Este trabalho trata do estudo e aplicação da técnica de abertura focal sintética (SAFT) na geração de imagens por ultra-som em modo-B com transdutores matriciais lineares, para aplicação em ensaios não destrutivos. Sinais em modo-A são adquiridos e armazenados correspondentes ao meio inspecionado. Implementaram-se duas estratégias de processamento baseadas no método SAFT. A primeira consiste em um elemento central do array emitindo e todos recebendo, resultando em imagens com uma baixa energia acústica envolvida. A outra estratégia considera cada um dos elementos do array emissores e receptores gerando imagens de melhor qualidade, mas requer um maior tempo de processamento. Aplicaram-se técnicas de processamento digital de sinais como: filtragem, extração da envoltória, retificação, compressão logarítmica, interpolação e janelas de ponderação. Arquivos de dados foram gerados com um array de 128 elementos pelos pesquisadores da Universidade de Michigan e disponibilizados no site. Esses foram utilizados para a elaboração e otimização dos algoritmos no MatlabR. As imagens obtidas foram analisadas com relação a alguns parâmetros como a resolução axial e lateral, o contraste e o tempo de processamento. Foi confeccionado, no Laboratório de Ultra-Som da Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, transdutor array de 16 elementos. Realizaram-se experimentos, adquirindo-se sinais que foram processados, gerando imagens referentes ao meio inspecionado. / This work deals with the study and application of the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) for generating ultrasonic images in mode-B with linear array transducers for nondestructive testing applications. Modo-A signals are acquired and stored corresponding to the inspected medium. It was implemented two processing strategies based on SAFT. The first one consists of an array emitting with the central element and receiving with all the elements, resulting in images with a low acoustic energy involved. The second considers each one of the emitting and receiving elements of the array, generating images of better quality but requiring a longer processing time. Digital signal processing techniques were applied such as: filtering, envelope detection, rectification, logarithmic compression, interpolation, and weighting windows. Data were generated with a 128-element array by researchers from the University of Michigan and made available at the institution website. These data were used for elaborating and optimizing the algorithms using MatlabR. The acquired images were analyzed regarding some parameters as axial and lateral resolution, contrast and the processing time. A 16-element array was confectioned in the Ultrasound Laboratory of the School of Engineering at the University of São Paulo. Experiments were conducted and signals were acquired and processed, resulting in images of the inspected medium.

Este trabalho trata do estudo e aplicação da técnica de abertura focal sintética (SAFT) na geração de imagens por ultra-som em modo-B com transdutores matriciais lineares, para aplicação em ensaios não destrutivos. Sinais em modo-A são adquiridos e armazenados correspondentes ao meio inspecionado. Implementaram-se duas estratégias de processamento baseadas no método SAFT. A primeira consiste em um elemento central do array emitindo e todos recebendo, resultando em imagens com uma baixa energia acústica envolvida. A outra estratégia considera cada um dos elementos do array emissores e receptores gerando imagens de melhor qualidade, mas requer um maior tempo de processamento. Aplicaram-se técnicas de processamento digital de sinais como: filtragem, extração da envoltória, retificação, compressão logarítmica, interpolação e janelas de ponderação. Arquivos de dados foram gerados com um array de 128 elementos pelos pesquisadores da Universidade de Michigan e disponibilizados no site. Esses foram utilizados para a elaboração e otimização dos algoritmos no MatlabR. As imagens obtidas foram analisadas com relação a alguns parâmetros como a resolução axial e lateral, o contraste e o tempo de processamento. Foi confeccionado, no Laboratório de Ultra-Som da Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, transdutor array de 16 elementos. Realizaram-se experimentos, adquirindo-se sinais que foram processados, gerando imagens referentes ao meio inspecionado. / This work deals with the study and application of the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) for generating ultrasonic images in mode-B with linear array transducers for nondestructive testing applications. Modo-A signals are acquired and stored corresponding to the inspected medium. It was implemented two processing strategies based on SAFT. The first one consists of an array emitting with the central element and receiving with all the elements, resulting in images with a low acoustic energy involved. The second considers each one of the emitting and receiving elements of the array, generating images of better quality but requiring a longer processing time. Digital signal processing techniques were applied such as: filtering, envelope detection, rectification, logarithmic compression, interpolation, and weighting windows. Data were generated with a 128-element array by researchers from the University of Michigan and made available at the institution website. These data were used for elaborating and optimizing the algorithms using MatlabR. The acquired images were analyzed regarding some parameters as axial and lateral resolution, contrast and the processing time. A 16-element array was confectioned in the Ultrasound Laboratory of the School of Engineering at the University of São Paulo. Experiments were conducted and signals were acquired and processed, resulting in images of the inspected medium.

