Filtering peripheral high temperature electrons in a cylindrical rf-driven plasmas by an axisymmetric radial magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akahoshi, Hikaru; Takahashi, Kazunori; Ando, Akira

2018-03-01

High temperature electrons generated near a radial wall of a cylindrical source tube in a radiofrequency (rf) inductively-coupled plasma is filtered by an axisymmetric radial magnetic field formed near the source exit by locating annular permanent magnets, where the axial magnetic field strength in the radially central region is fairly uniform inside the source tube and is close to zero near the source exit. The source is operated at 3 mTorr in argon and the rf antenna is powered by a 13.56 MHz and 400 W rf generator. Measurement of electron energy probability functions shows the presence of the peripheral high temperature electrons inside the source, while the temperature of the peripheral electrons downstream of the source is observed to be reduced.

The Status of Normal Conducting RF (NCRF) Guns, a Summary of the ERL2005 Workshop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dowell, D.H.; /SLAC; Lewellen, J.W.

The 32nd Advanced ICFA Beam Dynamics Workshop on Energy Recovering Linacs (ERL2005) was held at Jefferson Laboratory, March 20 to 23, 2005. A wide range of ERL-related topics were presented and discussed in several working groups with Working Group 1 concentrated upon the physics and technology issues for DC, superconducting RF (SRF) and normal conducting RF (NCRF) guns. This paper summarizes the NCRF gun talks and reviews the status of NCRF gun technology. It begins with the presentations made on the subject of low-frequency, high-duty factor guns most appropriate for ERLs. One such gun at 433MHz was demonstrated at 25%DFmore » in 1992, while the CW and much improved version is currently being constructed at 700MHz for LANL. In addition, the idea of combining the NCRF gun with a SRF linac booster was presented and is described in this paper. There was also a talk on high-field guns typically used for SASE free electron lasers. In particular, the DESY coaxial RF feed design provides rotationally symmetric RF fields and greater flexibility in the placement of the focusing magnetic field. While in the LCLS approach, the symmetric fields are obtained with a dual RF feed and racetrack cell shape. Although these guns cannot be operated at high-duty factor, they do produce the best quality beams. With these limitations in mind, a section with material not presented at the workshop has been included in the paper. This work describes a re-entrant approach which may allow NCRF guns to operate with simultaneously increased RF fields and duty factors. And finally, a novel proposal describing a high-duty factor, two-frequency RF gun using a field emission source instead of a laser driven photocathode was also presented.« less

The status of normal conducting RF (NCRF) guns; a summary of the ERL2005 Workshop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D.H. Dowell; J.W. Lewellen; D. Nguyen

The 32nd Advanced ICFA Beam Dynamics Workshop on Energy Recovering Linacs (ERL2005) was held at Jefferson Laboratory, March 20 to 23, 2005. A wide range of ERL-related topics were presented and discussed in several working groups with Working Group 1 concentrated upon the physics and technology issues for DC, superconducting RF (SRF) and normal conducting RF (NCRF) guns. This paper summarizes the NCRF gun talks and reviews the status of NCRF gun technology. It begins with the presentations made on the subject of low-frequency, high-duty factor guns most appropriate for ERLs. One such gun at 433MHz was demonstrated at 25%DFmore » in 1992, while the CW and much improved version is currently being constructed at 700MHz for LANL. In addition, the idea of combining the NCRF gun with a SRF linac booster was presented and is described in this paper. There was also a talk on high-field guns typically used for SASE free electron lasers. In particular, the DESY coaxial RF feed design provides rotationally symmetric RF fields and greater flexibility in the placement of the focusing magnetic field. While in the LCLS approach, the symmetric fields are obtained with a dual RF feed and racetrack cell shape. Although these guns cannot be operated at high-duty factor, they do produce the best quality beams. With these limitations in mind, a section with material not presented at the workshop has been included in the paper. This work describes a re-entrant approach which may allow NCRF guns to operate with simultaneously increased RF fields and duty factors. And finally, a novel proposal describing a high-duty factor, two-frequency RF gun using a field emission source instead of a laser driven photocathode was also presented.« less

Investigation and Prediction of RF Window Performance in APT Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Humphries, S. Jr.

1997-05-01

The work described in this report was performed between November 1996 and May 1997 in support of the APT (Accelerator Production of Tritium) Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The goal was to write and to test computer programs for charged particle orbits in RF fields. The well-documented programs were written in portable form and compiled for standard personal computers for easy distribution to LANL researchers. They will be used in several APT applications including the following. Minimization of multipactor effects in the moderate {beta} superconducting linac cavities under design for the APT accelerator. Investigation of suppression techniques for electronmore » multipactoring in high-power RF feedthroughs. Modeling of the response of electron detectors for the protection of high power RF vacuum windows. In the contract period two new codes, Trak{_}RF and WaveSim, were completed and several critical benchmark etests were carried out. Trak{_}RF numerically tracks charged particle orbits in combined electrostatic, magnetostatic and electromagnetic fields. WaveSim determines frequency-domain RF field solutions and provides a key input to Trak{_}RF. The two-dimensional programs handle planar or cylindrical geometries. They have several unique characteristics.« less

Simulation of RF power and multi-cusp magnetic field requirement for H- ion sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, Manish; Senecha, V. K.; Kumar, Rajnish; Ghodke, Dharmraj. V.

2016-12-01

A computer simulation study for multi-cusp RF based H- ion source has been carried out using energy and particle balance equation for inductively coupled uniformly dense plasma considering sheath formation near the boundary wall of the plasma chamber for RF ion source used as high current injector for 1 Gev H- Linac project for SNS applications. The average reaction rates for different reactions responsible for H- ion production and destruction have been considered in the simulation model. The RF power requirement for the caesium free H- ion source for a maximum possible H- ion beam current has been derived by evaluating the required current and RF voltage fed to the coil antenna using transformer model for Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). Different parameters of RF based H- ion source like excited hydrogen molecular density, H- ion density, RF voltage and current of RF antenna have been calculated through simulations in the presence and absence of multicusp magnetic field to distinctly observe the effect of multicusp field. The RF power evaluated for different H- ion current values have been compared with the experimental reported results showing reasonably good agreement considering the fact that some RF power will be reflected from the plasma medium. The results obtained have helped in understanding the optimum field strength and field free regions suitable for volume emission based H- ion sources. The compact RF ion source exhibits nearly 6 times better efficiency compare to large diameter ion source.

Optically controlled switch-mode current-source amplifiers for on-coil implementation in high field parallel transmission

PubMed Central

Gudino, Natalia; Duan, Qi; de Zwart, Jacco A; Murphy-Boesch, Joe; Dodd, Stephen J; Merkle, Hellmut; van Gelderen, Peter; Duyn, Jeff H

2015-01-01

Purpose We tested the feasibility of implementing parallel transmission (pTX) for high field MRI using a radiofrequency (RF) amplifier design to be located on or in the immediate vicinity of a RF transmit coil. Method We designed a current-source switch-mode amplifier based on miniaturized, non-magnetic electronics. Optical RF carrier and envelope signals to control the amplifier were derived, through a custom-built interface, from the RF source accessible in the scanner control. Amplifier performance was tested by benchtop measurements as well as with imaging at 7 T (300 MHz) and 11.7 T (500 MHz). The ability to perform pTX was evaluated by measuring inter-channel coupling and phase adjustment in a 2-channel setup. Results The amplifier delivered in excess of 44 W RF power and caused minimal interference with MRI. The interface derived accurate optical control signals with carrier frequencies ranging from 64 to 750 MHz. Decoupling better than 14 dB was obtained between 2 coil loops separated by only 1 cm. Application to MRI was demonstrated by acquiring artifact-free images at 7 T and 11.7 T. Conclusion An optically controlled miniaturized RF amplifier for on-coil implementation at high field is demonstrated that should facilitate implementation of high-density pTX arrays. PMID:26256671

GPU-accelerated FDTD modeling of radio-frequency field-tissue interactions in high-field MRI.

