abstract: Impedance-modulated metasurfaces are compact artificially-engineered surfaces whose surface-impedance profile is modulated with a periodic function. These metasurfaces function as leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) that are capable of achieving high gains and narrow beamwidths with thin and light-weight structures. The surface-impedance modulation function for the desired radiation characteristics can be obtained using the holographic principle, whose application in antennas has been investigated extensively. On account of their radiation and physical characteristics, modulated metasurfaces can be employed in automotive radar, 5G, and imaging applications. Automotive radar applications might require the antennas to be flush-mounted on the vehicular bodies that can be curved. Hence, it is necessary to analyze and design conformal metasurface antennas. The surface-impedance modulation function is derived for cylindrically-curved metasurfaces, where the impedance modulation is along the cylinder axis. These metasurface antennas are referred to as axially-modulated cylindrical metasurface LWAs (AMCLWAs). The effect of curvature is modeled, the radiation characteristics are predicted analytically, and they are validated by simulations and measurements. Communication-based applications, like 5G and 6G, require the generation of multiple beams with polarization diversity, which can be achieved using a class of impedance-modulated metasurfaces referred to as polarization-diverse holographic metasurfaces (PDHMs). PDHMs can form, one at a time, a pencil beam in the desired direction with horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, left-hand circular polarization (LHCP), or right-hand circular polarization (RHCP). These metasurface antennas are analyzed, designed, measured, and improved to include the ability to frequency scan. In automotive radar and other imaging applications, the performance of metasurface antennas can be impacted by the formation of standing waves due to multiple reflections between the antenna and the target. The monostatic RCS of the metasurface antenna is reduced by modulating its surface impedance with a square wave, to avert multiple reflections. These square-wave-modulated metasurfaces are referred to as checkerboard metasurface LWAs, whose radiation and scattering characteristics, for normal incidence parallel polarization, are analyzed and measured. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2020

Dans le domaine de l’électromagnétisme computationnel, les équations intégrales de frontière sont très largement utilisées pour résoudre certains des plus grands problèmes directs, grâce à leur grande efficacité. Cependant les équations intégrales du champ électrique et du champ combiné (EFIE et CFIE), deux des formulations les plus employées, souffrent d’instabilités à basse fréquence et à haute discrétisation, ce qui limite leur versatilité. Dans cette thèse différentes approches sont présentées pour obtenir des algorithmes applicables aussi bien à des problèmes de compatibilité électromagnétique qu’à des applications radar. Les solutions présentées incluent (i) l’extension des projecteurs dit quasi-Helmholtz (qH) aux modélisations d’ordre supérieur ; (ii) l’utilisation de ces projecteurs pour stabiliser l’équation intégrale du champ magnétique et former une CFIE extrêmement précise, augmentée par des techniques de type Calderón, qui ne souffre de problèmes ni à basse fréquence ni à haute discrétisation et qui n’est pas sujette aux résonances artificielles ; (iii) le développement d’une EFIE filaire, basée sur des B-splines linéaires et les projecteurs qH, stable aux deux extrémités du spectre. Ces travaux ont été suivis de l’ouverture d’un nouvel axe de recherche visant l’amélioration des techniques de résolution des problèmes inverses en électromagnétique, avec pour objectif principal l’augmentation des performances des interfaces cerveau machine (BCIs). Les premiers résultats obtenus incluent le développement de l’un des premiers systèmes libres de simulation de bout en bout de session de BCI ayant été publié après revue par les pairs. / In computational electromagnetics, boundary integral equations are the scheme of choice for solving extremely large forward electromagnetic problems due to their high efficiency. However, two of the most used of these formulations, the electric and combined field integral equations (EFIE and CFIE), suffer from stability issues at low frequency and dense discretization, limiting their applicability at both ends of the spectrum. This thesis focusses on remedying these issues to obtain full-wave solvers stable from low to high frequencies, capable of handling scenarios ranging from electromagnetic compatibility to radar applications. The solutions presented include (i) extending the quasi-Helmholtz (qH) projectors to higher order modeling thus combining stability with high order convergence rates; (ii) leveraging on the qH projectors to numerically stabilize the magnetic field integral equation and obtain a highly accurate and provably resonance-free Calderón-augmented CFIE immune to both of the aforementioned problems; and(iii) introducing a new low frequency and dense discretization stable wire EFIE based on projectors and linear B-splines. In addition, a research axis focused on enhancing Brain Computer Interface (BCIs) with high resolution electromagnetic modeling of the brain has been opened ; a particular attention is dedicated to the inverse problem of electromagnetics and the associated integral equation-based forward problem. The first results of this new line of investigations include the development of one of the first peer-reviewed, freely available framework for end-to-end simulation of BCI experiments.

