The purpose of this dissertation is to develop and evaluate techniques for improvement of seasonal streamflow forecasts in the Upper Rio Grande (URG) basin in the U.S. Southwest. Three techniques are investigated. The first technique is an investigation of the effects of the El Ni??o/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on temperature, precipitation, snow water equivalent (SWE), and the resulting streamflow at a monthly time scale, using data from 1952 to 1999 (WY). It was seen that the effects of ENSO on temperature and precipitation were confined to certain months, predominantly at the beginning and end of the winter season, and that the effect of these modulations of temperature and precipitation by ENSO can be seen in the magnitude and time variation of SWE and streamflow. The second part is a comparison of the use for snowmelt-runoff modeling of the newly available snowcover product based on imagery from the satellite-borne Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) with the long-time standard snowcover product from the National Hydrological Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC). This comparison is made using the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) in two watersheds located inside the URG basin. This comparison is important because the MODIS snowcover product could greatly improve the availability of snowcover information because of its high spatial (500m) and temporal (daily) resolutions and extensive (global) coverage. Based on the results of this comparison, the MODIS snowcover product gives comparable snowcover information compared to that from NOHRSC. The final part is an investigation of streamflow forecasting using mass-balance models. Two watersheds used in the comparison of MODIS and NOHRSC snowcover products were again used. The parameters of the mass-balance models are obtained in two different ways and streamflow forecasts are made on January 1st, February 1st, March 1st and April 1st. The first means of parameter estimation is to use the parameter values from 1990 to 2001 SRM streamflow simulations and the second means is by optimization. The results of this investigation show that mass-balance models show potential to improve the long-term streamflow forecasts in snowmelt-dominated watersheds if dependable precipitation forecasts can be provided.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:57:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FranciscoRS.pdf: 956790 bytes, checksum: 0ed0b523e2e3be8c00c6a754bc417e64 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-07-28 / There were studied the variation of the solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in four wavelengths (305 nm, 320 nm, 340 nm e 380 nm) and erythemic dose, measured in Natal RN Brazil, from January 2001 until December 2007, using the ground ultraviolet radiometer of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais / Centro Regional do Nordeste INPE-CRN, fixed on the roof of the Laborat?rio de Vari?veis Ambientais Tropiciais LAVAT-INPE-CRN. It was verified that the mean value of the UVR in the city reachs the HIGH index before 09h00 a.m. and VERY HIGH before 09h40 a.m.; it was also verified that, except in the months of June and July, in the other months of the year the UVR reachs the HIGH index before 10h00 a.m., despite of the recommendations broadcasting in the media about the safe time to people stay ashore on the beaches of the city. After 14h30 p.m., the UVR reachs the MODERATE index in any month of the year. These evidence are valid to all years of the period studied, i.e., 2001 to 2007. The year of 2004 presented the lower mean values of UVR indices, and the year of 2007 presented the higher mean values of UVR index. It was prove, by means of the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the variation in the four wavelengths and in the erythemic dose. Considering that the city has high indices of skin cancer and cataract, the results of the research may be use as a data source to studies that intend to support programs of public health. At the same time, the results of the research may be applied to material science and agriculture studies / Estudaram-se a varia??o da radia??o ultravioleta (RUV) solar em quatro comprimentos de ondas (305 nm, 320 nm, 340 nm e 380 nm) e a dose erit?mica, medidas em Natal RN Brasil, no per?odo de janeiro de 2001 a dezembro de 2007, empregando-se o radi?metro GUV (Ground Ultraviolet Radiometer), pertencente ao Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais / Centro Regional do Nordeste INPE-CRN, instalado no teto do Laborat?rio de Vari?veis Ambientais