Approximations for Markovian multi-class queues with preemptive priorities

We discuss the approximation of performance measures in multi-class M/M/k queues with preemptive priorities for large problem instances (many classes and servers) using class aggregation and server reduction. We compared our approximations to exact and simulation results and found that our approach yields small-to-moderate approximation errors.     

Integrated Smart Sensor Calibration

In many applications electronic sensors are used toimprove performance and reliability of measurement systems. Suchsensors should provide a correct transfer from the physical signalto be measured to the electrical output signal. One importantstep to achieve this, is to calibrate each sensor by applyingdifferent reference input signals and adjusting the sensor transferaccordingly. Besides expensive reference equipment the calibrationprocess takes much time and attention per individual sensor,which means a considerable increase in sensor production costs.By including at the sensor or sensor interface chip a programmablecalibration facility the calibration of such smart sensors caneasily be automated and can be executed for a batch of sensorsat a time, thus minimizing the calibration time and costs. Thispaper presents a calibration method and options for integrationin the smart sensor concept, in hardware as well as in software.An advantage of the proposed method is that it does not needa large matrix of calibration data, which needs to be storedin a look-up table or converted into a correction formula, butinstead it uses a step-by-step approach to correct the sensortransfer at each calibration measurement until the error is sufficientlysmall.     

Generation of frequency-chirped optical pulses in a large-slippagefree-electron laser

We have investigated the optical output of the free-electron laser for infrared experiments (FELIX) when it is driven by an electron beam with a ramped energy. We show that the applied slow ramp on the electron beam energy leads to a frequency chirp on each picosecond optical pulse. Typical values for the chirp are 0.2% frequency sweep across a 1.5-ps-long optical pulse. The optical pulses were analyzed with a double-grating pair and with a second-order autocorrelator. The pulse duration was reduced in the double-grating pair by 20%. A linear dependence of the chirp on the cavity desynchronization was measured     

Fischer--Tropsch, hydrotreating and superClaus catalysts

In modern society the application of catalysts, and hence, research in the field of catalysis, is becoming more and more important. In the strongly increasing chemical industry most reaction processes are performed with the aid of catalysts. Knowledge about the structure of the active sites present at the surface of catalysts will facilitate the design of new catalysts with better performances. Such knowledge can be obtained by Mössbauer spectroscopy, which is an excellent in-situ characterization technique due to the high penetrating power of the γ-radiation used and the sensitivity of the spectral parameters for the chemical state and local environment of the Mössbauer atoms.     

Short-pulse, eye-safe Nd:YAG laser using cavity-dumping

A short-pulse 1.444-μm laser based on Nd:YAG technology has been demonstrated. The 1.444-μm is eye-safe. With the cavity-dump technique, a pulse of 50 m× and 14 ns was obtained. The beam quality was excellent with an M² of 1.6 by the use of a telescopic resonator. Silicon-window polarizers were used to suppress the 1.06-μm radiation but showed 1.444-μm absorption as well     

Picosecond control of coherent magnetisation dynamics in permalloy thin films by picosecond magnetic field pulse shaping

We have measured the response of a 20×10 μm, 8 nm thin NiFe (80:20) permalloy film due to excitation by short in-plane magnetic field pulses. We will show that using a two-pulse-technique a complete control of the precessional motion of the magnetisation can be achieved on picosecond timescales. Furthermore, we will present numerical calculations which show that a complete suppression of magnetisation ringing after switching can only be realised by a cascade of short field pulses.     

Baseband Volterra filters for implementing carrier basednonlinearities

A diagonal coordinate representation for Volterra filters is developed and exploited to derive efficient Volterra filter implementations for processing carrier based input signals. In the diagonal coordinate representation, the output is expressed as a sum of linear filters applied to modified input signals. Hence, linear filtering methods are employed to implement the nonlinear filter on a baseband version of the input. Downsampling is then used to reduce computational complexity. The same approach is employed to develop efficient implementations for processing continuous-time carrier-based signals, pulse amplitude-modulated signals, and frequency division multiplexed input signals