Electroencephalography in ellipsoidal geometry

The human brain is shaped in the form of an ellipsoid with average semiaxes equal to 6, 6.5 and 9 cm. This is a genuine 3-D shape that reflects the anisotropic characteristics of the brain as a conductive body. The direct electroencephalography problem in such anisotropic geometry is studied in the present work. The results, which are obtained through successively solving an interior and an exterior boundary value problem, are expressed in terms of elliptic integrals and ellipsoidal harmonics, both in Jacobian as well as in Cartesian form. Reduction of our results to spheroidal as well as to spherical geometry is included. In contrast to the spherical case where the boundary does not appear in the solution, the boundary of the realistic conductive brain enters explicitly in the relative expressions for the electric field. Moreover, the results in all three geometrical models reveal that to some extend the strength of the electric source is more important than its location.     

Primal-Dual Newton-Type Interior-Point Method for Topology Optimization

We consider the problem of minimization of energy dissipation in a conductive electromagnetic medium with a fixed geometry and a priori given lower and upper bounds for the conductivity. The nonlinear optimization problem is analyzed by using the primal-dual Newton interior-point method. The elliptic differential equation for the electric potential is considered as an equality constraint. Transforming iterations for the null space decomposition of the condensed primal-dual system are applied to find the search direction. The numerical experiments treat two-dimensional isotropic systems.     

Analysis of a quasistatic contact problem for piezoelectric materials

We consider a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between a piezoelectric body and an electrically conductive foundation. The process is quasistatic, the material behavior is modeled with an electro-viscoelastic constitutive law and the contact is described with subdifferential boundary conditions. We derive the variational formulation of the problem which is in the form of a system involving two history-dependent hemivariational inequalities in which the unknowns are the velocity and electric potential field. Then we prove the existence of a unique weak solution to the model. The proof is based on a recent result on history-dependent hemivariational inequalities obtained in Migórski et al. (submitted for publication) [16].     

Analysis of stability and dispersion in a finite element method for Debye and Lorentz dispersive media

We study the stability properties of, and the phase error present in, a finite element scheme for Maxwell's equations coupled with a Debye or Lorentz polarization model. In one dimension we consider a second order formulation for the electric field with an ordinary differential equation for the electric polarization added as an auxiliary constraint. The finite element method uses linear finite elements in space for the electric field as well as the electric polarization, and a theta scheme for the time discretization. Numerical experiments suggest the method is unconditionally stable for both Debye and Lorentz models. We compare the stability and phase error properties of the method presented here with those of finite difference methods that have been analyzed in the literature. We also conduct numerical simulations that verify the stability and dispersion properties of the scheme. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2009     

A spectral method for numerical modeling of radial microwave heating in cylindrical samples with temperature dependent dielectric properties

In this paper, we develop a numerical model based on spectral methods for the simulation of heat transfer due to radial irradiation microwave applied to samples in cylindrical geometry. We solve the Maxwell’s equations and the resulting electric field distribution is incorporated as a source term in the heat transfer equation. The model includes the temperature dependence of the dielectric properties. The numerical model is validated with experimental temperature data from literature.     

Harmonical analysis of the total ponderomotive force

The total ponderomotive force which moves for example rainwater droplets on outdoor high-voltage insulators [1, 2], is given as a series of inhomogeneity indicators of the undisturbed electric field in the case of a round conductive and uncharged test body. The series expansion enables us to approximate the total ponderomotive force at an arbitrary position with a single numerical solution of the boundary-value problem for the undisturbed electric potential in absence of any droplet. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The behavior of plasma with an arbitrary degree of degeneracy of electron gas in the conductive layer

We obtain an analytic solution of the boundary problem for the behavior (fluctuations) of an electron plasma with an arbitrary degree of degeneracy of the electron gas in the conductive layer in an external electric field. We use the kinetic Vlasov–Boltzmann equation with the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook collision integral and the Maxwell equation for the electric field. We use the mirror boundary conditions for the reflections of electrons from the layer boundary. The boundary problem reduces to a one-dimensional problem with a single velocity. For this, we use the method of consecutive approximations, linearization of the equations with respect to the absolute distribution of the Fermi–Dirac electrons, and the conservation law for the number of particles. Separation of variables then helps reduce the problem equations to a characteristic system of equations. In the space of generalized functions, we find the eigensolutions of the initial system, which correspond to the continuous spectrum (Van Kampen mode). Solving the dispersion equation, we then find the eigensolutions corresponding to the adjoint and discrete spectra (Drude and Debye modes). We then construct the general solution of the boundary problem by decomposing it into the eigensolutions. The coefficients of the decomposition are given by the boundary conditions. This allows obtaining the decompositions of the distribution function and the electric field in explicit form.     