Tropicais LAVAT-INPE-CRN. Verificou-se que nos meses de outubro e novembro os ?ndices m?dios de RUV na cidade atingem a categoria ALTO antes das 09h00 e MUITO ALTO antes das 09h40min; tamb?m foi verificado que, exceto nos meses de junho e julho, em todos os outros meses do ano os ?ndices atingem a categoria ALTO antes das 10h00, contradizendo recomenda??es divulgadas na m?dia sobre o hor?rio adequado para perman?ncia em praias da cidade. Ap?s as 14h30, os ?ndices atingem a categoria MODERADO em qualquer m?s do ano. Essas constata??es se aplicam a todos os anos considerados na pesquisa. Dentro do per?odo considerado na pesquisa, o ano de 2004 foi o que apresentou menores valores m?dios do IUV, enquanto em 2007 foram medidos os maiores valores m?dios. Comprovou-se, atrav?s da an?lise de vari?ncia (ANOVA), a varia??o nos quatro comprimentos de ondas e na dose erit?mica. Tendo em vista que a cidade det?m elevados ?ndices de c?ncer de pele e de catarata, os resultados da pesquisa podem servir de fonte de informa??o para estudos que visem dar subs?dios a programas de sa?de p?blica. Da mesma forma, o estudo ? pass?vel de aplica??es concernentes ? ci?ncia dos materiais e ? agricultura

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein zweistufiger Algorithmus, das sogenannte Retrieval, zur Ableitung von Wasserdampfprofilen aus einer Kombination von Ramanlidar und Mikrowellenradiometer zur operationellen Anwendung vorgestellt. Beide Instrumente kamen während einer groß angelegten Kampagne nahe Jülich im Frühjahr 2013 zum Einsatz (HOPE). Ziel der Arbeit ist es, kontinuierliche Zeitreihen der vertikalen Wasserdampfverteilung abzuleiten. Dies erfordert eine Kalibrierung des Ramanlidars. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde ein automatisches Kalibrierschema entwickelt, welches auf dem integrierten Wasserdampfgehalt abgeleitet aus Mikrowellenradiometermessungen basiert. Die Methode zeigt eine gute Übereinstimmung mit herkömmlichen Ansätzen, welche auf Radiosondenaufstiegen beruhen. Der Kalibrierfaktor ist sehr stabil mit einer relativen Abweichung von 5 %. Diese Stabilität bietet den Vorteil, das Lidar auch unter bewölkten Bedingungen zu kalibrieren. Hierfür wird der Kalibrierfaktor des letzten wolkenfreien Zeitraums herangezogen. Dies ermöglicht die kontinuierliche Messung von Wasserdampfprofilen bis zu einer möglichen Wolkenbasis. Um verlässliche Wasserdampfinformationen innerhalb und oberhalb einer Wolke zu erhalten, wird ein zweistufiger Algorithmus angewandt. Der erste Schritt ist ein Kalman Filter, der die an der Wolkenbasis abgeschnittenen Wasserdampfprofile vom Ramanlidar mittels eines vorherigen Profils zu einem kompletten Profil (bis zu 10 km) kombiniert. Das komplette Wasserdampfprofil dient dann als Input für die eindimensionale variationelle (1D- VAR) Methode, auch als optimale Schätzung bekannt. Für dieses Profil werden die Helligkeitstemperaturen simuliert, die das Mikrowellenradiometer in der gegebenen Atmosphäre messen würde und anschließend mit den tatsächlich gemessenen verglichen. Das Profil wird dann iterativ entsprechend seiner Fehlerbalken so lange modifiziert, bis die modellierten mit den gemessenen Helligkeitstemperaturen hinreichend übereinstimmen. Die Funktionsweise des Retrievals wird mit Hilfe von Fallstudien unter verschiedenen Bedingungen detailliert beleuchtet. Eine statistische Analyse zeigt, dass die Verfügbarkeit von Ramanlidardaten (nachts) die Genauigkeit der abgeleiteten Profile verbessert. Tagsüber resultiert das Fehlen der Lidarinformationen in größeren Unterschieden zu Referenzradiosonden. Die Datenabdeckung der kompletten Lidarprofile von 17 % während der zweimonatigen Kampagne wird durch Anwendung des Retrievals auf 60 % signifikant erhöht. Da die relative Feuchte oft mals ein nützliches Maß für die Beschreibung von Wolkenbildung und Aerosolwachstum ist, wird die Bestimmung der relativen Feuchte aus den abgeleiteten Profilen unter verschiedenen Temperaturannahmen behandelt. Die Annahme eines Temperaturprofils vom Mikrowellenradiometer resultiert in einem absoluten Bias von 4.7 g/kg . Weiterhin wird in der Arbeit die flexible und vielfältige Anwendung des Retrievals an verschiedenen Messstationen in Jülich, Lindenberg und auf dem Forschungsschiff Polarstern sowie unterschiedlichen Ramanlidargeräten und Mikrowellenradiometern präsentiert. Ein besonders hervorzuhebender positiver Aspekt der Arbeit ist die Implementierung des Retrievals in die Cloudnet-Prozessierung, welche die Untersuchung von Wolken und Niederschlag bereichert. Die gewonnenen Profile werden außerdem für eine Evaluierung des Klima- und Vorhersagemodells ICON verwendet.

