Broadband Frequency Domain Research Articles

Frequency Domain Electromagnetic System Based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Platform for Detecting Shallow Subsurface Targets

Due to the advantages of being nondestructive, rapid, and convenient, the electromagnetic detection method has attracted growing interest in the field of shallow subsurface detection. With the rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, the use of the UAV platform for measurement can not only improve work efficiency but also avoid the significant losses that may be caused by humans working in dangerous areas. Therefore, we propose a broadband frequency domain electromagnetic system AFEM-3 based on a UAV platform for shallow subsurface targets detection (within less than 2 m). The sensor head adopts a concentric planar coil structure with a high spatial resolution, and a bucking coil connected in reverse series with the transmitting coil is used to suppress the primary field at the receiving coil. We designed a transmitting module based on unipolar frequency multiplication sinusoidal pulse width modulation technology that can generate multi-frequency arbitrary combination transmitting waveforms with low total harmonic distortion. It can also be matched to a variety of different transmitter coils by using the same hardware circuit. In addition, the global navigation satellite system and inertial measurement unit are integrated on the sensor head. The measurement response value, position, and attitude information can be displayed in real-time through the host computer. Through the static experiment of a standard coil, we verified the consistency between the AFEM-3 system with the theory. The performance of the system was evaluated through field experiments. The experimental results show that the system can effectively detect multiple metal targets in shallow subsurface areas. For different metal targets, the AFEM-3 system can provide obvious frequency domain characteristics.

Experimental Investigation of the Vibration Reduction of the Pipeline System with a Particle Impact Damper under Random Excitation

In the engineering field, severe vibration of the pipeline system occurs under random excitation, which leads to vibration failure of the pipeline system due to overload. The traditional method is to increase the rigidity of the pipeline system, and to avoid low-frequency resonance by using clamps or damping materials. However, due to structural limitations, it is difficult to apply clamps and damping materials. Particle damping technology has been applied in many fields, and the vibrational energy in the broadband frequency domain could be dissipated based on nonlinear particle collision damping. In this paper, a particle impact damper is designed for vibration reduction of the pipeline system. The damping capability is identified to investigate the effects of particle material, filling rate, particle size, damper structure, and boundary conditions. The results indicate that the ideal damping performance can be obtained by properly selecting particle parameters. Based on applying particle damping on the pipeline system, the proposed particle impact damper showed excellent damping capability under random excitation.

Considerations in upconversion: A practical guide to sum-frequency generation spectrometer design and implementation.

In this tutorial review, we discuss how the choice of upconversion pulse shape in broadband vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectrometer design impacts the chemical or physical insights one can obtain from a set of measurements. A time-domain picture of a vibrational coherence being mapped by a second optical field is described and the implications of how this mapping, or upconversion process, takes place are given in the context of several popular and emerging approaches found in the literature. Emphasis is placed on broadband frequency-domain measurements, where the choice of upconversion pulse enhances or limits the information contained in the SFG spectrum. We conclude with an outline for a flexible approach to SFG upconversion using pulse-shaping methods and a simple guide to design and optimize the associated instrumentation.

Physical Mechanism Analysis of Conductivity and Relaxation Polarization Behavior of Oil-Paper Insulation Based on Broadband Frequency Domain Spectroscopy

This paper focuses on the in-depth analysis of the physical mechanism of the broadband frequency domain spectroscopy of oil-paper insulation. The complex permittivity shows two low-frequency dispersion phenomena, and the real part of the complex conductivity exhibits two slope changes under the synergistic effect of aging and moisture. The two slope changes are mainly attributed to the migration characteristics of water molecules and polar aging products with a degradation of the oil-paper insulation, resulting in the transition of the frequency dependence between the DC conductivity and AC conductivity. When the oil-paper insulation deteriorates seriously, the imaginary part of the dielectric modulus shows double relaxation peaks. Physical models of parasitic capacitance and molecular polarity interface polarization are proposed to reveal the physical mechanism of the double relaxation peaks. The left peak of the double relaxation peaks is caused by the accumulation of water molecules and polar aging products at the electrode/insulation interface, and the right peak is due to the charge disturbance of the cellulose molecular chain surface. This paper can provide theoretical support and technical guidance for the condition diagnosis and evaluation of oil-paper insulation.