A dynamic frictional contact problem for piezoelectric materials

We consider a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between a piezoelectric body and an electrically conductive foundation. The process is dynamic, the material's behavior is modeled with an electro-viscoelastic constitutive law and the contact is described by subdifferential boundary conditions. We derive the variational formulation of the problem which is in the form of a system involving a second order evolutionary hemivariational inequality for the displacement field coupled with a time-dependent hemivariational inequality for the electric potential field. Then we prove the existence of a unique weak solution to the model. The proof is based on arguments of abstract second order evolutionary inclusions with monotone operators.     

Micromechanics of Electro- and Magneto-active Soft Composites

We study the coupled behavior in soft active microstructured materials undergoing large deformations in the presence of an external electric or magnetic field. We focus on the role of the microstructures on the coupled behavior, and examine the phenomenon in the composites with (a) periodic composites with rectangular and hexagonal periodic unit cells, and (b) in composites with the random distributions of active particles embedded in a soft matrix. We show that for these similar microstructures exhibit very different responses in terms of the actuation, and the coupling phenomenon. Next, we consider the macroscopic and microscopic instabilities in the active composites. We show that the external field has a significant influence of the instability phenomena, and can stabilize or destabilize the composites depending on the direction relative to composite geometry. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Thermal stress analysis of current-carrying media containing an inclusion with arbitrarily-given shape

The presence of inclusions in metal-based composites subjected to an electric current or a heat flux induces thermal stresses. Inclusion geometry is one of the important parameters in the stress distribution. In this study, the plane problem of an arbitrarily-shaped inclusion embedded in an infinite conductive medium is investigated based on the complex variable method. The shape of the inclusion is defined approximately by a polynomial conformal mapping function. Faber series and Fourier expansion techniques are used to solve the corresponding boundary value problems. The obtained results show that the shape, bluntness and rotation angle of the inclusion have a significant effect on the stress concentration around the inclusion induced by the far-field electric current. In addition, for the considered inclusion-matrix system under given electric loading, a lower amount of the Von Mises stress concentration than that around a circular inclusion could be achieved by appropriate selection of the inclusion shape and orientation.     

Propagating waves in elastic material with voids subjected to electro-magnetic interactions

Constitutive relations and field equations are developed for an elastic solid with voids subjected to electro-magnetic field. The linearized form of the relations and equations are presented separately when medium is subjected to a large magnetic field and when it is subjected to a large electric field. The possibility of propagation of time harmonic plane waves in an infinite elastic solid with voids has been explored. It is found that when the medium is subjected to large magnetic field, there exist two coupled longitudinal waves propagating with distinct speeds and a transverse wave mode. However, when the medium is subjected to a large electric field, there may propagate five basic waves comprising of four coupled longitudinal waves propagating with distinct speeds and a lone transverse wave. The effects of magnetic and electric fields are observed on the propagation characteristics of the existing waves. Under the limiting cases of frequency and for different electric conductive materials, the speeds of various waves are investigated. The phase speeds of different waves and their corresponding attenuations have been computed against the frequency parameter and depicted graphically for a specific material.     

The AC Stark Effect, Time-Dependent Born–Oppenheimer Approximation, and Franck–Condon Factors

We study the quantum mechanics of a simple molecular system that is subject to a laser pulse. We model the laser pulse by a classical oscillatory electric field, and we employ the Born–Oppenheimer approximation for the molecule. We compute transition amplitudes to leading order in the laser strength. These amplitudes contain Franck–Condon factors that we compute explicitly to leading order in the Born–Oppenheimer parameter. We also correct an erroneous calculation in the mathematical literature on the AC Stark effect for molecular systems. Communicated by Christian Gérard. Submitted: August 15, 2005; Accepted: October 13, 2005     

Probing for electrical inclusions with complex spherical waves

Let a physical body Ω in ?² or ?³ be given. Assume that the electric conductivity distribution inside Ω consists of conductive inclusions in a known smooth background. Further, assume that a subset Γ ? ?Ω is available for boundary measurements. It is proved using hyperbolic geometry that certain information about the location of the inclusions can be exactly recovered from static electric measurements on Γ. More precisely: given a ball B with center outside the convex hull of Ω and satisfying (B? ∩ ?Ω) ? Γ, boundary measurements on Γ with explicitly given Dirichlet data are enough to determine whether B intersects the inclusion. An approximate detection algorithm is introduced based on the theory. Numerical experiments in dimension two with simulated noisy data suggest that the algorithm finds the inclusion‐free domain near Γ and is robust against measurement noise. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Asymptotic analysis of heat conducting elastic materials

In this paper, an asymptotic one dimensional model for a clamped curved rod is rigorously derived as a limit of respective three dimensional models. The rod is made of isotropic elastic, heat conductive linearly responding material. Asymptotic analysis is used with respect to the thickness of domains.     

