Browsing by Subject "microwave"
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Item Beamfilling correction study for retrieval of oceanic rain from passive microwave observations(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Chen, RuiyueBeamfilling error is one of the main error sources for microwave oceanic rainfall retrieval. An accurate beamfilling correction can improve the rainfall retrieval accuracy significantly. Quantitative understanding of the uncertainty of the Beamfilling Correction Factor (BCF) is very important for the understanding of the accuracy of microwave passive rainfall retrieval. Refinement of the calculation of the BCF and the estimation of BCF uncertainty are the main purposes of this thesis. The characteristic of rainfall distribution is investigated. Quantitative understanding of the statistical characteristics of rainfall distribution provides an indication of the beamfilling error and the uncertainty of BCF in many ways. Some refinements to the traditional BCF calculation algorithm are provided in this thesis. Scattering is included in the new algorithm. Also the BCF calculation only considers the cases within the useful dynamic range. These refinements make the BCF calculation closer to how it is used in the retrieval algorithm. The BCF based on the new algorithm should be more accurate. The global BCF uncertainty and the local BCF uncertainty are estimated using the available A/C radar data. The results show that the uncertainty of BCF is much smaller than expected, and also show that the BCF derived from a specific set of data can be used globally.Item Experimental and theoretical investigations of microwave heating(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Kota, Bhagat ChandraIn this work we proposed the governing equations for describing the microwave heating process where the complex interactions between the thermo-mechanical and electromagnetic fields are taken into account. Starting point are the general balance laws of mechanics and electrodynamics. Transient and spatial temperature profiles of liquids (water and corn solution) inside a cylindrical container during microwave heating at 2450 MHz were measured. Transient temperature rise at a given location was almost linear. The slowest heating region was at the container bottom due to small energy penetration through the bottom. Numerical simulations were carried out for microwave heating of 2D cylinders of pure water with internal convection in the liquid regions. The results are found to be consistent with those of the experiments. A generalized theoretical model was formulated for the process of microwave heating of materials. Finally stability analysis was done on a 1-D model of microwave heating and the equations for the perturbations were obtained.Item Iron oxide nanoparticles as a contrast agent for thermoacoustic tomography(2009-06-02) Keho, Aaron LopezAn exogenous contrast agent has been developed to enhance the contrast achievable in Thermoacoustic Tomography (TAT). TAT utilizes the penetration depth of microwave energy while producing high resolution images through acoustic waves. A sample irradiated by a microwave source expands due to thermoelastic expansion. The acoustic wave created by this expansion is recorded by an ultrasonic transducer. The water content in biological samples poses an obstacle, as it is the primary absorber of microwave radiation. The addition of an exogenous contrast agent improves image quality by more effectively converting microwave energy to heat. The use of iron oxide nanoparticles in MRI applications has been explored but super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) have benefits in microwave applications, as well. Through ferromagnetic resonance, SPION samples more effectively convert microwave energy into heat. This transduction to heat creates significantly larger thermoacoustic waves than water, alone. Characterization of the SPION samples is executed through TAT, TEM, XPS, EDS, and a vector network analyzer with a dielectric probe kit. Onedimensional and phantom model imaging with an iron oxide nanoparticle contrast agent provide a two-fold improvement in contrast at current system configurations. Further enhancement is possible through adjustments to the nanoparticles and TAT system.Item Microwave Metamaterial Applications using Complementary Split Ring Resonators and High Gain Rectifying Reflectarray for Wireless Power Transmission(2011-10-21) Ahn, Chi HyungIn the past decade, artificial materials have attracted considerable attention as potential solutions to meet the demands of modern microwave technology for simultaneously achieving component minimization and higher performance in mobile communications, medical, and optoelectronics applications. To realize this potential, more research on metamaterials is needed. In this dissertation, new bandpass filter and diplexer as microwave metamaterial applications have been developed. Unlike the conventional complementary split ring (CSRR) filters, coupled lines are used to provide larger coupling capacitance, resulting in better bandpass characteristics with two CSRRs only. The modified bandpass filters are used to deisgn a compact diplexer. A new CSRR antenna fed by coplanar waveguide has also been developed as another metamaterial application. The rectangular shape CSRRs antenna achieves dual band frequency properties without any special matching network. The higher resonant frequency is dominantly determined by the outer slot ring, while the lower resonant frequency is generated by the coupling between two CSRRs. The proposed antenna achieves about 35 percent size reduction, compared with the conventional slot antennas at the low resonant frequencies. As a future alternative energy solution, space solar power transmission and wireless power transmission have received much attention. The design of efficient rectifying antennas called rectennas is very critical in the wireless power transmission system. The conventional method to obtain long distance range and high output power is to use a large antenna array in rectenna design. However, the use of array antennas has several problems: the relatively high loss of the array feed networks, difficultiy in feeding network design, and antenna radiator coupling that degrades rectenna array performance. In this dissertation, to overcome the above problems, a reflectarray is used to build a rectenna system. The spatial feeding method of the reflectarray eliminates the energy loss and design complexity of a feeding network. A high gain rectifying antenna has been developed and located at the focal point of the reflectarray to receive the reflected RF singals and genterate DC power. The technologies are very useful for high power wireless power transmission applications.Item Photoacoustic and thermoacoustic tomography: system development for biomedical applications(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Ku, GengPhotoacoustic tomography (PAT), as well as thermoacoustic tomography (TAT), utilize electromagnetic radiation in its visible, near infrared, microwave, and radiofrequency forms, respectively, to induce acoustic waves in biological tissues for imaging purposes. Combining the advantages of both the high image contrast that results from electromagnetic absorption and the high resolution of ultrasound imaging, these new imaging modalities could be the next successful imaging techniques in biomedical applications. Basic research on PAT and TAT, and the relevant physics, is presented in Chapter I. In Chapter II, we investigate the imaging mechanisms of TAT in terms of signal generation, propagation and detection. We present a theoretical analysis as well as simulations of such imaging characteristics as contrast and resolution, accompanied by experimental results from phantom and tissue samples. In Chapter III, we discuss the further application of TAT to the imaging of biological tissues. The microwave absorption difference in normal and cancerous breast tissues, as well as its influence on thermoacoustic wave generation and the resulting transducer response, is investigated over a wide range of electromagnetic frequencies and depths of tumor locations. In Chapter IV, we describe the mechanism of PAT and the algorithm used for image reconstruction. Because of the broad bandwidth of the laser-induced ultrasonic waves and the limited bandwidth of the single transducer, multiple ultrasonic transducers, each with a different central frequency, are employed for simultaneous detection. Chapter V further demonstrates PAT??s ability to image vascular structures in biological tissue based on blood??s strong light absorption capability. The photoacoustic images of rat brain tumors in this study clearly reveal the angiogenesis that is associated with tumors. In Chapter VI, we report on further developing PAT to image deeply embedded optical heterogeneity in biological tissues. The improved imaging ability is attributed to better penetration by NIR light, the use of the optical contrast agent ICG (indocyanine green) and a new detection scheme of a circular scanning configuration. Deep penetrating PAT, which is based on a tissue??s intrinsic contrast using laser light of 532 nm green light and 1.06 ??m near infrared light, is also presented.