PubMed

Chi, Jieru; Liu, Feng; Weber, Ewald; Li, Yu; Crozier, Stuart

2011-06-01

The analysis of high-field RF field-tissue interactions requires high-performance finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computing. Conventional CPU-based FDTD calculations offer limited computing performance in a PC environment. This study presents a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based parallel-computing framework, producing substantially boosted computing efficiency (with a two-order speedup factor) at a PC-level cost. Specific details of implementing the FDTD method on a GPU architecture have been presented and the new computational strategy has been successfully applied to the design of a novel 8-element transceive RF coil system at 9.4 T. Facilitated by the powerful GPU-FDTD computing, the new RF coil array offers optimized fields (averaging 25% improvement in sensitivity, and 20% reduction in loop coupling compared with conventional array structures of the same size) for small animal imaging with a robust RF configuration. The GPU-enabled acceleration paves the way for FDTD to be applied for both detailed forward modeling and inverse design of MRI coils, which were previously impractical.

Measurements and modeling of radio frequency field structures in a helicon plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, C. A.; Chen, Guangye; Arefiev, A. V.

2011-01-01

Measurements of the radio frequency (rf) field structure, plasma density, and electron temperature are presented for a 1 kW argon helicon plasma source. The measured profiles change considerably when the equilibrium magnetic field is reversed. The measured rf fields are identified as fields of radially localized helicon waves, which propagate in the axial direction. The rf field structure is compared to the results of two-dimensional cold plasma full-wave simulations for the measured density profiles. Electron collision frequency is adjusted in the simulations to match the simulated and measured field profiles. The resulting frequency is anomalously high, which is attributed tomore » the excitation of an ion-acoustic instability. The calculated power deposition is insensitive to the collision frequency and accounts for most of the power supplied by the rf-generator.« less

Investigation of the B1 field distribution and RF power deposition in a birdcage coil as functions of the number of coil legs at 4.7 T, 7.0 T, and 11.7 T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Jeung-Hoon; Han, Sang-Doc; Kim, Kyoung-Nam

2015-06-01

The proper design of birdcage (BC) coils plays a very important role in the acquisition of highresolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of small animals such as rodents. In this context, we investigate multiple-leg (8-, 16-, 32-, 64-, and 128-leg) BC coils operating at ultra-high fields (UHF) of 7.0 T and 11.7 T and a high-field (HF) of 4.7 T for rodent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Primarily, Our study comparatively examines the parameters of the radiofrequency (RF) transmission (|B1 +|)-field, the magnetic flux (|B1|)-field, and RF power deposition (RF-PD) as functions of the number of BC-coil legs via finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations under realistic loading conditions with a biological phantom. In particular, the specific ratio |E/B1 +| is defined for predicting RF-PD values in different coil structures. Our results indicate that the optimal number of legs of the BC coil can be chosen for different resonance frequencies of 200 MHz, 300 MHz, and 500 MHz and that this choice can be lead to superior |B1 +|-field intensity and |B1|-field homogeneity and decreased RF-PD. We believe that our approach to determining the optimal number of legs for a BC coil can contribute to rodent MR imaging.

Attraction of position preference by spatial attention throughout human visual cortex.

PubMed

Klein, Barrie P; Harvey, Ben M; Dumoulin, Serge O

2014-10-01

Voluntary spatial attention concentrates neural resources at the attended location. Here, we examined the effects of spatial attention on spatial position selectivity in humans. We measured population receptive fields (pRFs) using high-field functional MRI (fMRI) (7T) while subjects performed an attention-demanding task at different locations. We show that spatial attention attracts pRF preferred positions across the entire visual field, not just at the attended location. This global change in pRF preferred positions systematically increases up the visual hierarchy. We model these pRF preferred position changes as an interaction between two components: an attention field and a pRF without the influence of attention. This computational model suggests that increasing effects of attention up the hierarchy result primarily from differences in pRF size and that the attention field is similar across the visual hierarchy. A similar attention field suggests that spatial attention transforms different neural response selectivities throughout the visual hierarchy in a similar manner. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing Single Giant Unilamellar Vesicles With a Slotline-Based RF Nanometer Sensor

DOE PAGES

Cui, Yan; Kenworthy, Anne K.; Edidin, Michael; ...

2016-03-11

Novel techniques that enable reagent free detection and analysis of single cells are of great interest for the development of biological and medical sciences, as well as point-of-care health service technologies. Highly sensitive and broadband RF sensors are promising candidates for such a technique. In this paper, we present a highly sensitive and tunable RF sensor, which is based on interference processes and built with a 100-nm slotline structure. The highly concentrated RF fields, up to ~ 1.76×10 7 V/m, enable strong interactions between giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and fields for high-sensitivity operations. We also provide two modeling approaches tomore » extract cell dielectric properties from measured scattering parameters. GUVs of different molecular compositions are synthesized and analyzed with the RF sensor at ~ 2, ~ 2.5, and ~ 2.8 GHz with an initial |S 21| min of ~ -100 dB. Corresponding GUV dielectric properties are obtained. Finally, a one-dimensional scanning of single GUV is also demonstrated.« less

Integrated RF-shim coil allowing two degrees of freedom shim current.

PubMed

Jiazheng Zhou; Ying-Hua Chu; Yi-Cheng Hsu; Pu-Yeh Wu; Stockmann, Jason P; Fa-Hsuan Lin

2016-08-01

High-quality magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic measurements require a highly homogeneous magnetic field. Different from global shimming, localized off-resonance can be corrected by using multi-coil shimming. Previously, integrated RF and shimming coils have been used to implement multi-coil shimming. Such coils share the same conductor for RF signal reception and shim field generation. Here we propose a new design of the integrated RF-shim coil at 3-tesla, where two independent shim current paths are allowed in each coil. This coil permits a higher degree of freedom in shim current distribution design. We use both phantom experiments and simulations to demonstrate the feasibility of this new design.

Experimental pathways to understand and avoid high-Z impurity contamination from ICRF heating in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinke, Matthew

2016-10-01

Recent results from Alcator C-Mod and JET demonstrate progress in understanding and mitigating core high-Z impurity contamination linked to ICRF heating in tokamaks with high-Z PFCs. Theory has identified two likely mechanisms: impurity sources due to sputtering enhanced by RF-rectified sheaths and greater cross-field SOL transport due to ExB convective cells. New experiments on Alcator C-Mod and JET demonstrate convective cell transport is likely a sub-dominant effect, despite directly observing ExB flows from rectified RF fields on C-Mod. Trace N2 introduced in the far SOL on field lines connected to and well away from an active ICRF antenna result in similar levels of core nitrogen, indicating local RF-driven transport is weak. This suggests the core high-Z density, nZ,core, is determined by sheath-induced sputtering and RF-independent SOL transport, allowing further reductions through antenna design. ICRF heating on C-Mod uses a unique, field aligned (FAA) and a pair of conventional, toroidally aligned (TAA) antennas. The FAA is designed to reduce rectified voltages relative to the TAA, and the impact of sheath-induced sputtering is explored by observing nZ,core while varying the TAA/FAA heating mix. A reduction of approximately 50% in core high-Z content is seen in L-modes when using the FAA and high-Z sources at the antenna limiter are effectively eliminated, indicating the remaining RF-driven source is away from the limiter. A drop in nZ,core may also be realized by locating the RF antenna on the inboard side where SOL transport aids impurity screening. New C-Mod experiments demonstrate up to a factor of 5 reduction in core nitrogen when N2 is injected on the high-field side as compared to low-field side impurity fueling. Varying the magnetic topology helps to elucidate the SOL transport physics responsible, laying a physics basis for inboard RF antenna placement. This work is supported by U.S. DOE Award DE-FC02-99ER54512, using Alcator C-Mod and carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from Euratom under Grant Agreement No 633053.