In this thesis a new approach is proposed for non-uniform linear arrays (NLA) which employs conventional subspace methods to improve the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation performance. Uniform linear arrays (ULA) are composed of evenly spaced sensor elements located on a straight line. ULA&#039 / s covariance matrix have a Vandermonde matrix structure, which is required by fast subspace DOA estimation algorithms. NLA differ from ULA only by some missing sensor elements. These missing elements cause some gaps in covariance matrix and Vandermonde structure is lost. Therefore fast subspace DOA algorithms can not be applied in this case. Linear programming methods and array interpolation methods can be used to solve this problem. However linear programming is computationally expensive and array interpolation is angular sector dependent and requires the same number of sensor in the virtual array. In this thesis, a covariance matrix augmentation method is developed by using the array interpolation technique and initial DOA estimates. An initial DOA estimate is obtained by Toeplitz completion of the covariance matrix. This initial DOA estimates eliminates the sector dependency and reduces the least square mapping error of array interpolation. A Wiener formulation is developed which allows more sensors in the virtual array than the real array. In addition, it leads to better estimates at low SNR. The new covariance matrix is used in the root-MUSIC algorithm to obtain a better DOA estimate. Several computer simulations are done and it is shown that the proposed approach improves the DOA estimation accuracy significantly compared to the same number of sensor ULA. This approach also increases the number of sources that can be identifed.

In this thesis, parametric study and design of Vivaldi antennas and arrays are studied. The parameters of single element antennas and arrays are investigated regarding their effects on the design. The return loss responses and radiation patterns are considered in the parametric study. The results of simulations realized using Ansoft HFSS, a high frequency electromagnetic field simulation program, are shown and discussed. Two different Vivaldi antennas operating in 8.5-10.5 GHz frequency band with return loss responses better than 15 dB are designed based on the results of parametric study. Stripline to slotline transition is used in the feeding section of both antennas. In the same manner, two different 8-element uniform linear arrays operating in 8.5-10.5 GHz with half power beam widths smaller than 12&amp / #730 / and side lobe levels smaller than 13 dB are designed. Binomial and Dolph-Chebyshev feeding techniques are also investigated in order to improve half power beamwidths and side lobe levels of the designed arrays. The designed single element Vivaldi antennas and a linear array of Vivaldi antennas are fabricated. The return loss response and radiation patterns of the fabricated antennas and the array are measured and compared with the simulation results.

Photoinduced electron transfer is involved in a number of photochemical and photobiological processes. One example of this is photosynthesis, where the absorption of sunlight leads to the formation of charge-separated states by electron transfer. The redox equivalents built up by successive photoabsorption and electron transfer is further used for the oxidation of water and reduction of carbon dioxide to sugars. The work presented in this thesis is part of an interdisciplinary effort aiming at a functional mimic of photosynthesis. The goal of this project is to utilize sunlight to produce renewable fuels from sun and water. Specifically, this thesis concerns photoinduced electron transfer in donor(D)-photosensitizer(P)-acceptor(A) systems, in mimic of the primary events of photosynthesis. The absorption of a photon typically leads to transfer of a single electron, i.e., charge separation to produce a single electron-hole pair. This fundamental process was studied in several molecular systems. The purpose of these studies was optimization of single electron transfer as to obtain charge separation in high yields, with minimum losses to competing photoreactions such as energy transfer.Also, the lifetime of the charge separated state and the confinement of the electron and hole in three-dimensional space are important in practical applications. This led us to explore molecular motifs for linear arrays based on Ru(II)bis-tridentate and Ru(II)tris-bidentate complexes. The target multi-electron catalytic reactions of water-splitting and fuel production require a build-up of redox equivalents upon successive photoexcitation and electron transfer events. The possibilities and challenges associated with such processes in molecular systems were investigated. One of the studied systems was shown to accumulate two electrons and two holes upon two successive excitations, without sacrificial redox agents and with minimum yield losses. From these studies, we have gained better understanding of the obstacles associated with step-wise photoaccumulation of charge and how to overcome them.