Finite element analysis for nightside transfer function lunar electromagnetic induction studies

The global electromagnetic induction response of the Moon has been solved numerically for several electrical conductivity profiles using the finite-element method. Here we demonstrate the capability and applicability in both two and three spatial dimensions for any input magnetic field time series measured at the Moon. We discuss the applicability of a vacuum approximation to the induced magnetic field response to the lunar plasma environment and the challenges of isolating geomagnetic induced fields including the interaction with the lunar wake structure. We perform three validation analyses comparing our vacuum model response to analytic solutions: (1) the time domain response to a step impulse or tangential discontinuity within the solar wind, (2) the time domain response to a ramp driving function, and (3) the broadband frequency domain response. We fit the analytic solutions to a root-mean-square error of better than 1% for all cases. We analyze the accuracy range and demonstrate our model’s capability of resolving interior structure from Apollo magnetometer data. We present the first time domain numerical solution of the induced magnetic field response of the Moon in vacuum for any driving input signal and any interior conductivity profile, building on previous Apollo era work. Lastly, we discuss the trade-offs between model accuracy and performance, which is of particular concern for large datasets and iterative optimizations. The transfer function method developed here is applicable to other airless body two-point magnetometer measurements including Apollo, ARTEMIS, and future lunar geophysical networks.

Fourier transform of high frequency ultrasonic waves propagated with a transmission mode

When ultrasonic propagates as a wave, the frequencies contained in the propagated waves may carry information regarding to the medium. The transformation of time-domain propagated signals into those of frequency domain is a common digital signal processing (DSP) technic to extract such important information. This requires quite a high resolution of the detection device which relates to the high frequency ultrasonic waves. The advancement of microprocessor technologies enables the complex and fast digital signal processing in the frequency domain. This allows measurement and evaluation using a broadband frequency domain analysis which is effective in the extraction of information contained in the ultrasonic signals. This work presents the implementation of Fourier transform of propagated ultrasonic signals through air medium. The generation of ultrasonic waves employs two pairs of transmitter-receiver ultrasonic transducers which have the center frequencies of 200 kHz and 1 MHz, respectively. The transmitter transducer was excited by a 107.1-ns negative spike to generate ultrasonic waves propagating through the air and converted into an electrical signal by a receiver transducer. This was amplified and recorded as a digital signal for subsequent offline digital signal processing.

High-frequency measurements of thermophysical properties of thin films using a modified broad-band frequency domain thermoreflectance approach.

In this work, we present the implementation of a new method to perform high-frequency thermoreflectance measurements on thin films. The so-called differential broad-band frequency domain thermoreflectance method follows broad-band frequency domain thermoreflectance developed previously [Regner et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 84(6), 064901 (2013)], without the use of expensive electro-optic modulators. Two techniques are introduced to recover the thermal phase of interest and to separate it from the unwanted instrumental contributions to the recorded phase. Measuring a differential thermal phase by either varying the spot size or offsetting the pump and probe beams, the thermophysical properties of materials can be extracted. This approach enables the study of nanoscale heat transport where non-equilibrium phenomena are dominating.

A Krylov Space-Based Finite Element Time Domain Method for Broadband Frequency Domain Solutions

A Krylov space based time domain method for wave propagation problems is introduced. The proposed method uses the Arnoldi algorithm to obtain broad-band frequency domain solutions. This method is especially advantageous in cases where slow convergence is observed when using traditional time domain methods. The efficiency of the method is examined in several test cases to show its fast convergence in such problems.

A novel broadband macro‐modeling using piecewise vector fitting

For broadband frequency domain responses of highly dynamical systems, because vector fitting always has low accuracy especially at resonant frequency response points, a new piecewise vector fitting algorithm is proposed. The complete broadband frequency range is divided into a number of sections. Vector fitting is then applied to each section to identify the poles and residues. Through frequency partitioning, the numerical conditioning of the pole and residue identification equations is improved. Then in each section a sub‐macromodel is obtained. Finally, by adding up the sub‐macromodels in each section, a novel broadband macro‐model with high accuracy is obtained for the whole broadband frequency domain. At the same time, to reduce redundant poles, in each section the number of poles is controlled by a predefined fitting error. An illustrative example involving a low‐pass filter is presented for validation of the proposed method. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Error Analysis of Clay-Rock Water Content Estimation with Broadband High-Frequency Electromagnetic Sensors--Air Gap Effect.

