The modification of the band edge or emission energy of semiconductor quantum well light emitters due to image charge induced phenomenon is an emerging field of study. This effect observed in quantum well light emitters is critical for all metal-optics based light emitters including plasmonics, or nanometallic electrode based light emitters. This dissertation presents, for the first time, a systematic study of the image charge effect on semiconductor–metal systems. the necessity of introducing the image charge interactions is demonstrated by experiments and mathematical methods for semiconductor-metal image charge interactions are introduced and developed.

Three models for the generation and propagation of hydrodynamic noise near the ocean surface are presented, and are compared for their ability to predict hull noise generated by CFAV Quest. The simulated fluctuating pressure field on the hull is also validated against experimental results. The near field flow is first solved using the NWT CFD package, and the hydrodynamic noise is calculated using the Lighthill-Curle acoustic analogy. The far field sound is obtained using three methods: a method of images solution to the Lighthill-Curle equations, a simple source model of the transmission loss, or a normal mode model of the transmission loss. Both the simple source and method of images models improve the SPL predictions of the Lighthil-Curle equations. Best performance is obtained from the method of images, improving predictions by approximately 40 dB. The normal mode model is shown to give poor results, due to assumed sea-floor boundary conditions.

This thesis investigates an alternative solution to deal with the civil structure vibration. Non-contact electromagnetic or Eddy current damping is selected as a score of vibration suppression. Electromagnetic damping relies on the interaction between a permanent magnet and conductor. An electromagnetic damper (EMD) is applied both to a laboratory footbridge structure and 6-storey model-scale aluminium moment resisting frame (AMRF). In this first study the EMD is connected in series with an electronic shunt circuit to construct an electromagnetic shunt damper (EMSD). A robust optimisation method is applied to develop the corresponding optimal design formula of the EMSD. The principle of an EMSD is to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. Hence, the induced electromotive force (emf) is generated by electromagnetic induction. This emf induces an amount of shunt damping, which is fedback to the structure to achieve vibration suppression. It was found that when the impedance was applied, the shunt damping feature was of a similar nature to viscous dampers. In contrast, when an RLC (resistance-inductance-capacitance) circuit is connected, the shunt damping is analogous to a tuned mass damper. A second form of EMD is Eddy current damper (ECD), which relies on a geometrical arrangement of permanent magnets and conductors to produce damping forces. The vertical and horizontal orientation of the magnet, unidirectional and alternative pole projection and moving different direction of the conductor are investigated. A theoretical study involving the infinite boundary and finite boundary (the method of images current) is carried out to obtain an analytical calculation of the damping force. On the basis of this analysis, one type of ECD prototype was physically built. A performance test was carried out to determine the damping characteristics of the ECD, which agreed with the results of the numerical analysis. In addition, the ECD was applied to control the dynamics of the 6-storey AMRF. It was found that, the ECD can effectively increase system damping and have a satisfactory control effect.

A novel electromechanical brake (EMB) based on the eddy current principle is proposed for application in electrical vehicles. The proposed solution is a feasible replacement for the current conventional hydraulic brake (CHB) systems. Unlike CHBs eddy current brakes (ECBs) use eddy currents and their interaction with an externally applied magnetic field to generate braking torque. Due to their pure electrically controllable and contact free nature, ECBs have multiple advantages over the current CHB systems, such as faster response, reduced weight and number of components, ease of implementing various controllers (e.g., anti-lock braking), and reduced noise levels. However, the torque generated by a typical ECB at low speeds is insufficient to effectively and completely stop a moving vehicle. Therefore, an ECB is commonly used as an assistive brake to the CHB system in heavy vehicles, i.e. trains and trucks In order to overcome this shortcoming, the use of AC magnetic fields is proposed to realize a stand-alone ECB system in which sufficient braking torque can be generated at low speeds. To this end, eddy currents are modeled analytically using the governing Maxwell’s equations with the consideration of time varying field application. The analytical model was validated using finite element analysis. Results show that the braking torque increases with the application of a time varying field. Various forms of time varying fields have been studied. It was found that the frequency-modulated applied field in triangular waveform results in the highest braking torque. Next, the design was optimized to maximize the braking torque and an optimum configuration was obtained using multiple pole projection areas (PPAs). Optimization results show that the braking torque significantly increases with the introduction of additional PPAs to the configuration, and the braking torque generation for an optimum four-PPA ECB configuration exceeds the braking requirements for current passenger vehicles. For control purposes, a dynamic model for a novel stand-alone ECB system using AC fields for automotive applications has been successfully designed and evaluated. Also, a model-based predictive controller has been developed for the optimum ECB configuration. Finally an experimental test-bed has been designed for experimentation of both DC and AC field application on ECB. / Graduate