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This thesis consists of two parts; the first part pertains to fractoluminescence as a potential background in crystal scintillator detectors, and the second part bears on the simulation of a 24Na source to be used during the liquid scintillator phase of the SNO+ experiment. I participated in early work to develop a test-bed to study fractoluminescence in scintillators, and report here on preliminary results I obtained before I shifted my focus to SNO+. Full results obtained by the group have since been reported in PRL 111 154301 [1]. This project follows the discovery that mechanical stress on a dark matter detector’s crystals was causing a background signal. The response of inorganic crystal scintillators (Bi4Ge3O12, ZnWO4 , CdWO4 ) compressed to the point of rupture was studied. The double cleavage drilled compression geometry was used to create controlled cracks in 20×5×3 mm3 samples. A correlation between a sudden drop of the force, a burst of photonic and of acoustic emissions was discovered and a lower bound was set on the conversion efficiency from strain energy to light energy. SNO+ is a large underground experiment that aims primarily to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. The SNO+ detector consists of an acrylic vessel of liquid scintillator surrounded by light detectors. A tagged 24Na source was proposed as one of several radioactive sources to be deployed within the vessel to calibrate the detector. To achieve this an activated NaI(Tl) crystal would be coupled to a photomultiplier tube and lowered into the center of the vessel. The second half of this thesis explores options for implementing this plan and presents the detector response to a 24Na source as simulated by the Monte Carlo software developed by SNO+. The size of the crystal influences the type of information that can be gleaned from using this source so four different crystal sizes are presented for comparison. The simulations show that the source can be used to test the linearity of the energy scale and the simulation’s quenching model. / Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2014-06-18 17:46:15.685

In this thesis digital control techniques for two receiver front-end components i.e. the downconverter mixer and the modulator are presented. With decrease in size of CMOS-based geometries, decrease in performance and yield of analog components has become an issue. Using the digital components on a System-on-Chip to account for the shortcoming in analog circuitry and thereby developing 'self-calibrating' systems has become a reliable way to address this issue. In the telecommunications industry, this is directly correlated to lower post-fabrication testing times, quicker product development and lower overhead costs. The first design presented is a 0.13 um CMOS mixer with variable gain capability. A Digital Assist system was put in place to extend the 3-dB bandwidth of the system using a microcontroller. An interpolation routine was used to predict the bias voltages based on variations in frequency and desired input power. The digital-to-analog converter on the microcontroller was used to set the required bias voltages. The mixer's bandwidth was extended from 12GHz to 15GHz using digital assist. The gain of the mixer with the digital assist in place could be varied from 1.2-9.8dB. The second design presented is a 5.4GHz multi-scheme modulator fabricated in 0.13 um CMOS technology. The modulator is capable of carrying out quadrature amplitude modulation as well as phase-shift keying modulation. The modulator makes use of a novel OTA design to generate a set of orthogonal basis vectors which allows for facile mapping of the modulated data on the I-Q plane. The modulator carries out modulation in 4-PSK, 8-PSK, 4-QAM and 16-QAM modes with a maximum error vector magnitude of only 8.51%. A digital assist model to attain ubiquitous operation inside a system is also presented for this modulator. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-05-03 13:16:06.018

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Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-232) / xxii, 232 p. : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Due to the rapid deployment of modern over-the-horizon radars, antenna/sensor position errors may be present and, since the antennas have a simple and cost-effective design, mutual coupling may also be present. These imperfections, which can degrade radar performance, form the basis of the investigation. Also calibrates the receiving array of the Jindalee over-the-horizon radar (located in Central Australia) using echoes from meteor trails. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 1998

Table of corrections inserted opposite table of contents. / Bibliography: p.191-212. / xxiv, 212 p. : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Investigates calibration for errors of a synthetic aperture in Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar and Multiple Pass Synthetic Aperture Radar. Both are reviewed as the problems of array processing and are solved from the point of array calibration. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 2000

Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-232) / xxii, 232 p. : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Due to the rapid deployment of modern over-the-horizon radars, antenna/sensor position errors may be present and, since the antennas have a simple and cost-effective design, mutual coupling may also be present. These imperfections, which can degrade radar performance, form the basis of the investigation. Also calibrates the receiving array of the Jindalee over-the-horizon radar (located in Central Australia) using echoes from meteor trails. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 155 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-119).