The Method of Ordered Multiple Interactions provides a numerical solution to the integral<br />equations describing surface scattering which is both computationally efficient and reliably<br />convergent. The method has been applied in a variety of ways to solving the electromagnetic<br />scattering from perfectly-conducting rough surfaces. A desire to more accurately predict<br />the scattering from natural terrain has led to the representation of the surface material as<br />penetrable instead of conductive.<br /><br />For this purpose, the Method of Ordered Multiple Interactions is applied to numerically<br />solve the electromagnetic scattering from randomly-rough dielectric surfaces. A primary<br />consequence of the penetrable surface material is the introduction of a pair of coupled integral equations in place of the single integral equation used to solve the problem with a perfectly conducting surface. The method is tested and analyzed by developing independent scattering solutions for canonical cases in a transform domain and by comparing results with solutions from other techniques.<br /><br />The dielectric implementation of the Method of Ordered Multiple Interactions is used to solve<br />the electromagnetic scattering from a class of randomly-rough dielectric surfaces. This allows<br />for the characterization of the effect of a number of transmitter and surface parameters in the<br />scattering problem, observing bistatically and also specifically in the backscatter direction.<br /><br />MOMI is then applied as a method to examine subsurface penetration characteristics from<br />a similar family of rough surfaces. Characteristics of the environment parameters and the<br />scattered field itself are examined, and the numerical challenges associated with observing<br />beneath the surface are identified and addressed.<br /><br />The Method of Ordered Multiple Interactions is then incorporated as a major component of<br />a larger solution which computes the total scattering when a dielectric object is buried just<br />beneath the rough surface. This hyrid approach uses MOMI and the Method of Moments to<br />iteratively account for multiple interactions between the target and the dielectric interface,<br />enabling the study of scattering from the combined environment of a rough surface and the<br />embedded object, as well as the individual scattering events which combine to form the<br />steady-state solution. / Ph. D.

abstract: Within the past two decades, metasurfaces, with their unique ability to tailor the wavefront, have attracted scientific attention. Along with many other research areas, RADAR cross-section (RCS)-reduction techniques have also benefited from metasurface technology. In this dissertation, a novel technique to synthesize the RCS-reduction metasurfaces is presented. This technique unifies the two most widely studied and two well-established modern RCS-reduction methods: checkerboard RCS-reduction andgradient-index RCS-reduction. It also overcomes the limitations associated with these RCS-reduction methods. It synthesizes the RCS-reduction metasurfaces, which can be juxtaposed with almost any existing metasurface, to reduce its RCS. The proposed technique is fundamentally based on scattering cancellation. Finally, an example of the RCS-reduction metasurface has been synthesized and introduced to reduce the RCS of an existing high-gain metasurface ground plane. After that, various ways of obtaining ultrabroadband RCS-reduction using the same technique are proposed, which overcome the fundamental limitation of the conventional checkerboard metasurfaces, where the reflection phase difference of (180+-37) degrees is required to achieve 10-dB RCS reduction. First, the guideline on how to select Artificial Magnetic Conductors (AMCs) is explained with an example of a blended checkerboard architecture where a 10-dB RCS reduction is observed over 83% of the bandwidth. Further, by modifying the architecture of the blended checkerboard metasurface, the 10-dB RCS reduction bandwidth increased to 91% fractional bandwidth. All the proposed architectures are validated using measured data for fabricated prototypes. Critical steps for designing the ultrabroadband RCS reduction checkerboard surface are summarized. Finally, a broadband technique to reduce the RCS of complex targets is presented. By using the proposed technique, the problem of reducing the RCS contribution from such multiple-bounces simplifies to identifying and implementing a set of orthogonal functions. Robust guidelines for avoiding grating lobes are provided using array theory. The 90 degree dihedral corner is used to verify the proposed technique. Measurements are reported for a fabricated prototype, where a 70% RCS-reduction bandwidth is observed. To generalize the method, a 45 degree dihedral corner, with a quadruple-bounce mechanism, is considered. Generalized guidelines are summarized and applied to reduce the RCS of complex targets using the proposed method. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2020

