Laplace's equation | EPFL Graph Search

In mathematics and physics, Laplace's equation is a second-order partial differential equation named after Pierre-Simon Laplace, who first studied its properties. This is often written as \nabla^2! f = 0 or \Delta f = 0, where \Delta = \nabla \cdot \nabla = \nabla^2 is the Laplace operator, \nabla \cdot is the divergence operator (also symbolized "div"), \nabla is the gradient operator (also symbolized "grad"), and f (x, y, z) is a twice-differentiable real-valued function. The Laplace operator therefore maps a scalar function to another scalar function. If the right-hand side is specified as a given function, h(x, y, z), we have \Delta f = h. This is called Poisson's equation, a generalization of Laplace's equation. Laplace's equation and Poisson's equation are the simplest examples of elliptic partial differential equations. L

Analytical Methods for the Study and Design of Integrated Switched Oscillators and Antennas for Mesoband Radiation

Jose Felix Vega Stavro

This thesis was carried out within the framework of a scientific cooperation project entitled “Application of High Power Electromagnetics to Human Safety” developed by the EPFL, the National University of Colombia and Los Andes University, Colombia. The project was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) through the EPFL Centre Coopéation & Développement (CODEV). The Scientific Cooperation aimed at the study and development of techniques for the generation of high power electromagnetic signals for the disruption or preemptive activation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) during humanitarian clearance activities. The results and conclusions of the thesis will be applied to the construction of a resonant radiator, which can be used for securing humanitarian demining operations in Colombia. The thesis is devoted to the analysis of a specific type of resonant radiators known as Switched Oscillators (SWO). An SWO is a radiator constituted by a high voltage charging circuit that drives a quarter-wave transmission line resonator connected to an antenna. An SWO can produce high-amplitude, short duration, electromagnetic fields, with a moderate bandwidth, when compared to the main resonance frequency. The outcome of the thesis can be also be used in electromagnetic compatibility applications, for the production of resonant, high power electromagnetic fields, with the aim of testing the immunity of electronic systems against Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (IEMI) attacks. The thesis is divided in three parts. The first part deals with the electrostatic design of an SWO. A method for producing an optimized design of the electrodes forming the spark gap of the SWO is presented. The method is based on the generation of a curvilinear coordinate space on which the electrodes are conformal to one of the coordinate axis of the space. Laplace equation is solved in the interelectrodic space, obtaining an analytical solution for the electrostatic distribution. Furthermore, using appropriate mathematical manipulations, we derive an analytical expression for the impedance of the transmission line formed by the proposed electrodes. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the analysis of SWOs in the frequency domain. An original analysis approach, based on the chain-parameter technique, is proposed in which the SWO and the connected antenna are described using a two-port network using which a transfer function between the input voltage and the radiated field is established. A closed form expression of the resonance frequency of the SWO is also obtained. The developed technique makes it possible to study the response of an SWO when connected to an arbitrary antenna with a frequency-dependent input impedance. The final part of the thesis presents the construction and test of an SWO prototype. The prototype design is based on the theoretical developments presented in the first two parts of the thesis. The realized SWO is experimentally characterized using different antennas. It is characterized by an input voltage of 30 kV and a resonance frequency of 433 MHz. Radiated electric fields using monopole antennas were in the order of 10 kV/m at a distance of 1.5 m. The prototype is used for testing the validity of the electrodynamic model for the analysis of SWOs connected to frequency dependent antennas. Different monopole antennas connected to the SWO are considered and the radiated fields are measured and compared with theoretical calculations. It is shown that the developed theoretical model is able to reproduce with a good accuracy the behavior of the SWO connected to a frequency dependent antenna.

EPFL2013

MATHICSE Technical Report : Analysis-aware defeaturing: problem setting and a posteriori estimation

Annalisa Buffa, Ondine Gabrielle Chanon, Rafael Vazquez Hernandez

Defeaturing consists in simplifying geometrical models by removing the geometrical features that are considered not relevant for a given simulation. Feature removal and simplification of computer-aided design models enables faster simulations for engineering analysis problems, and simplifies the meshing problem that is otherwise often unfeasible. The effects of defeaturing on the analysis are then neglected and, as of today, there are basically very few strategies to quantitatively evaluate such an impact. Un- derstanding well the effects of this process is an important step for automatic integration of design and analysis. We formalize the process of defeaturing by understanding its effect on the solution of the Laplace equation defined on the geometrical model of interest containing a single feature, with Neumann bound- ary conditions on the feature itself. We derive an a posteriori estimator of the energy error between the solutions of the exact and the defeatured geometries in

\mathbb{R}^n

n\in\{2,3\}

, that is simple, efficient and reliable up to oscillations. The dependence of the estimator upon the size of the features is explicit.

EPFL2021

Fredholm transformation on Laplacian and rapid stabilization for the heat equation

Shengquan Xiang

We study the rapid stabilization of the heat equation on the 1-dimensional torus using the backstepping method with a Fredholm transformation. This classical framework allows us to present the backstepping method with Fredholm transformations for the Laplace operator in a sharp functional setting, which is the main objective of this work. We first prove that, under some assumptions on the control operator, two scalar controls are necessary and sufficient to get controllability and rapid stabilization. Then, we prove that the Fredholm transformation constructed for the Laplacian also leads to the local rapid stability of the viscous Burgers equation. (c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE2022