Broadband electromagnetic frequency or time domain sensor techniques present high potential for quantitative water content monitoring in porous media. Prior to in situ application, the impact of the relationship between the broadband electromagnetic properties of the porous material (clay-rock) and the water content on the frequency or time domain sensor response is required. For this purpose, dielectric properties of intact clay rock samples experimental determined in the frequency range from 1 MHz to 10 GHz were used as input data in 3-D numerical frequency domain finite element field calculations to model the one port broadband frequency or time domain transfer function for a three rods based sensor embedded in the clay-rock. The sensor response in terms of the reflection factor was analyzed in time domain with classical travel time analysis in combination with an empirical model according to Topp equation, as well as the theoretical Lichtenecker and Rother model (LRM) to estimate the volumetric water content. The mixture equation considering the appropriate porosity of the investigated material provide a practical and efficient approach for water content estimation based on classical travel time analysis with the onset-method. The inflection method is not recommended for water content estimation in electrical dispersive and absorptive material. Moreover, the results clearly indicate that effects due to coupling of the sensor to the material cannot be neglected. Coupling problems caused by an air gap lead to dramatic effects on water content estimation, even for submillimeter gaps. Thus, the quantitative determination of the in situ water content requires careful sensor installation in order to reach a perfect probe clay rock coupling.

Fast Broadband Beamforming Using Nonuniform Fast Fourier Transform for Underwater Real-Time 3-D Acoustical Imaging

A broadband 2-D array is necessary for the application of underwater real-time 3-D high-resolution acoustical imaging. However, the number of sensors and beams is so large that the computational load is overly high for generating a 3-D image in real time, when using the conventional broadband beamforming methods. Therefore, a fast broadband beamforming method is needed. In this paper, a fast broadband frequency-domain beamforming method based on nonuniform fast Fourier transform is proposed for underwater real-time 3-D acoustical imaging. The computational load of the proposed method is one or two orders of magnitude lower than that by the conventional frequency-domain direct method. Compared with the conventional time-domain delay-and-sum method, the computational load required by the proposed method will be lowered by approximately three orders of magnitude. Moreover, unlike the chirp zeta transform (CZT) beamforming method which is only suitable for equispaced 2-D arrays or sparse arrays thinned from equispaced 2-D arrays, the proposed method can be applied to arbitrary 2-D arrays. Even for the arrays available for the CZT method, the computational load needed by using the proposed method is still lower than that needed by using the CZT method in most cases.

Interpretation of thermoreflectance measurements with a two-temperature model including non-surface heat deposition

We develop a solution to the two-temperature diffusion equation in axisymmetric cylindrical coordinates to model heat transport in thermoreflectance experiments. Our solution builds upon prior solutions that account for two-channel diffusion in each layer of an N-layered geometry, but adds the ability to deposit heat at any location within each layer. We use this solution to account for non-surface heating in the transducer layer of thermoreflectance experiments that challenge the timescales of electron-phonon coupling. A sensitivity analysis is performed to identify important parameters in the solution and to establish a guideline for when to use the two-temperature model to interpret thermoreflectance data. We then fit broadband frequency domain thermoreflectance (BB-FDTR) measurements of SiO2 and platinum at a temperature of 300 K with our two-temperature solution to parameterize the gold/chromium transducer layer. We then refit BB-FDTR measurements of silicon and find that accounting for non-equilibrium between electrons and phonons in the gold layer does lessen the previously observed heating frequency dependence reported in Regner et al. [Nat. Commun. 4, 1640 (2013)] but does not completely eliminate it. We perform BB-FDTR experiments on silicon with an aluminum transducer and find limited heating frequency dependence, in agreement with time domain thermoreflectance results. We hypothesize that the discrepancy between thermoreflectance measurements with different transducers results in part from spectrally dependent phonon transmission at the transducer/silicon interface.

