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International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 21, 2002 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / This paper presents noncoherent limiter-discriminator detection and differential detection of FQPSK (Feher quadrature phase-shift-keying) with maximum-likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) techniques. Noncoherent FQPSK systems are suitable for fast fading and cochannel interference channels and channels with strong phase noise, and they can offer faster synchronization and reduce outage events compared with conventional coherent systems. In this paper, both differential detection and limiter-discriminator detection of FQPSK are discussed. We use MLSE with lookup tables to exploit the memory in noncoherently detected FQPSK signals and thus significantly improve the bit error rate (BER) performance in an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel.

Le plasma est un gaz ionisé qui possède des caractéristiques physiques intéressantes dans le domaine des hyperfréquences. En simplifiant, on peut le caractériser comme un milieu diélectrique dispersif dont la permittivité est fonction de deux paramètres : la pulsation plasma (wp) et la fréquence de collision électron-neutre (Vp). En pratique, ces paramètres dépendent principalement de la densité électronique du gaz et de sa pression. Ainsi, en contrôlant les caractéristiques du plasma, on contrôle sa permittivité diélectrique, ce qui permet d’envisager son application dans le domaine de la reconfigurabilité en hyperfréquence.Parmi les topologies pouvant générer une décharge plasma, nous nous sommes focalisés sur l’utilisation de topologies récentes, à savoir les microdécharges plasma. Ces microdécharges sont intéressantes de par leur facilité d’intégration dans un dispositif RF : petite taille, stabilité, température proche de la température ambiante et perspectives d’utilisation à plus haute pression, voire à la pression atmosphérique.Devant la difficulté de modéliser précisément l’effet du plasma sur une onde guidée, une approche expérimentale a été privilégiée. Deux dispositifs de mesure ont ainsi été conçus pour caractériser cette interaction : une ligne de transmission microruban classique et une inversée intégrant une microdécharge en leurs centres. Grâce au protocole expérimental mis en œuvre, les paramètres S de la ligne de transmission sont obtenus et comparés à ceux des lignes sans plasma dans une large gamme paramétrique, qu’il s’agisse de la pression du gaz, de la fréquence ou encore du courant injecté à la décharge. Les résultats obtenus montrent deux phénomènes particulièrement intéressants: un déphasage de l’onde électromagnétique en présence de la décharge plasma et / ou une absorption importante de la puissance par la décharge.Deux dispositifs antennaires ont finalement été conçus en exploitant ces résultats. Le premier est une antenne imprimée accordable en fréquence dans une plage de l’ordre du pourcent, grâce à une décharge plasma contrôlée.Le plasma modifie alors la constante diélectrique entre les deux conducteurs constitutifs de l’antenne. Le second dispositif est une antenne anneau imprimée qui peut protéger son récepteur d’une attaque microondes de forte puissance. Ainsi, lorsqu’un champ incident dépasse un seuil prédéfini, réglable dans une certaine mesure par une tension continue externe, une décharge plasma apparaît au sein de l’élément rayonnant. Elle crée alors de la désadaptation et de l’absorption qui limitent de façon non linéaire la puissance restituée à l’accès. / Plasma is an ionized gas with physical characteristics that are of interest to the microwave domain. To simplify, we can characterize it as a dispersive medium whose dielectric permittivity depends on two parameters :the plasma pulsation wp and the electron-neutral collision frequency Vp. These two parameters depend mainly on the electron density of the gas and its pressure. If we can control the characteristics of the plasma, we can also control its dielectric permittivity, which allows us to consider the plasma for applications in the field of microwave reconfigurability.Among the structures that can generate a plasma discharge, we have focused on the use of recent topologies,known as plasma microdischarges. These microdischarges are of interest because of the possibility of easily integrating them into a RF device : small size, stability, temperature near room temperature and potential use at high pressures, including at atmospheric pressure.Given the difficulties in accurately modelling the effects of the plasma on a guided wave, an experimental approachwas preferred. Two measuring devices have been designed to characterize this interaction : a conventional microstrip transmission line and an inverted microstrip transmisison line, both including a microdischarge in their centers. With this experimental characterization, the S-parameters of the transmission line with the plasma are obtained and compared to those without plasma as a function of a wide range of parameters, such as gas pressure,frequency and current injected into the discharge.The results show two particularly interesting phenomena : a phase shift of the electromagnetic wave in presence of the plasma discharge and/or an important absorption of the incident power by the discharge. Two devices have been designed to exploit these results. The first is a frequency tunable microstrip patch antenna over a range of the order of one percent. In that case, the plasma changes the dielectric constant between the two conductors of the antenna. The second is a microstrip ring patch antenna that can protect the receiver from a high-power microwave (HPM) attack. When an incident electric field exceeds an adjustable preset threshold (tuned by an external DCvoltage source), a plasma discharge appears in the radiating element. The plasma then creates a mismatch and an absorption effect that limits, in a non-linear way, the received power at its input.