Proof of principle experiments for helicon discharges in hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briefi, Stefan; Fantz, Ursel

2013-09-01

In order to reduce the amount of power required for generating CW hydrogen discharges with high electron densities and a high degree of dissociation via RF coupling, the helicon concept is investigated. For this purpose a small laboratory experiment (length of the discharge vessel 40 cm, diameter 10 cm) has been built up. The RF generator has a maximum power of 600 W (frequency 13.56 MHz) and a Nagoya type III antenna is applied. As water cooling was avoided in constructing the experiment for simplicity, the induction coils can only generate a rather low magnetic field up to 14 mT. The performed investigations cover a variation of the RF power and the magnetic field in a pressure range between 0.3 and 10 Pa. Around a magnetic field of 3 mT the low field peak which is typical for helicon discharges could be observed. As the high density mode of helicon discharges has not yet been reached, a different RF generator (2 MHz, 2 KW) and water cooled induction coils will be applied in a next step in order to increase the available power and the magnetic field.

Sequential modelling of ICRF wave near RF fields and asymptotic RF sheaths description for AUG ICRF antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacquot, Jonathan; Tierens, Wouter; Zhang, Wei; Bobkov, Volodymyr; Colas, Laurent; Noterdaeme, Jean-Marie

2017-10-01

A sequence of simulations is performed with RAPLICASOL and SSWICH to compare two AUG ICRF antennas. RAPLICASOL outputs have been used as input to SSWICH-SW for the AUG ICRF antennas. Using parallel electric field maps and the scattering matrix produced by RAPLICASOL, SSWICH-SW, reduced to its asymptotic part, is able to produce a 2D radial/poloidal map of the DC plasma potential accounting for the antenna input settings (total power, power balance, phasing). Two models of antennas are compared: 2-strap antenna vs 3-strap antenna. The 2D DC potential structures are correlated to structures of the parallel electric field map for different phasing and power balance. The overall DC plasma potential on the 3-strap antenna is lower due to better global RF currents compensation. Spatial proximity between regions of high RF electric field and regions where high DC plasma potentials are observed is an important factor for sheath rectification.

X-Band RF Gun Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vlieks, Arnold; Dolgashev, Valery; Tantawi, Sami

In support of the MEGa-ray program at LLNL and the High Gradient research program at SLAC, a new X-band multi-cell RF gun is being developed. This gun, similar to earlier guns developed at SLAC for Compton X-ray source program, will be a standing wave structure made of 5.5 cells operating in the pi mode with copper cathode. This gun was designed following criteria used to build SLAC X-band high gradient accelerating structures. It is anticipated that this gun will operate with surface electric fields on the cathode of 200 MeV/m with low breakdown rate. RF will be coupled into themore » structure through a final cell with symmetric duel feeds and with a shape optimized to minimize quadrupole field components. In addition, geometry changes to the original gun, operated with Compton X-ray source, will include a wider RF mode separation, reduced surface electric and magnetic fields.« less

Ion trap device

DOEpatents

Ibrahim, Yehia M.; Smith, Richard D.

2016-01-26

An ion trap device is disclosed. The device includes a series of electrodes that define an ion flow path. A radio frequency (RF) field is applied to the series of electrodes such that each electrode is phase shifted approximately 180 degrees from an adjacent electrode. A DC voltage is superimposed with the RF field to create a DC gradient to drive ions in the direction of the gradient. A second RF field or DC voltage is applied to selectively trap and release the ions from the device. Further, the device may be gridless and utilized at high pressure.

Compression of high-density 0.16 pC electron bunches through high field gradients for ultrafast single shot electron diffraction: The Compact RF Gun

PubMed Central

Daoud, Hazem; Floettmann, Klaus; Dwayne Miller, R. J.

2017-01-01

We present an RF gun design for single shot ultrafast electron diffraction experiments that can produce sub-100 fs high-charge electron bunches in the 130 keV energy range. Our simulations show that our proposed half-cell RF cavity is capable of producing 137 keV, 27 fs rms (60 fs FWHM), 106 electron bunches with an rms spot size of 276 μm and a transverse coherence length of 2.0 nm. The required operation power is 9.2 kW, significantly lower than conventional rf cavity designs and a key design feature. This electron source further relies on high electric field gradients at the cathode to simultaneously accelerate and compress the electron bunch to open up new space-time resolution domains for atomically resolved dynamics. PMID:28428973

Electric Fields near RF Heating and Current Drive Antennas in Tore Supra Measured with Dynamic Stark Effect Spectroscopy*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klepper, C. C.; Martin, E. H.; Isler, R. C.; Colas, L.; Hillairet, J.; Marandet, Y.; Lotte, Ph.; Colledani, G.; Martin, V.; Hillis, D. L.; Harris, J. H.; Saoutic, B.

2011-10-01

Computational models of the interaction between RF waves and the scrape-off layer plasma near ion cyclotron resonant heating (ICRH) and lower hybrid current drive launch antennas are continuously improving. These models mainly predict the RF electric fields produced in the SOL and, therefore, the best measurement for verification of these models would be a direct measurement of these electric fields. Both types of launch antennas are used on Tore Supra and are designed for high power (up to 4MW/antenna) and long pulse (> > 25s) operation. Direct, non-intrusive measurement of the RF electric fields in the vicinity of these structures is achieved by fitting spectral profiles of deuterium Balmer-alpha and Balmer-beta to a model that includes the dynamic, external-field Stark effect, as well as Zeeman splitting and Doppler broadening mechanisms. The measurements are compared to the mentioned, near-field region, RF antenna models. *Work supported in part by the US DOE under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC.

Multipole and field uniformity tailoring of a 750 MHz rf dipole

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delayen, Jean R.; Castillo, Alejandro

2014-12-01

In recent years great interest has been shown in developing rf structures for beam separation, correction of geometrical degradation on luminosity, and diagnostic applications in both lepton and hadron machines. The rf dipole being a very promising one among all of them. The rf dipole has been tested and proven to have attractive properties that include high shunt impedance, low and balance surface fields, absence of lower order modes and far-spaced higher order modes that simplify their damping scheme. As well as to be a compact and versatile design in a considerable range of frequencies, its fairly simple geometry dependencymore » is suitable both for fabrication and surface treatment. The rf dipole geometry can also be optimized for lowering multipacting risk and multipole tailoring to meet machine specific field uniformity tolerances. In the present work a survey of field uniformities, and multipole contents for a set of 750 MHz rf dipole designs is presented as both a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the inherent flexibility of the structure and its limitations.« less

Adapted RF pulse design for SAR reduction in parallel excitation with experimental verification at 9.4 T.

PubMed

Wu, Xiaoping; Akgün, Can; Vaughan, J Thomas; Andersen, Peter; Strupp, John; Uğurbil, Kâmil; Van de Moortele, Pierre-François

2010-07-01

Parallel excitation holds strong promises to mitigate the impact of large transmit B1 (B+1) distortion at very high magnetic field. Accelerated RF pulses, however, inherently tend to require larger values in RF peak power which may result in substantial increase in Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in tissues, which is a constant concern for patient safety at very high field. In this study, we demonstrate adapted rate RF pulse design allowing for SAR reduction while preserving excitation target accuracy. Compared with other proposed implementations of adapted rate RF pulses, our approach is compatible with any k-space trajectories, does not require an analytical expression of the gradient waveform and can be used for large flip angle excitation. We demonstrate our method with numerical simulations based on electromagnetic modeling and we include an experimental verification of transmit pattern accuracy on an 8 transmit channel 9.4 T system.