The ITG section 7.5 "Wellenausbreitung" within the VDE (German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies) organised a conference on Wave Propagation in Communication, Microwave Systems and Navigation which was held during 25th - 27th of November 2009 in Chemnitz, Germany. The conference philosophy is to emphasize the commonalty between propagation aspects of microwave remote sensing sensors and microwave systems at large. The following topics of Remote Sensing, Communication and Navigation are eligible for presentation: Microwave Propagation in Communication and Microwave Sensors - Satellite Communications - Multi-Path Propagation - Indoor Propagation - Digital Broadcast Planning - MIMO Systems and Reuse - Ionospheric Propagation - Urban Communication - Microwave Measurements in Propagation Applications of Microwave Sensors - Radar Polarimetry - Bistatic and Multistatic Radar - Polarimetric and Multistatic Interferometry - Multi-Parameter Weather Radar Systems - Automotive and Airborne Radars - System Calibration - Biological Effects of EM-Radiation - Wave Modulation Remote Sensing Radars Antenna Design and Measurements / Im Rahmen der Aktivitäten des ITG-Fachausschusses 7.5 "Wellenausbreitung" im VDE wurde eine Fachtagung auf dem Gebiet Wellenausbreitung bei Funk-, Mikrowellensystemen und Navigation vom 25. - 27. November 2009 in Chemnitz abgehalten. Die Tagungsphilosophie betont den gemeinsamen Nenner der Wellenausbreitung in diversen Bereichen wie Mikrowellensensorik und Mikrowellensystemen. Dem Leitthema zugeordnet, werden die folgenden Themen aus Fernerkundung, Kommunikation und Navigation besonders berücksichtigt. Mikrowellenausbreitung in der Kommunikation und Mikrowellensensorik - Satellitenkommunikation - Mehrwegeausbreitung - Innen-Gebäude-Übertragung - Frequenzplanung für den digitalen Rundfunk - MIMO Systeme - Wellenausbreitung in der Ionosphäre - urbane Kommunikation - Mikrowellenmessungen der Wellenausbreitung Nutzung und Anwendung in der Mikrowellensensorik - Radar-Polarimetrie - Bistatische und Multistatische Radarverfahren - Polarimetrische und Multistatische Interferometrie - Multiparameter-Wetterradar-Verfahren - Automobil- und Flugzeugradar - Systemkalibrierung - Biologische Effekte der EM-Strahlung - Antennenentwicklung und -messungen für wellenmodulierte Fernerkundungsradare

The need for water conservation continues to increase as global freshwater resources dwindle. In response, many golf course superintendents are implementing new methods and tools to become more frugal with their water applications. For example, scheduling irrigation using time-domain reflectometer (TDR) soil moisture sensors can decrease water usage. Still, TDR measurements are time-consuming and only cover small scales, leading to many locations being unsampled. Remotely sensed data such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) offer the potential of estimating moisture stress across larger scales; however, NDVI measurements are influenced by numerous stressors beyond moisture availability, thus limiting its reliability for irrigation decisions. An alternative vegetation index, the water band index (WBI), is primarily influenced by water absorption within a narrow spectral range of near-infrared light. Previous research has established strong relationships between moisture stress of creeping bentgrass (CBG) grown on sand-based root zones, a typical scenario for golf course putting greens. However, this relationship characterizes only a small portion of total acreage across golf courses, which limits widespread adoption. In our research, '007' CBG and 'Latitude 36'hybrid bermudagrass (HBG) were grown on three soil textures, USGA 90:10 sand (S), sand loam (SL) and clay (C), arranged in a 2 x 3 factorial design, randomized within six