B. Gimeno

Refractometric sensor based on whispering-gallery modes of thin capillarie.

Whispering-gallery modes resonances of submicron wall thickness capillaries exhibit very large wavelength shifts as a function of the refractive index of the medium that fills the inside. The sensitivity to refractive index changes is larger than in other optical microcavities as microspheres, microdisks and microrings. The outer surface where total internal reflection takes place remains always in air, enabling the measure of refractive index values higher than the refractive index of the capillary material. The fabrication of capillaries with submicron wall thickness has required the development of a specific technique. A refractometer with a response higher than 390 nm per refractive index unit is demonstrated. These sensors are readily compatible with microfluidic systems.

Waveguide filters for satellites

This article describes the historical evolution, and its theoretical and technological features of waveguide filters. All-metal waveguide filters have been widely used in satellite payloads since the advent of the first space communication systems four decades ago. In this period, such technology has been continuously evolving due to the increasing requirements demanded to these components. Special attention has also been paid to present the most recent advances in the development of CAD tools for satellite filters, which are based on full-wave electromagnetic analysis methods. Finally, the compact solutions for the input and output stages of satellite payloads are focused on, thus considering the evanescent mode waveguide filter technology.

Efficient modal analysis of arbitrarily shaped waveguides composed of linear, circular, and elliptical arcs using the BI-RME method

This paper deals with the accurate and efficient modal analysis of arbitrarily shaped waveguides whose cross section is defined by a combination of straight, circular, and/or elliptical arcs. A novel technique for considering the presence of circular and/or elliptical segments within the frame of the well-known boundary integral-resonant mode expansion (BI-RME) method is proposed. This new extended BI-RME method will allow a more accurate solution of a wider number of hollow conducting waveguides with arbitrary profiles, which are usually present in most modern passive waveguide components. To show the advantages of this new extended technique, the modal chart of canonical (circular and elliptical) waveguides, as well as of irises with great practical interest (i.e., cross-shaped irises with rounded corners) has been first successfully solved. Next, a computer-aided-design software package based on such a novel modal analysis tool has first been validated with the accurate analysis of a referenced complex dual-mode filter, and then applied to the complete design of a novel twist component for K-band application based on circular and elliptical waveguides. A prototype of this novel device has been manufactured and measured for verification purposes.

Full-wave analysis of dielectric frequency-selective surfaces using a vectorial modal method

A novel vectorial modal method is presented for studying guidance and scattering of frequency-selective structures based on lossy all-dielectric multilayered waveguide gratings for both TE and TM polarizations. The wave equation for the transverse magnetic field is written in terms of a linear differential operator satisfying an eigenvalue equation. The definition of an auxiliary problem whose eigenvectors satisfy an orthogonality relationship allows for a matrix representation of the eigenvalue equation. Our proposed technique has been applied to the study of lossy all-dielectric periodic guiding media with periodicity in one dimension. This method yields the propagation constants and field distributions in such media. The reflection and transmission coefficients of a single layer under a plane-wave excitation can be obtained by imposing the boundary conditions. Study of the scattering parameters of the whole multilayered structure is accomplished by the cascade connection of components as characterized by their scattering parameters. Results obtained with this method for the propagation characteristics of a one-dimensional periodic dielectric medium are compared with those presented by other authors, and results for the scattering of several dielectric frequency-selective surfaces (DFSS) are compared with both theoretical and experimental results presented in the literature, finding a very good agreement. A symmetrical band-stop filter with a single waveguide grating is also demonstrated theoretically.

Experimental Analysis of Passive Intermodulation at Waveguide Flange Bolted Connections

In this paper, the generation of passive intermodulation at rectangular waveguide flange bolted connections is investigated. An exhaustive series of tests has been performed in order to provide understanding on the physics lying behind such a phenomenon. In particular, the intermodulation response of the system has been studied as a function of the applied torque to the flange screws. It has been found that, in some situations, the intermodulation response differs from its expected behavior. An interpretation of such discrepancies is given, and practical guidelines for the design of waveguide flanges free of passive intermodulation are provided as well

Analysis of dielectric-loaded cavities using an orthonormal-basis method

An orthonormal-basis method to analyze dielectric-loaded cavities is proposed. Resonant frequencies and fields are obtained by solving an eigenvalue problem in which the modes of an auxiliary problem define the orthonormal-basis that is used to expand the fields of the original problem. The merit of our approach is to take advantage of some mathematical properties to develop a computationally efficient and versatile method. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated by comparing our results with other results available in the literature.

Prediction of Multipactor Breakdown Thresholds in Coaxial Transmission Lines for Traveling, Standing, and Mixed Waves

In this paper, we present a numerical model for predicting the multipactor breakdown effect in coaxial transmission lines. To validate this method, we have first compared our results with numerical data from other theoretical studies and with experimental measurements. Then, we have investigated the multipactor phenomena in coaxial lines considering three kinds of RF signals: traveling, standing, and mixed waves. From this paper, we conclude that different breakdown thresholds are obtained for any of the considered RF excitations under high values of frequency times gap product. This effect is attributed to the existence of regions with zero (or very low levels) electric field amplitude in the propagation direction, where electrons are absorbed before the discharge occurs.

Three-dimensional scattering of dielectric gratings under plane-wave excitation

The problem of scattering of electromagnetic plane waves by one-dimensional (1D) periodic dielectric gratings, under the most general condition of oblique incidence (3D incidence), is rigorously solved. A recently developed vectorial modal method for obtaining the modal spectrum of 1D dielectric periodic guiding media has been extended to consider 3D incidence. Polarization coupling effects are included in the analysis, just demonstrating the impossibility of the separation between the transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations traditionally employed in the two-dimensional (2D) case. A study of the scattering parameters of a multilayered dielectric periodic structure is accomplished by imposing the boundary conditions in terms of the multimode scattering matrix. The effect of changing the azimuthal angle of excitation is shown in the dispersion curves of the periodic dielectric medium. For 3D incidence on a dielectric waveguide grating, it is found that total reflection can be predicted by imposing the phase-match condition, analogous to the bidimensional incidence case.

Multipactor Discharges in Parallel-Plate Dielectric-Loaded Waveguides Including Space-Charge Effects

The objective of this paper is to study the time evolution of multipactor discharges in a parallel-plate dielectric-loaded waveguide. The electron discharge phenomena investigated in this paper include the effects of space charge, as well as the presence of time varying static fields. In order to perform the simulations presented in this paper, an approach considering simultaneously multiple effective electrons has been used. The results obtained demonstrate that multipactor discharges do turn off by themselves under certain circumstances when they occur in such dielectric-loaded structures.

A polarizer rotator system for three-dimensional oblique incidence

A numerical model to analyze a system formed by the cascade connection of slanted strip grating plates to rotate the polarization plane of a linearly polarized wave is presented. A variant of the Generalized Scattering Matrix Theory is formulated in terms of E-type and H-type modes. These modes enable as to study three-dimensional oblique incidence upon the polarizer rotator system. A simulation program was implemented allowing the design and optimization of these systems. General criteria of design are presented, and a four-plates 60/spl deg/ polarizer rotator is designed in the 7-18 GHz band; a prototype was manufactured and tested. Comparison between the theoretical results and measurements are given, and a good agreement is found. >