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Dans cette thèse, on étudie l'application de la méthode des moments pour les télécommunications. On analyse cette méthode et on montre son importance pour l'étude des matrices aléatoires. On utilise le cadre de probabilités libres pour analyser cette méthode. La notion de produit de convolution/déconvolution libre peut être utilisée pour prédire le spectre asymptotique de matrices aléatoires qui sont asymptotiquement libres. On montre que la méthode de moments est un outil puissant même pour calculer les moments/moments asymptotiques de matrices qui n'ont pas la propriété de liberté asymptotique. En particulier, on considère des matrices aléatoires gaussiennes de taille finie et des matrices de Vandermonde al ?eatoires. On développe en série entiére la distribution des valeurs propres de differents modèles, par exemple les distributions de Wishart non-centrale et aussi les distributions de Wishart avec des entrées corrélées de moyenne nulle. Le cadre d'inference pour les matrices des dimensions finies est suffisamment souple pour permettre des combinaisons de matrices aléatoires. Les résultats que nous présentons sont implémentés en code Matlab en générant des sous-ensembles, des permutations et des relations d'équivalence. On applique ce cadre à l'étude des réseaux cognitifs et des réseaux à forte mobilité. On analyse les moments de matrices de Vandermonde aléatoires avec des entrées sur le cercle unitaire. On utilise ces moments et les détecteurs à expansion polynomiale pour décrire des détecteurs à faible complexité du signal transmis par des utilisateurs mobiles à une station de base (ou avec deux stations de base) représentée par des réseaux linéaires uniformes. / In this thesis, we focus on the analysis of the moments method, showing its importance in the application of random matrices to wireless communication. This study is conducted in the free probability framework. The concept of free convolution/deconvolution can be used to predict the spectrum of sums or products of random matrices which are asymptotically free. In this framework, we show that the moments method is very appealing and powerful in order to derive the moments/asymptotic moments for cases when the property of asymptotic freeness does not hold. In particular, we focus on Gaussian random matrices with finite dimensions and structured matrices as Vandermonde matrices. We derive the explicit series expansion of the eigenvalue distribution of various models, as noncentral Wishart distributions, as well as correlated zero mean Wishart distributions. We describe an inference framework so flexible that it is possible to apply it for repeated combinations of random ma- trices. The results that we present are implemented generating subsets, permutations, and equivalence relations. We developped a Matlab routine code in order to perform convolution or deconvolution numerically in terms of a set of input moments. We apply this inference framework to the study of cognitive networks, as well as to the study of wireless networks with high mobility. We analyze the asymptotic moments of random Vandermonde matrices with entries on the unit circle. We use them and polynomial expansion detectors in order to design a low complexity linear MMSE decoder to recover the signal transmitted by mobile users to a base station or two base stations, represented by uniform linear arrays.

Durante la última década, los métodos de optimización heurísticos basados en imitar a nivel computacional procesos naturales, biológicos, sociales o culturales, han despertado el interés de la comunidad científica debido a su capacidad para explorar eficientemente espacios de soluciones multimodales y multidimensionales. En este ámbito, esta tesis aborda el desarrollo, análisis y puesta a punto de diferentes métodos de optimización tradicionales y heurísticos. En concreto, se considera un método de búsqueda local basado en símplex y varios métodos heurísticos, tales como el recocido simulado, los algoritmos genéticos y la optimización con enjambre de partículas. Para estos dos últimos algoritmos se investigan diferentes esquemas con el objetivo de superar las limitaciones propias de los esquemas clásicos.La puesta a punto de los diferentes métodos de optimización se realiza considerando como problema de referencia la caracterización de la radiación de antenas a partir de medidas en campo próximo sobre geometría plana, utilizando un método de transformación de campo cercano a campo lejano basado en corrientes equivalentes. Para cada método de optimización se incluye un análisis paramétrico, en los casos en los que se ha considerado necesario, así como resultados de transformación de campo teóricos obtenidos para diferentes antenas de apertura y antenas de bocina piramidal. Los resultados de un estudio comparativo, realizado utilizando fuentes teóricas y medidas, demuestran la utilidad del método y permiten concluir que la optimización con enjambre de partículas es el algoritmo que proporciona las mejores prestaciones para esta aplicación.Los métodos de optimización desarrollados e investigados en este trabajo han sido también aplicados a otros problemas como son la síntesis de agrupaciones lineales o el modelado de fuente en aplicaciones de compatibilidad electromagnética. / For the last decade, heuristic optimization methods based on imitating natural, biological, social or cultural processes in a computational way have aroused great interest among the scientific community, due to its ability to explore efficiently multimodal and high-dimension solution spaces. On this basis, this thesis tackles the development, analysis and tuning of different traditional and heuristic optimization methods. In short, a local search method based on simplex and several heuristic methods, such as simulated annealing, genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization are considered. For these last two algorithms different schemes are investigated so as to overcome the typical limitations of classical schemes.The tuning of the optimization methods is carried out considering as a reference problem the antenna radiation characterization from near-field measurements over a planar geometry, using a near-field to far-field transformation method based on equivalent currents. A parametric analysis is included for each optimization method, in those cases in which it has been considered necessary, as well as theoretical field transformation results obtained with aperture and pyramidal horn antennas. Results of a comparative study, carried out using theoretical sources and measurements, demonstrate the usefulness of the method and make it possible to conclude that the particle swarm optimization is the algorithm that provides the best performance for this application.The optimization methods developed and investigated in this work have also been applied to other problems, such as the synthesis of linear arrays or the source modelling in electromagnetic compatibility applications.