individual dry-down cycles serving as replications. Canopy reflectance and volumetric water content (VWC) data were collected hourly between 0700 and 1900 hr using a hyperspectral radiometer and an embedded soil moisture sensor, until complete turf necrosis. The WBI had the strongest relationship to VWC (r = 0.62) and visual estimations of wilt (r = -0.91) compared to the green-to-red ratio index (GRI) or NDVI. Parameters associated with non-linear regression were analyzed to compare grasses, soils, indices, and their interactions. The WBI and GRI compared favorably with each other and indicated significant moisture stress approximately 28 hr earlier than NDVI (P = 0.0010). WBI and GRI respectively predicted moisture stress 12 to 9 hr before visual estimation of 50% wilt, whereas NDVI provided 2 hr of prediction time (P = 0.0317). When considering the time to significant moisture stress, the HBG lasted 28 hr longer than CBG, while S lasted 42 hr longer than either SL and C (P ≤ 0.0011). Nonlinear regression analysis showed that WBI and GRI can be useful for predicting moisture stress of CBG and HBG grown on three diverse soils in a highly controlled environment. Our results provide substantial evidence and direction for future research investigating how WBI and GRI can expedite moisture stress assessment and prediction on a large-acreage basis. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Managed turfgrasses provide several benefits including filtering pollutants, cooling their surroundings, generating oxygen, preventing erosion, serving as recreational surfaces, and increasing landscape aesthetics. Intensively managed turfgrass systems, such as on golf courses and sports fields, require more inputs to maintain acceptable conditions. Freshwater use is often excessive on intensively managed turfgrasses to maintain proper plant growth. Drought conditions often limit water availability, especially in regions with limited rainfall. Turf managers tend to over-apply water across large acreage when few localized areas begin to show symptoms of drought. Additionally, turf managers sometimes wrongly identify stressed areas from other factors as ones being moisture-deprived. Advancements such as the use of soil moisture meters have simplified irrigation decisions as an aid to visual inspections for drought stress. While this method enhances detection accuracy, it still provides no solution to increase efficiency. Expanding our current knowledge of turfgrass canopy light reflectance for rapid moisture stress identification can potentially save both time and water resources. The objective of this research was to enhance our ability to identify and predict moisture stress of creeping bentgrass (CBG) and hybrid bermudagrass (HBG) canopies integrated into varying soil textures (USGA 90:10 sand (S), sand loam (SL) and Clay (C)) using light reflectance measurements. Dry-down cycles were conducted under greenhouses conditions collecting soil moisture and light reflectance data every hour from 7 am to 7 pm after saturating and withholding water from established plugs. Moisture stress was most accurately estimated over time using two vegetation indices, the water band index (WBI) and green-to-red ratio index (GRI), with approximately ninety percent accuracy to visible wilt stress. The WBI and GRI predicted moisture stress of CBG in all soil types and HBG in SL and C approximately 14 hours before the grasses reached 50% wilt. While light reflectance varies on exposed soils, our research shows that underlying soils do not interfere with measurements across typical turfgrass stands. This research provides a foundation for future research implementing rapid, aerial measurements of moisture stressed turfgrasses on a broad application of CBG and HBG on constructed or native soils.