abstract: Since the advent of High Impedance Surfaces (HISs) and metasurfaces, researchers have proposed many low profile antenna configurations. HISs possess in-phase reflection, which reinforces the radiation, and enhances the directivity and matching bandwidth of radiating elements. Most of the proposed dipole and loop element designs that have used HISs as a ground plane, have attained a maximum directivity of 8 dBi. While HISs are more attractive ground planes for low profile antennas, these HISs result in a low directivity as compared to PEC ground planes. Various studies have shown that Perfect Electric Conductor (PEC) ground planes are capable of achieving higher directivity, at the expense of matching efficiency, when the spacing between the radiating element and the PEC ground plane is less than 0.25 lambda. To establish an efficient ground plane for low profile applications, PEC (Perfect Electric Conductor) and PMC (Perfect Magnetic Conductor) ground planes are examined in the vicinity of electric and magnetic radiating elements. The limitation of the two ground planes, in terms of radiation efficiency and the impedance matching, are discussed. Far-field analytical formulations are derived and the results are compared with full-wave EM simulations performed using the High-Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). Based on PEC and PMC designs, two engineered ground planes are proposed. The designed ground planes depend on two metasurface properties; namely in-phase reflection and excitation of surface waves. Two ground plane geometries are considered. The first one is designed for a circular loop radiating element, which utilizes a circular HIS ring deployed on a circular ground plane. The integration of the loop element with the circular HIS ground plane enhances the maximum directivity up to 10.5 dB with a 13% fractional bandwidth. The second ground plane is designed for a square loop radiating element. Unlike the first design, rectangular HIS patches are utilized to control the excitation of surface waves in the principal planes. The final design operates from 3.8 to 5 GHz (27% fractional bandwidth) with a stable broadside maximum realized gain up to 11.9 dBi. To verify the proposed designs, a prototype was fabricated and measurements were conducted. A good agreement between simulations and measurements was observed. Furthermore, multiple square ring elements are embedded within the periodic patches to form a surface wave planar antenna array. Linear and circular polarizations are proposed and compared to a conventional square ring array. The implementation of periodic patches results in a better matching bandwidth and higher broadside gain compared to a conventional array. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2020

No description available.

Ground-based radars are instruments commonly used to surveil the precipitation climate of the surrounding areas. Weather events are characterized by collecting backscatter data and analyzing computed products such as the Reflectivity Factor, the Doppler Velocity, the Spectrum Width, the Differential Reflectivity, the Co-polar Correlation Coefficient and the Differential Propagation Phase. The ability of the radar to transmit different polarization waves, such as horizontal and vertical polarization, allow for further analysis of the weather given the capability to perform co-polar and cross-polar measurements. The Linear Depolarization Ratio is another computed product based on the difference in power between the co-polarized and cross-polarized channel used to, for example, classify and characterize the ice crystal types. In order to obtain this variable, the radar has to be able to receive in both horizontal and vertical polarizations but transmit in either of them. This thesis presents the modifications performed on the MA-1 prototype radar from the CASA (Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere) Engineering Center to support cross-polarization measurement studies. The new radar, now known as UMass eXperimental X-Band (UMaXX) Radar is a dual-polarization radar able to transmit in both horizontal and vertical polarizations or single horizontal polarization and receive in both, making it able to compute LDR. The radar is installed atop of a tower located on Orchard Hill at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where it operates at all times. This thesis also presents the analysis of sample weather phenomena captured with the radar, including rain events and the Hardwick tornado, recorded on October 23rd 2018 and registered by the weather services.