Nonlocal theory for heat transport at high frequencies

We develop a nonlocal theory for heat conduction under high-frequency temperature fields and apply the theory to explain reductions of the apparent thermal conductivity observed in recent experiments. Our nonlocal theory is an analytical solution of the Boltzmann transport equation for phonons in a semi-infinite solid, similar to a prior nonlocal theory for heat conduction under a high-temperature gradient but subjected to periodic heating at the surface. The boundary condition of periodic heating, as opposed to prior calculations of heating by a single laser pulse, better mimics time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) and broadband frequency-domain thermoreflectance (BB-FDTR) measurements. We find that, except for pure crystals at high frequencies, the effective thermal conductivity derived using the nonlocal theory compares well with calculations of a modified Callaway model that includes an upper limit on the phonon mean-free path at twice the thermal penetration depth. For pure crystals, however, the effective thermal conductivity derived from the out-of-phase calculations are independent of frequency, in agreement with prior TDTR measurements, due to the countereffect of reduced heat flux and diminished relative phase between the heat flux and temperature oscillations at high frequencies. Our results suggest that empirical interpretation of ballistic phonons not contributing to heat conduction is not general and can only be applied to measurements on alloys and not pure crystals, even when a large laser spot size is used in the experiments and the interfacial thermal resistance is negligible.

Instrumentation of broadband frequency domain thermoreflectance for measuring thermal conductivity accumulation functions

This paper describes the instrumentation for broadband frequency domain thermoreflectance (BB-FDTR), a novel, continuous wave laser technique for measuring the thermal conductivity accumulation function. The thermal conductivity accumulation function describes cumulative contributions to the bulk thermal conductivity of a material from energy carriers with different mean free paths. It can be used to map reductions in thermal conductivity in nano-devices, which arise when the dimensions of the device are commensurate to the mean free path of energy carriers. BB-FDTR uses high frequency surface temperature modulation to generate non-diffusive phonon transport realized through a reduction in the perceived thermal conductivity. By controlling the modulation frequency it is possible to reconstruct the thermal conductivity accumulation function. A unique heterodyning technique is used to down-convert the signal, therein improving our signal to noise ratio and enabling results over a broader range of modulation frequencies (200 kHz-200 MHz) and hence mean free paths.

Skin-Effect Loss Models for Time- and Frequency-Domain PEEC Solver

A challenging and interesting issue for the solution of large electromagnetic problems is the efficient, sufficiently accurate modeling of the broadband skin-effect loss for conducting planes and 3-D shapes. The inclusion of such models in an electromagnetic (EM) solver can be very costly in compute time and memory requirements. These issues are particularly important for the class of signal, power, and noise integrity (NI) problems. In this paper, we concentrate on partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC)-type methods which are suitable for the solution of this class of problems. Progress has been made recently in the design of skin-effect models. The difficult issues are broadband frequency-domain or time-domain problems. These models are considered in this paper. We present several solution methods, and we compare results obtained with these approaches.

A numerical comparison of time and frequency‐domain marine electromagnetic methods for hydrocarbon exploration in shallow water

ABSTRACTIn shallow water the frequency domain controlled source electromagnetic method is subject to airwave saturation that strongly limits the sensitivity to resistive hydrocarbon targets at depth. It has been suggested that time‐domain CSEM may offer an improved sensitivity and resolution of these deep targets in the presence of the airwave. In order to examine and test these claims, this work presents a side‐by‐side investigation of both methods with a main focus on practical considerations, and how these effect the resolution of a hydrocarbon reservoir. Synthetic noisy data for both time‐domain and frequency domain methods are simulated using a realistic frequency dependent noise model and frequency dependent scaling for representative source waveforms. The synthetic data studied here include the frequency domain response from a compact broadband waveform, the time‐domain step‐response from a low‐frequency square wave and the time‐domain impulse response obtained from pseudo‐random binary sequences. These data are used in a systematic resolution study of each method as a function of water‐depth, relative noise and stacking length. The results indicate that the broadband frequency domain data have the best resolution for a given stacking time, whereas the time‐domain data require prohibitively longer stacking times to achieve similar resolution.