Quantitative analysis of trends in vegetation cover, especially in Kogi state, Nigeria, where agriculture plays a major role in the region’s economy, is very important for detecting long-term changes in the phenological behavior of vegetation over time. This study employs the use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) [global inventory modeling and mapping studies 3g (GIMMS)] data from 1983 to 2011 with detailed methodological and statistical approach for analyzing trends within the NDVI time series for four selected locations in Kogi state. Based on the results of a comprehensive study of seasonalities in the time series, the original signals are decomposed. Different linear regression models are applied and compared. In order to detect structural changes over time a detailed breakpoint analysis is performed. The quality of linear modeling is evaluated by means of statistical analyses of the residuals. Standard deviations of the regressions are between 0.015 and 0.021 with R2 of 0.22–0.64. Segmented linear regression modeling is performed for improvement and a decreasing standard deviation of 33%–40% (0.01–0.013) and R2 up to 0.82 are obtained. The approach used in this study demonstrates the added value of long-term time series analyses of vegetation cover for the assessment of agricultural and rural development in the Guinea savannah region of Kogi state, Nigeria.

Les systèmes de communications sans fil ne cessent de se multiplier pour devenir incontournables de nos jours. Cette croissance cause une augmentation de la demande des ressources spectrales, qui sont devenues de plus en plus rares. Afin de résoudre ce problème de pénurie de fréquences, Joseph Mitola III, en 2000, a introduit l'idée de l'allocation dynamique du spectre. Il définit ainsi le terme " Cognitive Radio " (Radio Intelligente), qui est largement pressenti pour être le prochain Big Bang dans les futures communications sans fil [1]. Dans le cadre de ce travail on s'intéresse à la problématique du spectrum sensing qui est la détection de présence des Utilisateurs Primaires dans un spectre sous licence, dans le contexte de la radio intelligente. L'objectif de ce travail est de proposer des méthodes de détection efficaces à faible complexité et/ou à faible temps d'observation et ceci en utilisant le minimum d'information a priori sur le signal à détecter. Dans la première partie on traite le problème de détection d'un signal aléatoire dans le bruit. Deux grandes méthodes de détection sont utilisées : la détection d'énergie ou radiomètre et la détection cyclostationnaire. Dans notre contexte, ces méthodes sont plus complémentaires que concurrentes. Nous proposons une architecture hybride de détection des bandes libres, qui combine la simplicité du radiomètre et la robustesse des détecteurs cyclostationnaires. Deux méthodes de détection sont proposées qui se basent sur cette même architecture. Grâce au caractère adaptatif de l'architecture, la détection évolue au cours du temps pour tendre vers la complexité du détecteur d'énergie avec des performances proches du détecteur cyclostationnaire ou du radiomètre selon la méthode utilisée et l'environnement de travail. Dans un second temps on exploite la propriété parcimonieuse de la Fonction d'Autocorrelation Cyclique (FAC) pour proposer un nouvel estimateur aveugle qui se base sur le compressed sensing afin d'estimer le Vecteur d'Autocorrelation Cyclique (VAC), qui est un vecteur particulier de la Fonction d'Autocorrelation Cyclique pour un délai fixe. On montre par simulation que ce nouvel estimateur donne de meilleures performances que celles obtenues avec l'estimateur classique, qui est non aveugle et ceci dans les mêmes conditions et en utilisant le même nombre d'échantillons. On utilise l'estimateur proposé, pour proposer deux détecteurs aveugles utilisant moins d'échantillons que nécessite le détecteur temporel de second ordre de [2] qui se base sur l'estimateur classique de la FAC. Le premier détecteur exploite uniquement la propriété de parcimonie du VAC tandis que le second détecteur exploite en plus de la parcimonie la propriété de symétrie du VAC, lui permettant ainsi d'obtenir de meilleures performances. Ces deux détecteurs outre qu'ils sont aveugles sont plus performants que le détecteur non aveugle de [2] dans le cas d'un faible nombre d'échantillons.