Computational Electromagnetic Analysis in a Human Head Model with EEG Electrodes and Leads Exposed to RF-Field Sources at 915 MHz and 1748 MHz

PubMed Central

Angelone, Leonardo M.; Bit-Babik, Giorgi; Chou, Chung-Kwang

2010-01-01

An electromagnetic analysis of a human head with EEG electrodes and leads exposed to RF-field sources was performed by means of Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulations on a 1-mm3 MRI-based human head model. RF-field source models included a half-wave dipole, a patch antenna, and a realistic CAD-based mobile phone at 915 MHz and 1748 MHz. EEG electrodes/leads models included two configurations of EEG leads, both a standard 10–20 montage with 19 electrodes and a 32-electrode cap, and metallic and high resistive leads. Whole-head and peak 10-g average SAR showed less than 20% changes with and without leads. Peak 1-g and 10-g average SARs were below the ICNIRP and IEEE guideline limits. Conversely, a comprehensive volumetric assessment of changes in the RF field with and without metallic EEG leads showed an increase of two orders of magnitude in single-voxel power absorption in the epidermis and a 40-fold increase in the brain during exposure to the 915 MHz mobile phone. Results varied with the geometry and conductivity of EEG electrodes/leads. This enhancement confirms the validity of the question whether any observed effects in studies involving EEG recordings during RF-field exposure are directly related to the RF fields generated by the source or indirectly to the RF-field-induced currents due to the presence of conductive EEG leads. PMID:20681803

Langmuir probe measurements in the intense RF field of a helicon discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Francis F.

2012-10-01

Helicon discharges have extensively been studied for over 25 years both because of their intriguing physics and because of their utility in producing high plasma densities for industrial applications. Almost all measurements so far have been made away from the antenna region in the plasma ejected into a chamber where there may be a strong magnetic field (B-field) but where the radiofrequency (RF) field is much weaker than under the antenna. Inside the source region, the RF field distorts the current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of the probe unless it is specially designed with strong RF compensation. For this purpose, a thin probe was designed and used to show the effect of inadequate compensation on electron temperature (Te) measurements. The subtraction of ion current from the I-V curve is essential; and, surprisingly, Langmuir's orbital motion limited theory for ion current can be used well beyond its intended regime.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Rolland

Many present and future particle accelerators are limited by the maximum electric gradient and peak surface fields that can be realized in RF cavities. Despite considerable effort, a comprehensive theory of RF breakdown has not been achieved and mitigation techniques to improve practical maximum accelerating gradients have had only limited success. Part of the problem is that RF breakdown in an evacuated cavity involves a complex mixture of effects, which include the geometry, metallurgy, and surface preparation of the accelerating structures and the make-up and pressure of the residual gas in which plasmas form. Studies showed that high gradients canmore » be achieved quickly in 805 MHz RF cavities pressurized with dense hydrogen gas, as needed for muon cooling channels, without the need for long conditioning times, even in the presence of strong external magnetic fields. This positive result was expected because the dense gas can practically eliminate dark currents and multipacting. In this project we used this high pressure technique to suppress effects of residual vacuum and geometry that are found in evacuated cavities in order to isolate and study the role of the metallic surfaces in RF cavity breakdown as a function of magnetic field, frequency, and surface preparation. One of the interesting and useful outcomes of this project was the unanticipated collaborations with LANL and Fermilab that led to new insights as to the operation of evacuated normal-conducting RF cavities in high external magnetic fields. Other accomplishments included: (1) RF breakdown experiments to test the effects of SF6 dopant in H2 and He gases with Sn, Al, and Cu electrodes were carried out in an 805 MHz cavity and compared to calculations and computer simulations. The heavy corrosion caused by the SF6 components led to the suggestion that a small admixture of oxygen, instead of SF6, to the hydrogen would allow the same advantages without the corrosion in a practical muon beam line. (2) A 1.3 GHz RF test cell capable of operating both at high pressure and in vacuum with replaceable electrodes was designed, built, and power tested in preparation for testing the frequency and geometry effects of RF breakdown at Argonne National Lab. At the time of this report this cavity is still waiting for the 1.3 GHz klystron to be available at the Wakefield Test Facility. (3) Under a contract with Los Alamos National Lab, an 805 MHz RF test cavity, known as the All-Seasons Cavity (ASC), was designed and built by Muons, Inc. to operate either at high pressure or under vacuum. The LANL project to use the (ASC) was cancelled and the testing of the cavity has been continued under the grant reported on here using the Fermilab Mucool Test Area (MTA). The ASC is a true pillbox cavity that has performed under vacuum in high external magnetic field better than any other and has demonstrated that the high required accelerating gradients for many muon cooling beam line designs are possible. (4) Under ongoing support from the Muon Acceleration Program, microscopic surface analysis and computer simulations have been used to develop models of RF breakdown that apply to both pressurized and vacuum cavities. The understanding of RF breakdown will lead to better designs of RF cavities for many applications. An increase in the operating accelerating gradient, improved reliability and shorter conditioning times can generate very significant cost savings in many accelerator projects.« less

The contribution of radio-frequency rectification to field-aligned losses of high-harmonic fast wave power to the divertor in the National Spherical Torus eXperiment

DOE PAGES

Perkins, R. J.; Hosea, J. C.; Jaworski, M. A.; ...

2015-04-13

The National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) can exhibit a major loss of high-harmonic fast wave (HHFW) power along scrape-off layer (SOL) field lines passing in front of the antenna, resulting in bright and hot spirals on both the upper and lower divertor regions. One possible mechanism for this loss is RF sheaths forming at the divertors. We demonstrate that swept-voltage Langmuir probe characteristics for probes under the spiral are shifted relative to those not under the spiral in a manner consistent with RF rectification. We estimate both the magnitude of the RF voltage across the sheath and the sheath heatmore » flux transmission coefficient in the presence of the RF field. Though the precise comparison between computed heat flux and infrared (IR) thermography cannot yet be made, the computed heat deposition compares favorably with the projections from IR camera measurements. The RF sheath losses are significant and contribute substantially to the total SOL losses of HHFW power to the divertor for the cases studied. Our work will guide future experimentation on NSTX-U, where a wide-angle IR camera and a dedicated set of coaxial Langmuir probes for measuring the RF sheath voltage directly will quantify the contribution of RF sheath rectification to the heat deposition from the SOL to the divertor.« less

RF Sheath-Enhanced Plasma Surface Interaction Studies using Beryllium Optical Emission Spectroscopy in JET ITER-Like Wall

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agarici, G.; Klepper, C Christopher; Colas, L.

A dedicated study on JET-ILW, deploying two types of ICRH antennas and spectroscopic observation spots at two outboard, beryllium limiters, has provided insight on long-range (up to 6m) RFenhanced plasma-surface interactions (RF-PSI) due to near-antenna electric fields. To aid in the interpretation of optical emission measurements of these effects, the antenna near-fields are computed using the TOPICA code, specifically run for the ITER-like antenna (ILA); similar modelling already existed for the standard JET antennas (A2). In the experiment, both antennas were operated in current drive mode, as RF-PSI tends to be higher in this phasing and at similar power (∼0.5more » MW). When sweeping the edge magnetic field pitch angle, peaked RF-PSI effects, in the form of 2-4 fold increase in the local Be source,are consistently measured with the observation spots magnetically connect to regions of TOPICAL-calculated high near-fields, particularly at the near-antenna limiters. It is also found that similar RF-PSI effects are produced by the two types of antenna on similarly distant limiters. Although this mapping of calculated near-fields to enhanced RF-PSI gives only qualitative interpretion of the data, the present dataset is expected to provide a sound experimental basis for emerging RF sheath simulation model validation.« less

An analog RF gap voltage regulation system for the Advanced Photon Source storage ring.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horan, D.

