Radar cross section | EPFL Graph Search

Radar cross-section (RCS), denoted σ, also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected. An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy back to the source. The factors that influence this include: *the material with which the target is made; *the size of the target relative to the wavelength of the illuminating radar signal; *the absolute size of the target; *the incident angle (angle at which the radar beam hits a particular portion of the target, which depends upon the shape of the target and its orientation to the radar source); *the reflected angle (angle at which the reflected beam leaves the part of the target hit; it depends upon incident angle); *the polarization of the radiation transmitted and received with respect to the orientation of the target. While important in detecting targets, strength of emitter and distance are not factors that affec

Fluid mechanics of intrathecal drug delivery

Radboud Michael Nelissen

The aim of this principally experimental study is to understand from fluid mechanic principles why an insignificant anesthetic dose administered as a short bolus into the cerebrospinal fluid inside the subarachnoid space provides greater pain relief than a larger dose continuously injected over a longer period. The subarachnoid space is modeled as an annular gap of constant or slowly varying cross section into which a catheter is introduced. The cerebrospinal fluid is replaced by water of 37°C which has very similar properties. This fluid in the annular gap is subjected to oscillations of amplitude and frequency (heart frequency) typically found in the subarachnoid space. The anesthetic is replaced by a fluorescent dye injected through the catheter. To study its dispersion, we have developed a 400 Hz laser scanning setup with which we perform quasi-instantaneous, quantitative 3D laser induced fluorescence (LIF) as well as 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV). The experiments are supplemented by an analytical axi-symmetric model as well as an exploratory numerical model to help interpret the results. The study has identified steady streaming (a nonlinear effect associated with the fluid oscillation) and enhanced diffusion (an effect associated with oscillating shear flow) as the principal agents of dye (anesthetic) dispersion. Besides the slowly varying cross section, the catheter tip has been identified as an important cause for steady streaming. In an attempt to identify optimal injection parameters of use for clinicians, a rough parametric model of the primary factors influencing drug spread (fluid oscillation frequency and amplitude, geometry, and injection rate) has been constructed.

EPFL2008

Magnetic Model of the CERN Proton Synchrotron

Mariusz Juchno

In this thesis, we present development of the first magnetic model of the main Proton Synchrotron magnets. The operation of the machine and conducting research on increasing its performance require a significant amount of the magnetic field data for the optics modelling. For magnets of the Proton Synchrotron, such amount of data cannot be provided by the magnetic measurements, therefore, we have to rely on magnetic models. We have developed the model based on the numerical analysis of the magnetic field in the magnet and performed the validation with the use of the available magnetic measurements data. The results of the 2D quasi-static analysis were used to decompose the multipolar contributions of different magnet circuits on different levels fo the iron core magnetization within the whole range of the PS operation energies. Established formulas of every circuit contributions take into account the global magnetization of the yoke and its saturation as well as a local magnetization changes caused by contributions of other circuits. The 3D numerical analysis was setup to study the influence of the magnet stray field and gaps between the magnet blocks on the integrated multipolar field. Its results were used to derive appropriate model corrections of the integrated multipolar field with respect to the field in the reference cross-section and to approximate the effective magnetic lengths of the auxiliary circuits of the PS magnet. In order to perform a non-linear chromaticity analysis and to take the full advantage of the developed model, we have modified the existing optics model of the PS lattice. We have integrated magnetic model into the optics calculation with two simulation adjustment methods, which optimize the main coil current in similar way as it is done for the real magnets and adjust four free parameters to match the measured parameters of the initial working point. We have successfully validated the combined magnetic and optics models for various beam momentum levels and magnet powering conditions. With the use of the new magnetic model, for the first time in the history of the PS we are able to predict a higher-order chromaticity function for any energy. Base on the optics modelling results, we have derived working point transfer matrices for the non-linear chromaticity, which allow to predict a set of powering current offsets required to apply foreseen working point adjustment. We were also able to model an offset of the measured transfer matrices due to a change of the radial position chosen for the beam production.

EPFL2013

Atomic layer deposition of Ni and Ni80Fe20 for tubular spin-wave nanocavities

Maria Carmen Giordano

Magnetic thin films and magnetic nanostructures have become essential components of modern technological applications. Modern branches of magnetisms focus on spin-charge coupling (spintronics) and the collective excitation of spin waves in magnetically ordered materials (magnonics). In particular, spin waves represent a promising charge-free medium to encode and transmit information in the GHz frequency regime, relevant for microwaves technologies. The ever-increasing demand for compact and portable electronic and telecommunication devices leads to the need for further miniaturization and high integration density of their functional components. These aspects have prompted nanomagnetism to venture the third dimension. This development is also motivated by novel physical phenomena and functionalities predicted to arise from three-dimensional (3D) complex magnetic configurations. In order to advance the research in 3D spintronics and 3D magnonics, it will be essential to have control over the fabrication of 3D nanoarchitectures and to access the new properties of individual nanostructures emerging from new complex 3D spin-textures. These two challenges are addressed in this thesis. Ferromagnetic nanotubes (NTs) represent the ideal 3D system for the study of shape dependent static and dynamic magnetic properties. Their magnetic configurations, as well as the spin wave confinement and propagation inside them, can be engineered by changing their geometrical parameters. First, in order to fabricate 3D magnetic device architectures, we explored atomic layer deposition (ALD). The thickness and quality of the thin films deposited with ALD are irrespective of the geometry of the surface on which they are deposited. This characteristic makes it ideal to fabricate 3D nanomagnets by magnetically coating 3D nanotemplates, e.g. nanowires (NWs) in the case of NTs. In this thesis we propose ALD processes for the conformal coating by means of two ferromagnetic materials conventionally used in planar spintronics and magnonics systems: Ni and permalloy (Py, Ni80Fe20), the second material expected to have a lower spin wave damping. By identifying correlations between ALD process parameters and thin film properties we optimized the materials in terms of conformality, electrical resistivity, anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) effect, spin wave damping and, in the case of permalloy, also stoichiometry. The optimized materials were then transferred onto GaAs nanowires templates, obtaining ferromagnetic NTs with hexagonal cross sections. We achieved Ni NTs with the lowest resistivity ever reported in similar ALD-grown Ni systems and a large AMR effect. We observed the lowest spin waves damping for permalloy NTs, exhibithing a value comparable with permalloy thin films achieved with conventional planar deposition techniques. Second, we investigated magnetic states and spin waves confinement in nanotubes experimentally and via micromagnetic simulations. We combined magnetoresistance measurements with Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy (BLS) and micromagnetic simulations to study Ni and Py NTs. BLS measurements, performed while irradiating NTs with microwaves, show that these nanotubes form spin-wave nanocavities which impose discrete wave vectors and confine GHz microwave signals on the nanoscale. Our experimental results show that the confinement can be engineered by changing the NT's geometrical parameters and magnetic states.

EPFL2021