We used long-term observations of grassland aboveground net plant production (ANPP, 19392016), growing seasonal advanced very-high-resolution radiometer remote sensing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data (1982-2016), and simulations of actual evapotranspiration (1912-2016) to evaluate the impact of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on a semiarid grassland in northeastern Colorado. Because ANPP was well correlated (R-2 = 0.58) to cumulative April to July actual evapotranspiration (iAET) and cumulative growing season NDVI (iNDVI) was well correlated to iAET and ANPP (R-2 = 0.62 [quadratic model] and 0.59, respectively), we were able to quantify interactions between the long-duration (15-30 yr) PDO temperature cycles and annual-duration ENSO SST phases on ANPP. We found that during cold-phase PDOs, mean ANPP and iNDVI were lower, and the frequency of low ANPP years (drought years) was much higher, compared to warm-phase PDO years. In addition, ANPP, iNDVI, and iAET were highly variable during the cold-phase PDOs. When NINO-3 (ENSO index) values were negative, there was a higher frequency of droughts and lower frequency of wet years regardless of the PDO phase. PDO and NINO-3 anomalies reinforced each other resulting in a high frequency of above-normal iAET (52%) and low frequency of drought (20%) when both PDO and NINO-3 values were positive and the opposite pattern when both PDO and NINO-3 values were negative (24% frequency of above normal and 48% frequency of drought). Precipitation variability and subsequent ANPP dynamics in this grassland were dampened when PDO and NINO-3 SSTs had opposing signs. Thus, primary signatures of these SSTs in this semiarid grassland are (1) increased interannual variability in ANPP during cold-phase PDOs, (2) drought with low ANPP occurring in almost half of those years with negative values of PDO and NINO-3, and (3) high precipitation and ANPP common in years with positive PDO and NINO-3 values.

Les systèmes d’imagerie microonde suscitent un grand intérêt actuellement dans le domaine de la recherche, notamment pour des applications de sécurité (scanners corporels, vision à travers les murs, etc). Plusieurs techniques d’acquisition déjà existantes permettent d’optimiser l’ouverture rayonnante afin de garantir une bonne résolution sur l’image finale. Cependant, le verrou actuel des systèmes d’imagerie est de pouvoir atteindre un temps de rafraîchissement temps réel et d’adresser un grand nombre d’antennes. La majorité des systèmes actuels peinent à concilier la rapidité et la résolution, tout en garantissant une bonne sensibilité. Les travaux réalisés dans ce manuscrit visent à proposer une alternative aux systèmes existants en se basant sur des techniques de codage analogique des signaux d’antennes. Globalement, l’objectif est de minimiser le nombre de récepteurs sans affecter les performances. Les architectures proposées sont essentiellement basées sur le concept du Radar MIMO (pour les systèmes actifs) et du radiomètre à synthèse d’ouverture interférométrique ou SAIR (pour les systèmes passifs). Ces deux systèmes permettent de réduire considérablement le nombre d’antennes sans affecter la résolution de l’image, ce qui permet une première levée de contraintes. En sus, des composants compressifs entièrement passifs sont utilisés pour réduire le nombre de récepteurs des systèmes Radar MIMO et SAIR. Ces composants à diversité spatiale et fréquentielle présentent des fonctions de transfert orthogonales. Utilisés en émission, ils permettent un adressage simultané et indépendant des antennes du réseau. En réception, ils permettent de coder les signaux reçus par les antennes vers un nombre de voies RF considérablement réduit. En appliquant des techniques de décodage appropriées, les signaux reçus par chacune des antennes peuvent être estimées afin d’appliquer les algorithmes dédiés à la reconstruction de l’image. Ces composants offrent l’avantage de réduire fortement le nombre de voies RF tout en conservant la même ouverture rayonnante et en autorisant une acquisition simultanée des signaux. Des démonstrateurs laboratoires ont été réalisés en bande S afin de montrer une preuve de faisabilité des alternatives proposées. Enfin, les résultats obtenus ont fait l'objet d'une demande de brevet et un prototype d'imageur radiométrique à ondes millimétriques est en cours de prototypage dans le cadre du projet ANR-PIXEL. / Microwave imaging systems are currently attracting great attention in the field of research, especially for security applications (body scanners, vision through walls, etc.). Several acquisition techniques already exist to optimize the antenna aperture in order to guarantee a good resolution on the final image. However, the current lock of imaging systems is to be able to achieve a real-time acquisition and address numerous antennas. Most of the current systems struggle to reconcile fast imaging and resolution while ensuring good sensitivity. The work carried out in this manuscript aims at proposing an alternative to the existing systems based on analog coding techniques of the antenna signals. Overall, the goal is to minimize the number of receivers without affecting performances. The proposed architectures are based essentially on the concept of the MIMO radar (for active systems) and the Synthetic Aperture Interferometric Radiometer or SAIR (for passive systems). These two systems allow a significant reduction of the number of antennas without affecting the resolution of the image, thus enabling a first lifting of constraints. In addition, passive compressive components are used to reduce the number of receivers in the MIMO Radar and the SAIR systems. These components with spatial and frequency diversity exhibit orthogonal transfer functions. Used in transmission, they allow simultaneous and independent addressing of each element of the antenna array. In reception, they allow the signals received by the antennas to be coded into a considerably reduced number of aggregate waveforms. By applying suitable decoding techniques, the signals received by each antenna can be estimated in order to apply imaging algorithms. These components offer the advantage of greatly reducing the number of RF channels while keeping the same number of antennas and allowing simultaneous acquisition of the signals. Laboratory demonstrators were carried out in S-band to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed alternatives. Finally, the results obtained were the subject of a patent application and a prototype of a millimeter-wave radiometric imager is being developed in the framework of the ANR-PIXEL project.