1999-04-13

An analog rf gap voltage regulation system has been designed and built at Argonne National Laboratory to maintain constant total storage ring rf gap voltage, independent of beam loading and cavity tuning effects. The design uses feedback control of the klystron mod-anode voltage to vary the amount of rf power fed to the storage ring cavities. The system consists of two independent feedback loops, each regulating the combined rf gap voltages of eight storage ring cavities by varying the output power of either one or two rf stations, depending on the mode of operation. It provides full operator control andmore » permissive logic to permit feedback control of the rf system output power only if proper conditions are met. The feedback system uses envelope-detected cavity field probe outputs as the feedback signal. Two different methods of combining the individual field probe signals were used to generate a relative DC level representing one-half of the total storage ring rf voltage, an envelope-detected vector sum of the field probe rf signals, and the DC sum of individual field probe envelope detector outputs. The merits of both methods are discussed. The klystron high-voltage power supply (HVPS) units are fitted with an analog interface for external control of the mod-anode voltage level, using a four-quadrant analog multiplier to modulate the HVPS mod-anode voltage regulator set-point in response to feedback system commands.« less

Frequency-tuning radiofrequency plasma source operated in inductively-coupled mode under a low magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kazunori; Nakano, Yudai; Ando, Akira

2017-07-01

A radiofrequency (rf) inductively-coupled plasma source is operated with a frequency-tuning impedance matching system, where the rf frequency is variable in the range of 20-50 MHz and the maximum power is 100 W. The source consists of a 45 mm-diameter pyrex glass tube wound by an rf antenna and a solenoid providing a magnetic field strength in the range of 0-200 Gauss. A reflected rf power for no plasma case is minimized at the frequency of ˜25 MHz, whereas the frequency giving the minimum reflection with the high density plasma is about 28 MHz, where the density jump is observed when minimizing the reflection. A high density argon plasma above 1× {{10}12} cm-3 is successfully obtained in the source for the rf power of 50-100 W, where it is observed that an external magnetic field of a few tens of Gauss yields the highest plasma density in the present configuration. The frequency-tuning plasma source is applied to a compact and high-speed silicon etcher in an Ar-SF6 plasma; then the etching rate of 8~μ m min-1 is obtained for no bias voltage to the silicon wafer, i.e. for the case that a physical ion etching process is eliminated.

An improved oxygen diffusion model to explain the effect of low-temperature baking on high field losses in niobium superconducting cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ciovati, Gianluigi

Radio-frequency (RF) superconducting cavities made of high purity niobium are widely used to accelerate charged particle beams in particle accelerators. The major limitation to achieve RF field values approaching the theoretical limit for niobium is represented by ''anomalous'' losses which degrade the quality factor of the cavities starting at peak surface magnetic fields of about 100 mT, in absence of field emission. These high field losses are often referred to as ''Q-drop''. It has been observed that the Q-drop is drastically reduced by baking the cavities at 120 C for about 48 h under ultrahigh vacuum. An improved oxygen diffusionmore » model for the niobium-oxide system is proposed to explain the benefit of the low-temperature baking on the Q-drop in niobium superconducting rf cavities. The model shows that baking at 120 C for 48 h allows oxygen to diffuse away from the surface, and therefore increasing the lower critical field towards the value for pure niobium.« less

Ultra-High Accelerating Gradients in Radio-Frequency Cryogenic Copper Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahill, Alexander David

Normal conducting radio-frequency (rf) particle accelerators have many applications, including colliders for high energy physics, high-intensity synchrotron light sources, non-destructive testing for security, and medical radiation therapy. In these applications, the accelerating gradient is an important parameter. Specifically for high energy physics, increasing the accelerating gradient extends the potential energy reach and is viewed as a way to mitigate their considerable cost. Furthermore, a gradient increase will enable for more compact and thus accessible free electron lasers (FELs). The major factor limiting larger accelerating gradients is vacuum rf breakdown. Basic physics of this phenomenon has been extensively studied over the last few decades. During which, the occurrence of rf breakdowns was shown to be probabilistic, and can be characterized by a breakdown rate. The current consensus is that vacuum rf breakdowns are caused by movements of crystal defects induced by periodic mechanical stress. The stress may be caused by pulsed surface heating and large electric fields. A compelling piece of evidence that supports this hypothesis is that accelerating structures constructed from harder materials exhibit larger accelerating gradients for similar breakdown rates. One possible method to increase sustained electric fields in copper cavities is to cool them to temperatures below 77 K, where the rf surface resistance and coefficient of thermal expansion decrease, while the yield strength (which correlates with hardness) and thermal conductivity increase. These changes in material properties at low temperature increases metal hardness and decreases the mechanical stress from exposure to rf electromagnetic fields. To test the validity of the improvement in breakdown rate, experiments were conducted with cryogenic accelerating cavities in the Accelerator Structure Test Area (ASTA) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. A short 11.4 GHz standing wave accelerating structure was conditioned to an accelerating gradient of 250 MV/m at 45 K with 108 rf pulses. At gradients greater than 150 MV/m I observed a degradation in the intrinsic quality factor of the cavity, Q0. I developed a model for the change in Q0 using measured field emission currents and rf signals. I found that the Q 0 degradation is consistent with the rf power being absorbed by strong field emission currents accelerated inside the cavity. I measured rf breakdown rates for 45 K and found 2*10-4/pulse/meter when accounting for any change in Q0. These are the largest accelerating gradients for a structure with similar breakdown rates. The final chapter presents the design of an rf photoinjector electron source that uses the cryogenic normal conducting accelerator technology: the TOPGUN. With this cryogenic rf photoinjector, the beam brightness will increase by over an order of a magnitude when compared to the current photoinjector for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). When using the TOPGUN as the source for an X-ray Free Electron Laser, the higher brightness would allow for a decrease in the required length of the LCLS undulator by more than a factor of two.

A temperature-jump NMR probe setup using rf heating optimized for the analysis of temperature-induced biomacromolecular kinetic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinnenthal, Jörg; Wagner, Dominic; Marquardsen, Thorsten; Krahn, Alexander; Engelke, Frank; Schwalbe, Harald

2015-02-01

A novel temperature jump (T-jump) probe operational at B0 fields of 600 MHz (14.1 Tesla) with an integrated cage radio-frequency (rf) coil for rapid (<1 s) heating in high-resolution (HR) liquid-state NMR-spectroscopy is presented and its performance investigated. The probe consists of an inner 2.5 mm "heating coil" designed for generating rf-electric fields of 190-220 MHz across a lossy dielectric sample and an outer two coil assembly for 1H-, 2H- and 15N-nuclei. High B0 field homogeneities (0.7 Hz at 600 MHz) are combined with high heating rates (20-25 K/s) and only small temperature gradients (<±1.5 K, 3 s after 20 K T-jump). The heating coil is under control of a high power rf-amplifier within the NMR console and can therefore easily be accessed by the pulse programmer. Furthermore, implementation of a real-time setup including synchronization of the NMR spectrometer's air flow heater with the rf-heater used to maintain the temperature of the sample is described. Finally, the applicability of the real-time T-jump setup for the investigation of biomolecular kinetic processes in the second-to-minute timescale is demonstrated for samples of a model 14mer DNA hairpin and a 15N-selectively labeled 40nt hsp17-RNA thermometer.

Radio-frequency-modulated Rydberg states in a vapor cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, S. A.; Anderson, D. A.; Raithel, G.

2016-05-01

We measure strong radio-frequency (RF) electric fields using rubidium Rydberg atoms prepared in a room-temperature vapor cell as field sensors. Electromagnetically induced transparency is employed as an optical readout. We RF-modulate the 60{{{S}}}1/2 and 58{{{D}}}5/2 Rydberg states with 50 and 100 MHz fields, respectively. For weak to moderate RF fields, the Rydberg levels become Stark-shifted, and sidebands appear at even multiples of the driving frequency. In high fields, the adjacent hydrogenic manifold begins to intersect the shifted levels, providing rich spectroscopic structure suitable for precision field measurements. A quantitative description of strong-field level modulation and mixing of S and D states with hydrogenic states is provided by Floquet theory. Additionally, we estimate the shielding of DC electric fields in the interior of the glass vapor cell.

Radio frequency magnetic field limits of Nb and Nb 3Sn

DOE PAGES

Posen, S.; Valles, N.; Liepe, M.