Neste trabalho, com objetivo de desenvolvermos dispositivos de limitação óptica, estudamos o processo de absorção de estado excitados em um grupo de tetrapiridil porfirinas com diferentes substituintes centrais (2H+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Cu2+). Para isso utilizamos a técnica de varredura – Z com pulsos de femto e picossegundos bem como com trem de pulsos. Desta forma, determinamos a dinâmica de absorção de estados excitados, para estas moléculas, obtendo parâmetros espectroscópicos tais como tempo de cruzamento intersistema, e as seções de choque de absorção dos primeiros estados excitados singleto e tripleto. Além disso, visando aproveitar os processos ópticos acumulativos de alguns materiais não lineares, em aplicação de limitação óptica, desenvolvemos uma nova geometria óptica denominada de limitador óptico de múltiplas passagens, a qual utiliza dois espelhos esféricos confocais e um espelho plano posicionado paralelamente a linha que une os espelhos esféricos. / In this work, aiming to develop optical limiting devices, we have studied excited state absorption process in a group of tetrapyridyl porphyrins with different central substitutes (2H+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Cu2+). We have employed Z-scan technique with femto and picosecond pulses as well as with pulse trains to determine the excited state absorption dynamics and obtain some spectroscopic parameters like intersystem crossing time and triplet and singlet excited state absorption cross-sections. Moreover, we have developed a new geometry for an optical limiter, named multipass optical limiter. It is formed by two confocal spherical mirrors together with a plane mirror placed in parallel with the line joining them.

