In this thesis a theoretical model for indoor propagation in a straight corridor with adjacent rooms is developed and evaluated. One objective is to assess the effect of different conductivities and permittivities in the walls between rooms have on the power levels, in both the corridor and the rooms. Furthermore, a model of a leaky cable is proposed for which the corresponding propagation characteristics are evaluated and compared to that of a dipole antenna to assess if a leaky cable is a viable alternative for radio coverage in an indoor environment. In order to evaluate the model, a wideband measurement campaign has been conducted at 2.44 GHz with a 40 meter long leaky coaxial cable and two vertically polarized dipole antennas. The proposed model is based on the waveguide model in 2D, the mode matching method and cascade coupling of scattering matrices. A section of a corridor is modeled as waveguides with different cross section where one waveguide contains a dielectric medium which models the wall between two rooms. Mode matching is used to determine how the waveguide modes are coupled at the boundaries between the waveguides and the result is collected in a scattering matrix. Multiple corridor sections are then connected together, by cascade coupling the corresponding scattering matrices of each section, into a long corridor with adjacent rooms. Point sources are used to excite the waveguides as an approximation of dipole transmitting antennas. Moreover, the radiating slots in the leaky cable are modeled by multiple point sources that are phase and amplitude shifted in order to achieve the same radiation direction and longitudinal loss as the leaky cable. Finally, the inverse discreet Fourier transform is applied to the wideband electromagnetic field distribution in order to determine the propagation characteristics in the time domain. The results from the model are in good quantitative agreement with the measurement data, and it is shown that a leaky cable give a more even radio coverage in an office corridor compared to a dipole antenna, especially when the internal walls are highly reflective. Moreover, it is shown that the direct path is dominating for transmission between rooms with transparent walls, like plasterboard, while the main propagation path for highly reflective walls is along the corridor.

This thesis presents the first research on polymer-segmented-cladding-fibre (PSCF), an emerging class of microstructured- optical-fibres (MOFs), which allows single-mode operation with ultra-large-core area. This research covers the modelling, design, fabrication and experiment of the polymer optical cross-fibre (4-period-SCF) whose cross-sectional view resembles a cross. A new wedge waveguide model has been formulated and applied to demonstrate that for any given parameters, the cross fibre gives the same performance for single-mode operation as the N-period-SCFs (for N = 2, 6 and 8). These fibres behave identically if the high-index segment angle, θ1, is the same and the low-index segment angular width, θ2, is sufficiently large for negligible adjacent mode coupling effects. This remarkable finding has significant ramifications for SCF fabrication, design and performance. Theoretical predictions confirmed by experiments demonstrated that a cross-fibre is all that needed to fabricate a large-core single-mode-fibre with no geometry-induced birefringence. The high-index outer ring effects on the cross fibre single-mode performance have been systematically investigated for the first time. The study reveals that the ring index value higher than its core index has very strong effects on single-mode performance. Within a narrow range of θ1, the minimum fibre length required for single-mode operation is reduced but outside this angle range, longer single-mode length is required. Furthermore, the fibre can be anti-guiding if θ1 exceeds the cutoff angle. Incorporating the fabrication constraints, the optimal cross-fibre design with high-index ring is achieved by optimising the relative index difference, high-index segment angle and core-cladding diameter ratio. Two preform-making techniques developed for the cross-fibres fabrication include the cladding-segment-in-tube method and the core-cladding-segment-in-tube method. The innovative approach in these methods overcomes the problems of bubble formation and fractures, which are related to the fibre structure complexity and the polymer intrinsic properties and their processing. It enables the successful drawing of single-mode fibres. This thesis reports the first experimental demonstration of single-mode operation of large-core cross-fibre. Three experimental studies with different cross-fibre designs have demonstrated (i) large-core single-mode operation, (ii) high-index ring effects on fibre performance and (iii) cross-fibre optimal design trial. Apart from this, the 8-period-SCF fibre performance has been demonstrated experimentally.

This thesis presents the first research on polymer-segmented-cladding-fibre (PSCF), an emerging class of microstructured- optical-fibres (MOFs), which allows single-mode operation with ultra-large-core area. This research covers the modelling, design, fabrication and experiment of the polymer optical cross-fibre (4-period-SCF) whose cross-sectional view resembles a cross. A new wedge waveguide model has been formulated and applied to demonstrate that for any given parameters, the cross fibre gives the same performance for single-mode operation as the N-period-SCFs (for N = 2, 6 and 8). These fibres behave identically if the high-index segment angle, θ1, is the same and the low-index segment angular width, θ2, is sufficiently large for negligible adjacent mode coupling effects. This remarkable finding has significant ramifications for SCF fabrication, design and performance. Theoretical predictions confirmed by experiments demonstrated that a cross-fibre is all that needed to fabricate a large-core single-mode-fibre with no geometry-induced birefringence. The high-index outer ring effects on the cross fibre single-mode performance have been systematically investigated for the first time. The study reveals that the ring index value higher than its core index has very strong effects on single-mode performance. Within a narrow range of θ1, the minimum fibre length required for single-mode operation is reduced but outside this angle range, longer single-mode length is required. Furthermore, the fibre can be anti-guiding if θ1 exceeds the cutoff angle. Incorporating the fabrication constraints, the optimal cross-fibre design with high-index ring is achieved by optimising the relative index difference, high-index segment angle and core-cladding diameter ratio. Two preform-making techniques developed for the cross-fibres fabrication include the cladding-segment-in-tube method and the core-cladding-segment-in-tube method. The innovative approach in these methods overcomes the problems of bubble formation and fractures, which are related to the fibre structure complexity and the polymer intrinsic properties and their processing. It enables the successful drawing of single-mode fibres. This thesis reports the first experimental demonstration of single-mode operation of large-core cross-fibre. Three experimental studies with different cross-fibre designs have demonstrated (i) large-core single-mode operation, (ii) high-index ring effects on fibre performance and (iii) cross-fibre optimal design trial. Apart from this, the 8-period-SCF fibre performance has been demonstrated experimentally.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / In this thesis, the ocean was modeled as a waveguide with an ideal pressure - release surface, and an ideal rigid bottom. The ocean waveguide was then treated as a linear, time - invariant, space - variant (TISV) filter or communication channel. The filter is time - invariant because no motion was modeled and because the properties of the ocean were assumed to be constant. The filter is space - variant because of the presence of the two boundaries, that is, the ocean surface and ocean bottom. This thesis investigates the ocean as a linear TISV filter by evaluating 1) the complex frequency response, 2) the impulse response, and 3) the transfer function of the ocean with respect to depth. It is shown that the TISV impulse response of the ocean contains information that can be used to help localize a target in range and whether the target is above or below the receiver. Computer simulation results were obtained by evaluating the three filter functions for several different test cases. / Ensign, United States Navy