2015-07-21

Superconducting radio frequency (srf) cavities, essential components of many large particle accelerators, rely on the metastable flux-free state of superconducting materials. In this Letter, we present results of experiments measuring the magnetic field limits of two srf materials, Nb and Nb 3Sn. Resonators made using these materials were probed using both high power rf pulses and dc magnetic fields. Nb, which is the current standard material for srf cavities in applications, was found to be limited by the superheating field H sh when prepared using methods to avoid excessive rf dissipation at high fields. Nb 3Sn, which is a promisingmore » alternative material that is still in the early stages of development for srf purposes, was found to be limited between the onset field of metastability H c1 and H sh. Furthermore, analysis of the results shows that the limitation is consistent with nucleation of flux penetration at defects in the rf layer.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowring, Daniel; Freemire, Ben; Kochemirovskiy, Alexey

Ionization cooling of intense muon beams requires the operation of high-gradient, normal-conducting RF structures within multi-Tesla magnetic fields. The application of strong magnetic fields has been shown to lead to an increase in vacuum RF breakdown. This phenomenon imposes operational (i.e. gradient) limitations on cavities in ionization cooling channels, and has a bearing on the design and operation of other RF structures as well, such as photocathodes and klystrons. We present recent results from Fermilab's MuCool Test Area (MTA), in which 201 and 805 MHz cavities were operated at high power both with and without the presence of multi-Tesla magneticmore » fields. We present an analysis of damage due to breakdown in these cavities, as well as measurements related to dark current and their relation to a conceptual model describing breakdown phenomena.« less

In Situ observation of dark current emission in a high gradient rf photocathode gun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shao, Jiahang; Shi, Jiaru; Antipov, Sergey P.

Undesirable electron field emission (also known as dark current) in high gradient rf photocathode guns deteriorates the quality of the photoemission current and limits the operational gradient. To improve the understanding of dark current emission, a high-resolution (~100 μm) dark current imaging experiment has been performed in an L-band photocathode gun operating at ~100 MV/m of surface gradient. Scattered strong emission areas with high current have been observed on the cathode. The field enhancement factor β of selected regions on the cathode has been measured. Finally, the postexaminations with scanning electron microscopy and white light interferometry reveal the origins ofmore » ~75% strong emission areas overlap with the spots where rf breakdown has occurred.« less

In Situ observation of dark current emission in a high gradient rf photocathode gun

DOE PAGES

Shao, Jiahang; Shi, Jiaru; Antipov, Sergey P.; ...

2016-08-15

Undesirable electron field emission (also known as dark current) in high gradient rf photocathode guns deteriorates the quality of the photoemission current and limits the operational gradient. To improve the understanding of dark current emission, a high-resolution (~100 μm) dark current imaging experiment has been performed in an L-band photocathode gun operating at ~100 MV/m of surface gradient. Scattered strong emission areas with high current have been observed on the cathode. The field enhancement factor β of selected regions on the cathode has been measured. Finally, the postexaminations with scanning electron microscopy and white light interferometry reveal the origins ofmore » ~75% strong emission areas overlap with the spots where rf breakdown has occurred.« less

Superconducting resonator used as a beam phase detector.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharamentov, S. I.; Pardo, R. C.; Ostroumov, P. N.

2003-05-01

Beam-bunch arrival time has been measured for the first time by operating superconducting cavities, normally part of the linac accelerator array, in a bunch-detecting mode. The very high Q of the superconducting cavities provides high sensitivity and allows for phase-detecting low-current beams. In detecting mode, the resonator is operated at a very low field level comparable to the field induced by the bunched beam. Because of this, the rf field in the cavity is a superposition of a 'pure' (or reference) rf and the beam-induced signal. A new method of circular phase rotation (CPR), allowing extraction of the beam phasemore » information from the composite rf field was developed. Arrival time phase determination with CPR is better than 1{sup o} (at 48 MHz) for a beam current of 100 nA. The electronics design is described and experimental data are presented.« less

Anthropogenic Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Elicit Neuropathic Pain in an Amputation Model

PubMed Central

Jones, Erick; Romero-Ortega, Mario

2016-01-01

Anecdotal and clinical reports have suggested that radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMFs) may serve as a trigger for neuropathic pain. However, these reports have been widely disregarded, as the epidemiological effects of electromagnetic fields have not been systematically proven, and are highly controversial. Here, we demonstrate that anthropogenic RF EMFs elicit post-neurotomy pain in a tibial neuroma transposition model. Behavioral assays indicate a persistent and significant pain response to RF EMFs when compared to SHAM surgery groups. Laser thermometry revealed a transient skin temperature increase during stimulation. Furthermore, immunofluorescence revealed an increased expression of temperature sensitive cation channels (TRPV4) in the neuroma bulb, suggesting that RF EMF-induced pain may be due to cytokine-mediated channel dysregulation and hypersensitization, leading to thermal allodynia. Additional behavioral assays were performed using an infrared heating lamp in place of the RF stimulus. While thermally-induced pain responses were observed, the response frequency and progression did not recapitulate the RF EMF effects. In vitro calcium imaging experiments demonstrated that our RF EMF stimulus is sufficient to directly contribute to the depolarization of dissociated sensory neurons. Furthermore, the perfusion of inflammatory cytokine TNF-α resulted in a significantly higher percentage of active sensory neurons during RF EMF stimulation. These results substantiate patient reports of RF EMF-pain, in the case of peripheral nerve injury, while confirming the public and scientific consensus that anthropogenic RF EMFs engender no adverse sensory effects in the general population. PMID:26760033

Higher-order mode rf guns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewellen, John W.

2001-04-01

Traditional photocathode rf gun design is based around the use of TM0,1,0-mode cavities. This is typically done in the interest of obtaining the highest possible gradient per unit supplied rf power and for historical reasons. In a multicell, aperture-coupled photoinjector, however, the gun as a whole is produced from strongly coupled cavities oscillating in a π mode. This design requires very careful preparation and tuning, as the field balance and resonant frequencies are easily disturbed. Side-coupled designs are often avoided because of the dipole modes introduced into the cavity fields. This paper proposes the use of a single higher-order mode rf cavity in order to generate the desired on-axis fields. It is shown that the field experienced by a beam in a higher-order mode rf gun is initially very similar to traditional 1.5- or 2.5-cell π-mode gun fields, and projected performance in terms of beam quality is also comparable. The new design has the advantages of much greater ease of fabrication, immunity from coupled-cell effects, and simpler tuning procedures. Because of the gun geometry, the possibility also exists for improved temperature stabilization and cooling for high duty-cycle applications.

Visual motion transforms visual space representations similarly throughout the human visual hierarchy.

PubMed

Harvey, Ben M; Dumoulin, Serge O

2016-02-15

Several studies demonstrate that visual stimulus motion affects neural receptive fields and fMRI response amplitudes. Here we unite results of these two approaches and extend them by examining the effects of visual motion on neural position preferences throughout the hierarchy of human visual field maps. We measured population receptive field (pRF) properties using high-field fMRI (7T), characterizing position preferences simultaneously over large regions of the visual cortex. We measured pRFs properties using sine wave gratings in stationary apertures, moving at various speeds in either the direction of pRF measurement or the orthogonal direction. We find direction- and speed-dependent changes in pRF preferred position and size in all visual field maps examined, including V1, V3A, and the MT+ map TO1. These effects on pRF properties increase up the hierarchy of visual field maps. However, both within and between visual field maps the extent of pRF changes was approximately proportional to pRF size. This suggests that visual motion transforms the representation of visual space similarly throughout the visual hierarchy. Visual motion can also produce an illusory displacement of perceived stimulus position. We demonstrate perceptual displacements using the same stimulus configuration. In contrast to effects on pRF properties, perceptual displacements show only weak effects of motion speed, with far larger speed-independent effects. We describe a model where low-level mechanisms could underlie the observed effects on neural position preferences. We conclude that visual motion induces similar transformations of visuo-spatial representations throughout the visual hierarchy, which may arise through low-level mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiofrequency exposure on fast patrol boats in the Royal Norwegian Navy--an approach to a dose assessment.