Les limiteurs de courants de court-circuit supraconducteurs sont des appareillages à fort potentiel pour les réseaux électriques. En effet, ils offrent une limitation efficace dès les premiers instants du court-circuit. On peut qualifier la limitation de "naturelle", c’est-à-dire qu’elle est intrinsèquement liée aux caractéristiques du matériau et ne nécessite pas de commande particulière. Afin de faciliter la conception et l’intégration des limiteurs de courant de court-circuit supraconducteurs résistifs (rSFCL) destinés aux réseaux électriques, il est nécessaire de disposer de modèles de simulation précis. Ces derniers doivent prendre en compte et simuler correctement (et le plus précisément possible) les phénomènes électriques et thermiques du rSFCL en présence de surintensités de courant, qu’il s’agisse d’un court-circuit franc ou d’un phénomène temporaire de plus faible amplitude. Il est difficile d’envisager la planification de l’intégration d’un rSFCL sans passer par des outils numériques qui permettent la simulation d’un tel dispositif dans un réseau électrique en régime transitoire. Il est alors plus facile d’appréhender et de prédire le comportement transitoire du limiteur dans des conditions de stress réalistes, qui peuvent comprendre une grande variété de surintensités, tant en durée qu’en amplitude. Néanmoins, les rSFCL sont des dispositifs fortement non-linéaires caractérisés par un couplage électrique et thermique très fort. L’implémentation d’un tel modèle dans un logiciel de simulation de type “circuits électriques” en régime transitoire présente un certain défi. Bien que des modèles de rSFCL existent déjà, des améliorations doivent être apportées pour prendre en compte i) l’ensemble des phénomènes physiques liés à la limitation (thermiques et électriques), ii) les propriétés géométriques des rubans supraconducteurs utilisés et iii) la possibilité de réaliser des études globales (impact du limiteur sur le réseau) et iv) l’influence de l’architecture du ruban en présence de phénomènes locaux (points chauds). Cette thèse se concentre donc sur le développement d’un modèle de rSFCL basé sur des rubans supraconducteurs de deuxième génération. Ce modèle est développé dans le logiciel EMTP-RV, qui est un outil utilisé par un grand nombre de compagnies d’électricité dans le monde. Le modèle proposé dans cette thèse repose sur une analogie qui fait le lien entre les phénomènes électriques et thermiques, et qui permet une modélisation entièrement basée sur des éléments de circuits électriques. Le modèle permet de prendre également en compte les propriétés non linéaires des matériaux, tant au niveau électrique qu’au niveau thermique, avec l’utilisation de dipôles non-linéaires. Le modèle a été développé pour offrir un niveau de généricité intéressant pour la modélisation des rubans supraconducteurs. Il permet un fonctionnement avec une excitation AC ou DC en tension ou en courant et tient compte de la non-uniformité de courant critique, qui est typiquement observée dans la longueur des rubans disponibles commercialement. Il est également possible de représenter des variantes d’architectures (géométries et matériaux), avec une souplesse de modélisation qui est basée sur un assemblage de blocs “élémentaires” dont les dimensions peuvent être différentes. Cela permet alors d’évaluer, dans une même simulation, l’architecture du limiteur à une échelle submillimétrique (points chauds) et à une échelle “systémique”, tel que le comportement de plusieurs centaines de mètres de ruban. Des comparaisons ont permis de vérifier que le modèle circuit avait un comportement similaire à son équivalent en éléments finis, seulement si la taille des éléments électrothermiques de base (dans EMTP-RV) est adéquate. Le modèle équivalent circuit permet de réaliser des simulations de différentes architectures de rubans supraconducteurs, avec ou sans résistance d’interface, entre les couches tampons et la couche de (RE)BCO par exemple [...] / Superconducting fault current limiters (SFCL) are a promising technology for power systems, i.e. they provide efficient current limitation from the very beginning of the fault without requiring any control system. In fact, the current limiting characteristics are directly connected to the physical properties of superconducting materials. There is a need for accurate models to help designing resistive-type SFCLs (rSFCL) and planning their integration into electrical networks. Such models have to take into account the physics involved for simulating (as accurately as possible) the electrical and thermal behaviours for a wide range of fault conditions, i.e. high and low short-circuit currents that can be of various durations. It is difficult to see how the planning and integration of SFCLs can be realized without using numerical tools, especially tools that allow realizing power system transient simulations, such as EMTP-RV. In fact, such software packages support engineers in predicting the behaviour of SFCLs in realistic network conditions, which may comprise a wide variety of overcurrent or fault situations. However, rSFCLs exhibit highly non-linear behaviours with a strong coupling between thermal and electrical phenomena. The implementation of such a model in power systems simulation tools is therefore challenging. Although some models have been already developed over the years, improvements are needed to take into account i) all the phenomena linked to the current limitation (electrical and thermal), ii) geometric properties of superconducting tapes that are used in rSFCLs, and iii) the possibility to perform simulations at the system level, and iv) the influence of the tape architecture in relationship to local phenomena (hot spots). This thesis hence focuses on the development of a models for resistive-type SFCLs based on second generation high temperature superconducting coated conductors (2G HTS CCs), i.e. (RE)BCO tapes. The models are implemented in EMTP-RV, a tool that is used by many utilities around the world. However, the modeling technique can be adapted to other simulation tools as well. The model proposed in this thesis is based on an electro-thermal analogy, which allows modeling thermal effects with non-linear electrical circuit elements such as resistors and capacitors. The model has been developed with the aim of providing flexibility. Hence, it can be used with an AC or DC excitation, and can also take into account non-uniformity in critical critical current density typically observed along length of the conductors (i.e. tapes). It also allows modeling virtually any tape architecture using modular and flexible electrical and thermal basic building blocks that can be different in size. This in turn also allows modeling SFCLs with different level of discretization, i.e. from hot spot modeling with local heat transfer to several meters of (RE)BCO tape. It therefore becomes possible to analyze in the same simulation phenomena happening at the sub-millimetric scale, such as hot-spot phenomena, and at the system-scale, such as the impact on the network of several hundred meters of superconducting tape. In order to validate the EMTP-RV circuit model, comparisons with results obtained with finite elements have been carried out. A similar behavior could be observed, as long as the discretization size of the electro-thermal elements were appropriate. The EMTP-RV circuit model allows performing optimizations of the tape architecture for various thicknesses of stabilizer, in presence or not of an interfacial resistance layer, e.g. between the superconductor and the substrate. While the circuit model was developed to allow representing heat transfer and current distribution in 3D, simulations are still limited to 2D cases because the size of the nodal matrix is otherwise exceeded in EMTP-RV. Simulation results also show that neglecting heat transfer along the thickness of the tape can be risky, [...]

