Design and analysis of coplanar waveguide optical modulator using finite element method

An analysis is given on the finite element method (FEM) for calculating the various parameters of optical modulators and a computer program is written to solve the finite element equation. Based on this method, a Mach-Zehnder type electro-optic modulator with coplanar waveguide (CPW) electrode is designed and fabricated. When compared with the Fourier series method, small differences on the 3-dB bandwidth, characteristic impedance and half-wave voltage, etc. are obtained.     

New experimental technique of photoelectron holography applied to Bi trimers on Si(111)

The branching ratio, the photoemission intensity ratio of two spin-orbit-split components, has been applied for the first time as a means for obtaining a photoelectron holographic image. Angle-resolved photoemission from a monolayer of Bi adsorbed on Si(111) shows fine-structure oscillations in the branching ratio of the Bi 5d core level due to diffraction effects. These oscillations as a function of photon energy are recorded for a number of emission angles. Three-dimensional holographic inversion of the data yields an atomic image which shows that the Bi adatoms are arranged in a trimer structure.     

Polymer-monomer conversion in anthracene thin films as a switching and memory device

The switching and memory phenomenon in anthracene thin films is explained by assuming the polymerization of anthracene molecules to a graphite-like polymer. When the voltage is a threshold point, the energetic electron and the secondary ionization may initiate the process similar to the polymerization. Since the polymer-like entity has graphite-like structure, it has higher conductivity, thus the film is switched to ON state. Since the molecule in a thin film can not rotate as freely as in liquid, the polymer-like entity formed is under great bond strain, thus it may readily switch back to monomer anthracene molecule. However, if with repeated cycles, the polymer is at a relatively stable configuration with less bond strain, then it is in the memory state. Many experimental data of Elsharkawi and Kao may be explained with this model.     

Prediction of oscillating thick cambered aerofoil aerodynamics by a locally analytic method

A complete first-order model and locally analytic solution method are developed to analyse the effects of mean flow incidence and aerofoil camber and thickness on the incompressible aerodynamics of an oscillating aerofoil. This method incorporates analytic solutions, with the discrete algebraic equations which represent the differential flow field equations obtained from analytic solutions in individual grid elements. The velocity potential is separated into steady and unsteady harmonic parts, with the unsteady potential further decomposed into circulatory and non-circulatory components. These velocity potentials are individually described by Laplace equations. The steady velocity potential is independent of the unsteady flow field. However, the unsteady flow is coupled to the steady flow field through the boundary conditions on the oscillating aerofoil. A body-fitted computational grid is then utilized. Solutions for both the steady and the coupled unsteady flow fields are obtained by a locally analytic numerical method in which locally analytic solutions in individual grid elements are determined. The complete flow field solution is obtained by assembling these locally analytic solutions. This model and solution method are shown to accurately predict the Theodorsen oscillating flat plate classical solution. Locally analytic solutions for a series of Joukowski aerofoils demonstrate the strong coupling between the aerofoil unsteady and steady flow fields, i.e. the strong dependence of the oscillating aerofoil aerodynamics on the steady flow effects of mean flow incidence angle and aerofoil camber and thickness.     

Multiphonon resonant Raman scattering in GaSe

Multiphonon resonant Raman scattering up to 4 phonons in GaSe has been measured. The results are interpreted by a simple cascade theory. It is shown that the dispersion of RRS here is dominated by resonances with the exciton states.     

Simulated annealing and tabu search approaches to unidirectional flowpath design for Automated Guided Vehicle Systems

In this paper, we address the flowpath design issue of Automated Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVSs). In particular, we concentrate on the design of unidirectional flowpaths (i.e. vehicles are restricted to travel only in one direction along a given segment of the flowpath). We have developed intelligent heuristics — simulated annealing and tabu search algorithms for the design of unidirectional AGVSs. Different versions of simulated annealing and tabu search algorithms are implemented. Our extensive computational results indicate that both simulated annealing and tabu search yield solutions of adequate quality for all practical purposes. A tabu search implementation with the use of a frequency-based memory structure dominates all tested heuristics in terms of solution quality (i.e. percent deviation from optimality), with an impressive average performance over 45 test problems of less than 0.85% deviation from optimality.