Vernier Tuned Distributed Bragg Reflector (VT-DBR) lasers have had great success in the field of Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography (SS-OCT) due to their continuous and nearly 40 nm wavelength tuning range in a single longitudinal mode. Fast sweeps allow for real time imaging with micrometer resolution at a distance of a few centimeters. While this laser has proven quite useful as a medical imaging tool via OCT, it has yet to similarly prove itself for general light detection and ranging (LIDAR) applications due to range limitations that arise from a finite laser coherence length. The goal of this thesis is to explore LIDAR applications for VT-DBR lasers and how to improve VT-DBR performance for LIDAR. In the scope of this work, LIDAR is laser imaging at tens or hundreds of meters with a resolution finer than 10cm. In order to achieve this kind of LIDAR performance with a VT-DBR laser, the laser must have a linewidth less than 1MHz over a tuning range of around 10GHz. This thesis outlines two methods towards this goal. The bulk of this work is dedicated to looking for and characterizing VT-DBR tuning paths with fundamentally narrow linewidth using microampere currents in both forward and reverse bias conditions. The second part of this thesis is a preliminary design of an optical frequency-locked loop to reduce laser phase noise, which subsequently reduces the laser linewidth. By tuning with small currents in the forward bias condition, nearly the entire range of laser wavelengths could be tuned to, but areas of narrow linewidth were both sparse and very sensitive to any change in bias. The reverse bias case showed limited but continuous tuning with increased reverse current magnitude. In this reverse biased photo-detector mode the laser exhibited narrower linewidth less than 15MHz, with the linewidth at intrinsically narrow levels when all three sections reverse biased. Also promising was a subset of reverse bias conditions that only used a variable resistance across a laser section with no externally applied bias. This resistance tuning method gave a tuning range of more than 7GHz while maintaining an intrinsically narrow linewidth. The optical frequency-locked loop was able to achieve DC frequency locking but unable to reduce laser linewidth. More work needs to be done to achieve enough phase noise reduction to see an appreciable reduction in linewidth.

abstract: The objective of this work is to design a novel method for imaging targets and scenes which are not directly visible to the observer. The unique scattering properties of terahertz (THz) waves can turn most building surfaces into mirrors, thus allowing someone to see around corners and various occlusions. In the visible regime, most surfaces are very rough compared to the wavelength. As a result, the spatial coherency of reflected signals is lost, and the geometry of the objects where the light bounced on cannot be retrieved. Interestingly, the roughness of most surfaces is comparable to the wavelengths at lower frequencies (100 GHz – 10 THz) without significantly disturbing the wavefront of the scattered signals, behaving approximately as mirrors. Additionally, this electrically small roughness is beneficial because it can be used by the THz imaging system to locate the pose (location and orientation) of the mirror surfaces, thus enabling the reconstruction of both line-of-sight (LoS) and non-line-of-sight (NLoS) objects. Back-propagation imaging methods are modified to reconstruct the image of the 2-D scenario (range, cross-range). The reflected signal from the target is collected using a SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) set-up in a lab environment. This imaging technique is verified using both full-wave 3-D numerical analysis models and lab experiments. The novel imaging approach of non-line-of-sight-imaging could enable novel applications in rescue and surveillance missions, highly accurate localization methods, and improve channel estimation in mmWave and sub-mmWave wireless communication systems. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Electrical Engineering 2019

abstract: As the world becomes more electronic, power electronics designers have continuously designed more efficient converters. However, with the rising number of nonlinear loads (i.e. electronics) attached to the grid, power quality concerns, and emerging legislation, converters that intake alternating current (AC) and output direct current (DC) known as rectifiers are increasingly implementing power factor correction (PFC) by controlling the input current. For a properly designed PFC-stage inductor, the major design goals include exceeding minimum inductance, remaining below the saturation flux density, high power density, and high efficiency. In meeting these goals, loss calculation is critical in evaluating designs. This input current from PFC circuitry leads to a DC bias through the filter inductor that makes accurate core loss estimation exceedingly difficult as most modern loss estimation techniques neglect the effects of a DC bias. This thesis explores prior loss estimation and design methods, investigates finite element analysis (FEA) design tools, and builds a magnetics test bed setup to empirically determine a magnetic core’s loss under any electrical excitation. In the end, the magnetics test bed hardware results are compared and future work needed to improve the test bed is outlined. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Electrical Engineering 2019