Η ανίχνευση με τη χρήση μικροκυμάτων παίζει πολύ σημαντικό ρόλο στην τεχνολογική εξέλιξη του κόσμου τα τελευταία 50 χρόνια. Από τα ραντάρ μέχρι τη Μικροκυματική Ραδιομετρία, η ανίχνευση με τη χρήση μικροκυμάτων έχει χρησιμοποιηθεί για έναν αυξανόμενο αριθμό εφαρμογών σε διάφορα επιστημονικά πεδία, μεταξύ των οποίων η χαρτογράφηση του εδάφους, ο καθορισμός της υγρασίας του εδάφους, η θερμογραφία και η ανίχνευση του καρκίνου του μαστού. Έτσι, οι μικροκυματικοί αισθητήρες, διαθέτοντας την ικανότητα να διαπερνούν πολλά είδη μέσων (πχ. σύννεφα, βιολογικοί ιστοί), έχουν μια σημαντική θέση ανάμεσα σε άλλες τεχνικές μέτρησης. Η Μικροκυματική Ραδιομετρία αποτελεί ένα σημαντικό τομέα της επιστημονικής έρευνας και εφαρμογής της ανίχνευσης με τη χρήση μικροκυμάτων, καθώς αποτελεί μια παθητική μέθοδο ανίχνευσης της φυσικά εκπεμπόμενης χαοτικής θερμικής ακτινοβολίας από κάθε σώμα που βρίσκεται σε θερμοκρασία άνω του απόλυτου μηδενός (-273 Κελσίου). Ένα μικροκυματικό ραδιόμετρο είναι η συσκευή που χρησιμοποιείται για τη διεξαγωγή ραδιομετρικών μετρήσεων. Η ραδιομετρία έχει αποτελέσει ένα σημαντικό τομέα έρευνας όχι μόνο για την αξιολόγηση της ατμόσφαιρας και της επιφάνειας της γης, αλλά και για την περαιτέρω διερεύνηση των παθητικών μετρήσεων, με σημαντικές εφαρμογές ειδικά στον τομέα της βιοϊατρικής. Στα πλαίσια της παρούσας Διδακτορικής Διατριβής μελετήθηκε σε θεωρητικό και πειραματικό επίπεδο η βελτιστοποίηση των ιδιοτήτων ανίχνευσης ενός Τρισδιάστατου Συστήματος Παθητικής Μικροκυματικής Ραδιομετρικής Απεικόνισης για διαγνωστικές εφαρμογές εγκεφάλου. Η καινοτομία της προτεινόμενης μεθόδου έγκειται στη χρήση μιας αγώγιμης ελλειψοειδούς κοιλότητας που δρα σαν μορφοποιητής δέσμης, ώστε να επιτευχθεί μέγιστη συγκέντρωση και εστίαση της ακτινοβολίας που εκπέμπει το φυσικό σώμα ενδιαφέροντος, σε συνδυασμό με ευαίσθητους ραδιομετρικούς δέκτες και ομοιοκατευθυντικές κεραίες λήψης στο φάσμα συχνοτήτων 1 – 4 GHz. Η μέτρηση πραγματοποιείται με την τοποθέτηση του ανθρώπινου εγκεφάλου στην περιοχή της πρώτης εστίας και τη λήψη της ακτινοβολίας που συγκλίνει, μέσω ανάκλασης στα τοιχώματα του ελλειψοειδούς, στη δεύτερη εστία. Εκεί είναι τοποθετημένη η κεραία λήψης που συνδέεται στον ευαίσθητο ραδιομετρικό δέκτη. VI Με σκοπό τη βελτίωση των ιδιοτήτων εστίασης του συστήματος, πραγματοποιήθηκε η μοντελοποίησή του και ακολούθησε εκτενής ηλεκτρομαγνητική μελέτη για την ανάλυση της επίδρασης διατάξεων προσαρμογής από κατάλληλα υλικά στο εσωτερικό της ελλειψοειδούς κοιλότητας. Τα αποτελέσματα δείχνουν πως με τη σωστή επιλογή των υλικών και των ιδιοτήτων τους, είναι δυνατό να επιτευχθεί σημαντική βελτίωση του βάθους ανίχνευσης του κατωφλίου ανίχνευσης θερμοκρασίας και της χωρικής διακριτικής ικανότητας του συστήματος. Τα πειράματα με ομοιώματα που πραγματοποιήθηκαν, επαληθεύουν τις βασικές αρχές λειτουργίας του συστήματος καθώς επίσης και την ευεργετική επίδραση των διατάξεων προσαρμογής στις ιδιότητες εστίασής του, που μελετήθηκαν θεωρητικά στο πρώτο στάδιο της έρευνας,. Τέλος, οι πειραματικές διαδικασίες, που