Wavelength-Tunable Broadband Frequency-Domain OCT Source Based on Spatially Filtered Sub-10-fs Pulsed Laser

A wavelength swept broadband source based on a sub-10-femtosecond (fs) pulse laser and a spatial filtering method was developed for the application to frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT). The use of the sub-10-fs laser with a galvano scanner operating at a high repetition rate provided a fast tunable broadband light source, which tuned the spectral component across the spectral bandwidth of 110 nm at 1-kHz repetition rate. The spectrally filtered light beam had 0.5-nm instantaneous spectral linewidths at 1-mW average output power. The implemented FD-OCT system clearly imaged a narrow air gap between glass plates with an axial resolution of 5 mum, which proved a potential for the application of a short pulse laser source to the FD-OCT system. The proposed wavelength swept source scheme can secure mode-hopping-free operation at fast tuning speed, which could be applicable for the FD-OCT system properly.

Spectral tomography with diffuse near-infrared light: inclusion of broadband frequency domain spectral data

Near-infrared (NIR) region-based spectroscopy is examined for accuracy with spectral recovery using frequency domain data at a discrete number of wavelengths, as compared to that with broadband continuous wave data. Data with more wavelengths in the frequency domain always produce superior quantitative spectroscopy results with reduced noise and error in the chromophore concentrations. Performance of the algorithm in the situation of doing region-guided spectroscopy within the MRI is also considered, and the issue of false positive prior regions being identified is examined to see the effect of added wavelengths. The results indicate that broadband frequency domain data are required for maximal accuracy. A broadband frequency domain experimental system was used to validate the predictions, using a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser for the source between 690- and 850-nm wavelengths. The 80-MHz pulsed signal is heterodyned with photomultiplier tube detection, to lower frequency for data acquisition. Tissue-phantom experiments with known hemoglobin absorption and tissue-like scatter values are used to validate the system, using measurements every 10 nm. More wavelengths clearly provide superior quantification of total hemoglobin values. The system and algorithms developed here should provide an optimal way to quantify regions with the goal of image-guided breast tissue spectroscopy within the MRI.

Design and testing of a miniature broadband frequency domain photon migration instrument

A board-level broadband frequency domain photon migration (mini-FDPM) instrument has been constructed to replace a conventional network-analyzer-based FDPM instrument. The mini-FDPM instrument with four wavelengths (681, 783, 823, and 850 nm), matches conventional FDPM instrument in performance (-88 dBm noise level, 100 dB dynamic range) and bandwidth (1 GHz), and recovers the same optical properties within about 6% in absorption and 4% in reduced scattering for liquid phantoms covering a wide range of relevant optical properties. Compared to the conventional FDPM instrument, the mini-FDPM instrument is more than 5x faster (approximately 200 ms per 401 modulation frequencies) and several orders of magnitude less in size and cost. Standard fiber-optic-based probes can be used with the mini-FDPM instrument, which increases applications in a number of clinically relevant measurement scenarios. By drastically reducing size and cost, FDPM miniaturization lowers barriers to access and will help promote FDPM in clinical research problems. The mini-FDPM instrument forms the core of a modular broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy instrument that can be used for a variety of clinical problems in imaging and functional monitoring (i.e., breast/skin cancer, brain activation, and exercise physiology).

Broadband multi-interferometer spectroscopy in high magnetic fields: From THz to visible

We present a system capable of broad band frequency domain spectroscopy in the range 6–20 000 cm−1 at cryogenic temperatures. The apparatus couples two different interferometers to a 9 Tesla superconducting split coil magnet and is designed to work with various detectors, including thermal bolometers and semiconducting detectors. The optical layout utilizes an intermediate focus while preserving optical f/#’s throughout enabling DC magnetic field measurements of small crystals with polarized light in both Voight and Faraday geometries. A reference channel eliminates errors associated with system drift and facilitates determination of the optical constants. For transparent samples, simultaneous reflection and transmission can be performed.