Stability characteristics of periodic streaming fluids in porous media

We study the linear stability of a three-layer flow of immiscible liquids located in a periodic normal electric field. We consider certain porous media assumed to be uniform, homogeneous, and isotropic. We analytically and numerically simulate the system of linear evolution equations of such a medium. The linearized problem leads to a system of two Mathieu equations with complex coefficients of the damping terms. We study the effects of the streaming velocity, permeability of the porous medium, and the electrical properties of the flow of a thin layer (film) of liquid on the flow instability. We consider several special cases of such systems. As a special case, we consider a uniform electric field and solve the transition curve equations up to the second order in a small dimensionless parameter. We show that the dielectric constant ratio and also the electric field play a destabilizing role in the stability criteria, while the porosity has a dual effect on the wave motion. In the case of an alternating electric field and a periodic velocity, we use the method of multiple time scales to calculate approximate solutions and analyze the stability criteria in the nonresonance and resonance cases; we also obtain transition curves in these cases. We show that an increase in the velocity and the electric field promote oscillations and hence have a destabilizing effect.     

Reconstruction of Less Regular Conductivities in the Plane

Abstract

We consider the inverse conductivity problem of how to reconstruct an isotropic electric conductivity distribution in a conductive body from static electric measurements on the boundary of the body. An exact algorithm for the reconstruction of a conductivity in a planer domain from the associated Dirichlet-to-Neumann map is given. We assume that the conductivity has essentially one derivative, and hence we improve earlier reconstruction results. The method relies on a reduction of the conductivity equation to a first order system, to which the ?¯-method of inverse scattering theory can be applied.     

Magnetic and drift surfaces in stellarators

In this paper we study the structure of a stellarator field in toroidal geometry. A field line tracing code is developed to explore the structure of magnetic fields on the fine scale of the electron gyroradius p_e, so as to explain anomalous electron transport. The magnetic field is modelled by a simple analytic representation with finite number of parameters, so that we can integrate the field lines to a high accuracy. In a typical Heliac field we find that (i) most of the magnetic surfaces are well behaved on the fine scale, even when there is no two-dimensional symmetry and (ii) the width of an island, formed in the vicinity of a magnetic surface with rational rotational transform i = n/m, decays exponentially with m. Among those numerical studies, we have an example where the island width w is less than the electron gyroradius p_e for m greater than 17. This demonstrates that higher-order islands do not affect the electron transport. Our numerical results indicate that the anomalous electron transport observed in experiments may be due to the presence of an ambipolar electrostatic potential Φ. To reconfirm this proposition we compute the guiding center orbits of electrons and estimate the island widths of the drift surfaces that are swept out. We find that with a small electric potential depending on toroidal and poloidal angles, the drift surface island width w is an order of magnitude larger than that without the electric potential and decays exponentially at a slower rate. Since the drift step size is of the order of the maximum of p_e and w, the electron transport, which scales like the square of the step size, is enhanced when there is an electric potential.     

A two-dimensional numerical analysis of a small geometry MOSFET

This paper describes the development of a computer model to simulate small geometry metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). The model is developed by obtaining computer generated solutions to the phenomenological equations which describe carrier transport and the electric fields in a semiconductor device. Threshold voltage variations and breakdown effects are also discussed.     

Digital quantum batteries: Energy and information storage in nanovacuum tube arrays

Dielectric material between capacitor electrodes increases the capacitance. However, when the electric field exceeds a threshold, electric breakdown in the dielectric discharges the capacitor suddenly and the stored energy is lost. We show that nanovacuum tubes do not have this problem because (i) electric breakdown can be suppressed with quantization phenomena, and (ii) the capacitance is large at small gap sizes. We find that the energy density and power density in nanovacuum tubes are large compared to lithium batteries and electrochemical capacitors. The electric field in a nanovacuum tube can be sensed with MOSFETs in the insulating walls. Random access arrays of nanovacuum tubes with an energy gate, to charge the tube, and an information gate attached to the MOSFET, to sense the electric field in the tube, can be used to store both energy and information. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 2010