PubMed

Baste, Valborg; Mild, Kjell Hansson; Moen, Bente E

2010-07-01

Epidemiological studies related to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) have mainly used crude proxies for exposure, such as job titles, distance to, or use of different equipment emitting RF EMF. The Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) has measured RF field emitted from high-frequency antennas and radars on several spots where the crew would most likely be located aboard fast patrol boats (FPB). These boats are small, with short distance between the crew and the equipment emitting RF field. We have described the measured RF exposure aboard FPB and suggested different methods for calculations of total exposure and annual dose. Linear and spatial average in addition to percentage of ICNIRP and squared deviation of ICNIRP has been used. The methods will form the basis of a job exposure matrix where relative differences in exposure between groups of crew members can be used in further epidemiological studies of reproductive health. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Beam collimation and energy spectrum compression of laser-accelerated proton beams using solenoid field and RF cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teng, J.; Gu, Y. Q.; Zhu, B.; Hong, W.; Zhao, Z. Q.; Zhou, W. M.; Cao, L. F.

2013-11-01

This paper presents a new method of laser produced proton beam collimation and spectrum compression using a combination of a solenoid field and a RF cavity. The solenoid collects laser-driven protons efficiently within an angle that is smaller than 12 degrees because it is mounted few millimeters from the target, and collimates protons with energies around 2.3 MeV. The collimated proton beam then passes through a RF cavity to allow compression of the spectrum. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations demonstrate the proton beam transport in the solenoid and RF electric fields. Excellent energy compression and collection efficiency of protons are presented. This method for proton beam optimization is suitable for high repetition-rate laser acceleration proton beams, which could be used as an injector for a conventional proton accelerator.

Exact cancellation of emittance growth due to coupled transverse dynamics in solenoids and rf couplers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dowell, David H.; Zhou, Feng; Schmerge, John

2018-01-01

Weak, rotated magnetic and radio frequency quadrupole fields in electron guns and injectors can couple the beam's horizontal with vertical motion, introduce correlations between otherwise orthogonal transverse momenta, and reduce the beam brightness. This paper discusses two important sources of coupled transverse dynamics common to most electron injectors. The first is quadrupole focusing followed by beam rotation in a solenoid, and the second coupling comes from a skewed high-power rf coupler or cavity port which has a rotated rf quadrupole field. It is shown that a dc quadrupole field can correct for both types of couplings and exactly cancel their emittance growths. The degree of cancellation of the rf skew quadrupole emittance is limited by the electron bunch length. Analytic expressions are derived and compared with emittance simulations and measurements.

ADX - Advanced Divertor and RF Tokamak Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenwald, Martin; Labombard, Brian; Bonoli, Paul; Irby, Jim; Terry, Jim; Wallace, Greg; Vieira, Rui; Whyte, Dennis; Wolfe, Steve; Wukitch, Steve; Marmar, Earl

2015-11-01

The Advanced Divertor and RF Tokamak Experiment (ADX) is a design concept for a compact high-field tokamak that would address boundary plasma and plasma-material interaction physics challenges whose solution is critical for the viability of magnetic fusion energy. This device would have two crucial missions. First, it would serve as a Divertor Test Tokamak, developing divertor geometries, materials and operational scenarios that could meet the stringent requirements imposed in a fusion power plant. By operating at high field, ADX would address this problem at a level of power loading and other plasma conditions that are essentially identical to those expected in a future reactor. Secondly, ADX would investigate the physics and engineering of high-field-side launch of RF waves for current drive and heating. Efficient current drive is an essential element for achieving steady-state in a practical, power producing fusion device and high-field launch offers the prospect of higher efficiency, better control of the current profile and survivability of the launching structures. ADX would carry out this research in integrated scenarios that simultaneously demonstrate the required boundary regimes consistent with efficient current drive and core performance.

Active high-power RF switch and pulse compression system

DOEpatents

Tantawi, Sami G.; Ruth, Ronald D.; Zolotorev, Max

1998-01-01

A high-power RF switching device employs a semiconductor wafer positioned in the third port of a three-port RF device. A controllable source of directed energy, such as a suitable laser or electron beam, is aimed at the semiconductor material. When the source is turned on, the energy incident on the wafer induces an electron-hole plasma layer on the wafer, changing the wafer's dielectric constant, turning the third port into a termination for incident RF signals, and. causing all incident RF signals to be reflected from the surface of the wafer. The propagation constant of RF signals through port 3, therefore, can be changed by controlling the beam. By making the RF coupling to the third port as small as necessary, one can reduce the peak electric field on the unexcited silicon surface for any level of input power from port 1, thereby reducing risk of damaging the wafer by RF with high peak power. The switch is useful to the construction of an improved pulse compression system to boost the peak power of microwave tubes driving linear accelerators. In this application, the high-power RF switch is placed at the coupling iris between the charging waveguide and the resonant storage line of a pulse compression system. This optically controlled high power RF pulse compression system can handle hundreds of Megawatts of power at X-band.

Simulations of Field-Emission Electron Beams from CNT Cathodes in RF Photoinjectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mihalcea, Daniel; Faillace, Luigi; Panuganti, Harsha

2015-06-01

Average field emission currents of up to 700 mA were produced by Carbon Nano Tube (CNT) cathodes in a 1.3 GHz RF gun at Fermilab High Brightness Electron Source Lab. (HBESL). The CNT cathodes were manufactured at Xintek and tested under DC conditions at RadiaBeam. The electron beam intensity as well as the other beam properties are directly related to the time-dependent electric field at the cathode and the geometry of the RF gun. This report focuses on simulations of the electron beam generated through field-emission and the results are compared with experimental measurements. These simulations were performed with themore » time-dependent Particle In Cell (PIC) code WARP.« less

Birdcage volume coils and magnetic resonance imaging: a simple experiment for students.

PubMed

Vincent, Dwight E; Wang, Tianhao; Magyar, Thalia A K; Jacob, Peni I; Buist, Richard; Martin, Melanie

2017-01-01

This article explains some simple experiments that can be used in undergraduate or graduate physics or biomedical engineering laboratory classes to learn how birdcage volume radiofrequency (RF) coils and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) work. For a clear picture, and to do any quantitative MRI analysis, acquiring images with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is required. With a given MRI system at a given field strength, the only means to change the SNR using hardware is to change the RF coil used to collect the image. RF coils can be designed in many different ways including birdcage volume RF coil designs. The choice of RF coil to give the best SNR for any MRI study is based on the sample being imaged. The data collected in the simple experiments show that the SNR varies as inverse diameter for the birdcage volume RF coils used in these experiments. The experiments were easily performed by a high school student, an undergraduate student, and a graduate student, in less than 3 h, the time typically allotted for a university laboratory course. The article describes experiments that students in undergraduate or graduate laboratories can perform to observe how birdcage volume RF coils influence MRI measurements. It is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in the imaging field.

Investigation of Helicon discharges as RF coupling concept of negative hydrogen ion sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briefi, S.; Fantz, U.

2013-02-01

The ITER reference source for H- and D- requires a high RF input power (up to 90 kW per driver). To reduce the demands on the RF circuit, it is highly desirable to reduce the power consumption while retaining the values of the relevant plasma parameters namely the positive ion density and the atomic hydrogen density. Helicon plasmas are a promising alternative RF coupling concept but they are typically generated in long thin discharge tubes using rare gases and an RF frequency of 13.56 MHz. Hence the applicability to the ITER reference source geometry, frequency and the utilization of hydrogen/deuterium has to be proved. In this paper the strategy of the approach for using Helicon discharges for ITER reference source parameters is introduced and the first promising measurements which were carried out at a small laboratory experiment are presented. With increasing RF power a mode transition to the Helicon regime was observed for argon and argon/hydrogen mixtures. In pure hydrogen/deuterium the mode transition could not yet be achieved as the available RF power is too low. In deuterium a special feature of Helicon discharges, the socalled low field peak, could be observed at a moderate B-field of 3 mT.

An MR/MRI compatible core holder with the RF probe immersed in the confining fluid.