σχεδιάστηκαν με βάση πιθανές κλινικές εφαρμογές του συστήματος, δείχνουν ότι έχει βασικά χαρακτηριστικά και ιδιότητες ώστε να αποτελέσει στο μέλλον κλινικό, διαγνωστικό εργαλείο. / Microwave sensing has played an increasingly significant role in the world’s technological advances over the past 50 years. From radar to radiometry, microwave sensing has been used for a large number of applications, including ground mapping, soil moisture determination, thermography, and breast cancer detection. With the ability to safely penetrate many kinds of media (e.g., clouds or biological specimens), microwave sensors find a significant place among other modalities of measurement. Microwave radiometry is an important scientific research and application area of microwave sensing because it provides a passive sensing technique for detecting naturally emitted chaotic thermal radiation by any material object being above the absolute zero temperature (-273 Celsius). A microwave radiometer is the device used to conduct radiometric measurements. While radiometry has been a significant research field for atmospheric and earth surface evaluations, it lends itself to further exploration of passive measurements, with significant applications especially in the biomedical field. In the framework of the present PhD Thesis, a theoretical and experimental optimization study of the sensing capabilities of a Three Dimensional Passive Microwave Radiometry Imaging System for brain diagnostic applications was performed. The novelty of the proposed methodology consists in the use of a conductive ellipsoidal cavity acting as a beamformer to achieve maximum peak of radiation pattern in order to measure the intensity of the microwave energy, radiated by the medium of interest, by using sensitive microwave radiometers and relevant non – contacting antennas within the range of 1 – 4 GHz. The measurement is realized by placing the human brain in the region of the first focus and collecting the radiation converged at the second focus by a receiving antenna connected to the sensitive radiometer. Towards the improvement of the system’s focusing properties, extended electromagnetic analysis was performed in order to validate the impact of matching configurations made from appropriate materials, located inside the ellipsoidal cavity. The results show that with the appropriate choice of materials and careful assessment of their properties, it is possible to significantly improve the system’s detection depth, temperature detection level and spatial sensitivity. VIII The experimental procedures that were performed verify the proof of concept and confirm the beneficial impact of matching configurations on the system’s focusing properties, which was theoretically studied in the first part of the research. Finally, the experimental set used in the study, related to possible clinical applications, produced promising results regarding the potential perspective of the system to serve as a future clinical diagnostic tool.