Neste trabalho, com objetivo de desenvolvermos dispositivos de limitação óptica, estudamos o processo de absorção de estado excitados em um grupo de tetrapiridil porfirinas com diferentes substituintes centrais (2H+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Cu2+). Para isso utilizamos a técnica de varredura – Z com pulsos de femto e picossegundos bem como com trem de pulsos. Desta forma, determinamos a dinâmica de absorção de estados excitados, para estas moléculas, obtendo parâmetros espectroscópicos tais como tempo de cruzamento intersistema, e as seções de choque de absorção dos primeiros estados excitados singleto e tripleto. Além disso, visando aproveitar os processos ópticos acumulativos de alguns materiais não lineares, em aplicação de limitação óptica, desenvolvemos uma nova geometria óptica denominada de limitador óptico de múltiplas passagens, a qual utiliza dois espelhos esféricos confocais e um espelho plano posicionado paralelamente a linha que une os espelhos esféricos. / In this work, aiming to develop optical limiting devices, we have studied excited state absorption process in a group of tetrapyridyl porphyrins with different central substitutes (2H+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Cu2+). We have employed Z-scan technique with femto and picosecond pulses as well as with pulse trains to determine the excited state absorption dynamics and obtain some spectroscopic parameters like intersystem crossing time and triplet and singlet excited state absorption cross-sections. Moreover, we have developed a new geometry for an optical limiter, named multipass optical limiter. It is formed by two confocal spherical mirrors together with a plane mirror placed in parallel with the line joining them.

<p>The advancements of computational power in low cost FPGAs are giving the opportunityto implement real-time compensation of loudspeakers and audio systems. The need for expensive commercial audio systems is reduced when the fidelity ofmuch cheaper audio systems easily can be improved by real-time compensation. The topic of this thesis is to investigate and evaluate methods for digital compensationof distortion in audio systems. More specifically, a VHDL module isimplemented to, when necessary, alleviate the problem of drastically deterioratingfidelity of the bass appearing when the input power is too high.</p>

The advancements of computational power in low cost FPGAs are giving the opportunityto implement real-time compensation of loudspeakers and audio systems. The need for expensive commercial audio systems is reduced when the fidelity ofmuch cheaper audio systems easily can be improved by real-time compensation. The topic of this thesis is to investigate and evaluate methods for digital compensationof distortion in audio systems. More specifically, a VHDL module isimplemented to, when necessary, alleviate the problem of drastically deterioratingfidelity of the bass appearing when the input power is too high.

Advanced pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques such as space vector PWM, active zero state PWM, discontinuous PWM, and near state PWM methods are used in three-phase AC motor drives for the purpose of obtaining low PWM current ripple, wide voltage linearity range, and reduced common mode voltage (CMV). In some applications, a filter is inserted between the inverter and the motor for the purpose of reducing the stresses in the motor. The motor current PWM ripple components, terminal voltage overshoots, shaft voltage, and bearing currents, etc. can all be reduced by means of PWM techniques and passive filters. Various PWM techniques and passive filter types exist. This thesis studies the combinations of PWM techniques and filters and evaluates the performance of the motor drive in terms of the discussed stresses in the motor. PWM techniques are reviewed, a generalized algorithm for the implementation of PWM techniques is developed, and implementation on a 4 kW rated drive is demonstrated. Filter types are studied, among them the common mode inductor and the pure sine filter (PSF) configurations are investigated in detail. Filters are designed and their laboratory performance is evaluated. In the final stage the advanced PWM techniques and filters are combined, the incompatibility problem of discontinuous PWM methods with the PSF is illustrated. A cure based on rate of change limiter is proposed and its feasibility proven in the laboratory experiments. With the use of the proposed PWM algorithm and PSF, a motor drive with ideal DC to AC conversion stage (DC to pure sine) is achieved and its performance is demonstrated in the laboratory.

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