PubMed

Shakerian, M; Balcom, B J

2018-01-01

An open frame RF probe for high pressure and high temperature MR/MRI measurements was designed, fabricated, and tested. The open frame RF probe was installed inside an MR/MRI compatible metallic core holder, withstanding a maximum pressure and temperature of 5000 psi and 80 °C. The open frame RF probe was tunable for both 1 H and 19 F resonance frequencies with a 0.2 T static magnetic field. The open frame structure was based on simple pillars of PEEK polymer upon which the RF probe was wound. The RF probe was immersed in the high pressure confining fluid during operation. The open frame structure simplified fabrication of the RF probe and significantly reduced the amount of polymeric materials in the core holder. This minimized the MR background signal detected. Phase encoding MRI methods were employed to map the spin density of a sulfur hexafluoride gas saturating a Berea core plug in the core holder. The SF 6 was imaged as a high pressure gas and as a supercritical fluid. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An MR/MRI compatible core holder with the RF probe immersed in the confining fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakerian, M.; Balcom, B. J.

2018-01-01

An open frame RF probe for high pressure and high temperature MR/MRI measurements was designed, fabricated, and tested. The open frame RF probe was installed inside an MR/MRI compatible metallic core holder, withstanding a maximum pressure and temperature of 5000 psi and 80 °C. The open frame RF probe was tunable for both 1H and 19F resonance frequencies with a 0.2 T static magnetic field. The open frame structure was based on simple pillars of PEEK polymer upon which the RF probe was wound. The RF probe was immersed in the high pressure confining fluid during operation. The open frame structure simplified fabrication of the RF probe and significantly reduced the amount of polymeric materials in the core holder. This minimized the MR background signal detected. Phase encoding MRI methods were employed to map the spin density of a sulfur hexafluoride gas saturating a Berea core plug in the core holder. The SF6 was imaged as a high pressure gas and as a supercritical fluid.

Flying radio frequency undulator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuzikov, S. V.; Vikharev, A. A.; Savilov, A. V.

2014-07-21

A concept for the room-temperature rf undulator, designed to produce coherent X-ray radiation by means of a relatively low-energy electron beam and pulsed mm-wavelength radiation, is proposed. The “flying” undulator is a high-power short rf pulse co-propagating together with a relativistic electron bunch in a helically corrugated waveguide. The electrons wiggle in the rf field of the −1st spatial harmonic with the phase velocity directed in the opposite direction in respect to the bunch velocity, so that particles can irradiate high-frequency Compton's photons. A high group velocity (close to the speed of light) ensures long cooperative motion of the particlesmore » and the co-propagating rf pulse.« less

Concurrent recording of RF pulses and gradient fields - comprehensive field monitoring for MRI.

PubMed

Brunner, David O; Dietrich, Benjamin E; Çavuşoğlu, Mustafa; Wilm, Bertram J; Schmid, Thomas; Gross, Simon; Barmet, Christoph; Pruessmann, Klaas P

2016-09-01

Reconstruction of MRI data is based on exact knowledge of all magnetic field dynamics, since the interplay of RF and gradient pulses generates the signal, defines the contrast and forms the basis of resolution in spatial and spectral dimensions. Deviations caused by various sources, such as system imperfections, delays, eddy currents, drifts or externally induced fields, can therefore critically limit the accuracy of MRI examinations. This is true especially at ultra-high fields, because many error terms scale with the main field strength, and higher available SNR renders even smaller errors relevant. Higher baseline field also often requires higher acquisition bandwidths and faster signal encoding, increasing hardware demands and the severity of many types of hardware imperfection. To address field imperfections comprehensively, in this work we propose to expand the concept of magnetic field monitoring to also encompass the recording of RF fields. In this way, all dynamic magnetic fields relevant for spin evolution are covered, including low- to audio-frequency magnetic fields as produced by main magnets, gradients and shim systems, as well as RF pulses generated with single- and multiple-channel transmission systems. The proposed approach permits field measurements concurrently with actual MRI procedures on a strict common time base. The combined measurement is achieved with an array of miniaturized field probes that measure low- to audio-frequency fields via (19) F NMR and simultaneously pick up RF pulses in the MRI system's (1) H transmit band. Field recordings can form the basis of system calibration, retrospective correction of imaging data or closed-loop feedback correction, all of which hold potential to render MRI more robust and relax hardware requirements. The proposed approach is demonstrated for a range of imaging methods performed on a 7 T human MRI system, including accelerated multiple-channel RF pulses. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Encoding methods for B1+ mapping in parallel transmit systems at ultra high field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tse, Desmond H. Y.; Poole, Michael S.; Magill, Arthur W.; Felder, Jörg; Brenner, Daniel; Jon Shah, N.

2014-08-01

Parallel radiofrequency (RF) transmission, either in the form of RF shimming or pulse design, has been proposed as a solution to the B1+ inhomogeneity problem in ultra high field magnetic resonance imaging. As a prerequisite, accurate B1+ maps from each of the available transmit channels are required. In this work, four different encoding methods for B1+ mapping, namely 1-channel-on, all-channels-on-except-1, all-channels-on-1-inverted and Fourier phase encoding, were evaluated using dual refocusing acquisition mode (DREAM) at 9.4 T. Fourier phase encoding was demonstrated in both phantom and in vivo to be the least susceptible to artefacts caused by destructive RF interference at 9.4 T. Unlike the other two interferometric encoding schemes, Fourier phase encoding showed negligible dependency on the initial RF phase setting and therefore no prior B1+ knowledge is required. Fourier phase encoding also provides a flexible way to increase the number of measurements to increase SNR, and to allow further reduction of artefacts by weighted decoding. These advantages of Fourier phase encoding suggest that it is a good choice for B1+ mapping in parallel transmit systems at ultra high field.

High-resolution small field-of-view magnetic resonance image acquisition system using a small planar coil and a pneumatic manipulator in an open MRI scanner.

PubMed

Miki, Kohei; Masamune, Ken

2015-10-01

Low-field open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently used for performing image-guided neurosurgical procedures. Intraoperative magnetic resonance (MR) images are useful for tracking brain shifts and verifying residual tumors. However, it is difficult to precisely determine the boundary of the brain tumors and normal brain tissues because the MR image resolution is low, especially when using a low-field open MRI scanner. To overcome this problem, a high-resolution MR image acquisition system was developed and tested. An MR-compatible manipulator with pneumatic actuators containing an MR signal receiver with a small radiofrequency (RF) coil was developed. The manipulator had five degrees of freedom for position and orientation control of the RF coil. An 8-mm planar RF coil with resistance and inductance of 2.04 [Formula: see text] and 1.00 [Formula: see text] was attached to the MR signal receiver at the distal end of the probe. MR images of phantom test devices were acquired using the MR signal receiver and normal head coil for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) testing. The SNR of MR images acquired using the MR signal receiver was 8.0 times greater than that of MR images acquired using the normal head coil. The RF coil was moved by the manipulator, and local MR images of a phantom with a 2-mm grid were acquired using the MR signal receiver. A wide field-of-view MR image was generated from a montage of local MR images. A small field-of-view RF system with a pneumatic manipulator was integrated in a low-field MRI scanner to allow acquisition of both wide field-of-view and high-resolution MR images. This system is promising for image-guided neurosurgery as it may allow brain tumors to be observed more clearly and removed precisely.

Exact cancellation of emittance growth due to coupled transverse dynamics in solenoids and rf couplers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dowell, David H.; Zhou, Feng; Schmerge, John

Weak, rotated magnetic and radio frequency quadrupole fields in electron guns and injectors can couple the beam’s horizontal with vertical motion, introduce correlations between otherwise orthogonal transverse momenta, and reduce the beam brightness. This paper discusses two important sources of coupled transverse dynamics common to most electron injectors. The first is quadrupole focusing followed by beam rotation in a solenoid, and the second coupling comes from a skewed high-power rf coupler or cavity port which has a rotated rf quadrupole field. It is shown that a dc quadrupole field can correct for both types of couplings and exactly cancel theirmore » emittance growths. The degree of cancellation of the rf skew quadrupole emittance is limited by the electron bunch length. Analytic expressions are derived and compared with emittance simulations and measurements.« less

Exact cancellation of emittance growth due to coupled transverse dynamics in solenoids and rf couplers

DOE PAGES

Dowell, David H.; Zhou, Feng; