single axial crack developed in the collapsing section, which propagated 2 to 4 diameters depending on the length of the specimen. The axial crack was located on the extrados for long shells, and on the intrados for shorter ones. Helical cracks initiated from the tips of the axial crack, propagated outwards, and were responsible for the collapse and fragmentation of the two outer sections. The receding walls of the central localizing zone caused a dynamic drop in pressure that lasted until the inward motion was arrested by contact. This was followed by a sharp, short duration positive pressure pulse associated with an outward expansion wave. The pressure pulse varied to some degree around the circumference with the highest peak occurring opposite the initial crack. The final result of such dynamic events was catastrophic failure and fragmentation of the shell into small shreds. / text

High power conversion efficiency is desirable in power supplies. Design optimization of on-line power converter is presented in this thesis. High efficiencies over a wide load range, for example 20%, 50% and 100% load, are often required. It is a challenge for on-line pulse-width modulation (PWM) converters to maintain good efficiencies with light load as well as full load. A two-stage multi-objective optimization procedure is proposed to optimization power converter efficiencies at 20%, 50% and 100% load. Two-FET forward prototype converters are built to verify the optimization results. The LLC (abbreviation of two resonant inductor L and one resonant capacitor C ) series resonant converter can provide high power conversion efficiency because of the resonant nature and soft switching. The design of LLC resonant converter is more difficult than that of PWM converters since the LLC resonant converter has many resonant modes. Furthermore, the LLC resonant converter does not have analytical solution for its resonant operation. In this thesis, a systematic optimization procedure is proposed to optimize LLC series resonant converter efficiency. A mode solver technique is developed to solve LLC resonant converter operations. The proposed mode solver employs non-linear programming techniques to solve a set of LLC state equations and determine the resonant modes. Loss models are provided which serve as the objective-function to optimize converter efficiency. Optimization results show outstanding efficiency performance and experimental agreement with optimization. The optimization work extends to the LLC resonant converter with power factor correction (PFC) circuits where the effect of LLC converter input voltage variation cased by the PFC circuit is considered. Detail comparisons of PWM converter and LLC resonant converter loss profiles are also presented. The reasons that LLC resonant converter has higher efficiency are given and supported by quantitative data. Converter lifetime is highly related to component losses and temperature. The lifetime analysis is presented. The analysis reveals that the LLC resonant converter output capacitor is the weakest component concerning life. / published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

ITC/USA 2013 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Ninth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 21-24, 2013 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / We investigate pulse position modulation (PPM) and multipulse PPM (MPPM) for free space op- tical channels using bit interleaved coded modulation with iterative decoding. Data bits are first encoded by using a non recursive convolutional code and the coded bits after an interleaver are modulated before transmission. Iterative decoding is performed at the receiver. Optimized mapping is designed for MPPM. A genetic algorithm is used to find the optimized mapping for MPPM. Our simulation results show that a significant improvement in the error performance can be achieved by using optimized mapping and iterative decoding at the receiver.

In protein NMR spectroscopy, homonuclear mixing pulses are used to reveal correlations amongst chemically bonded nuclear spins. / Engineering and Applied Sciences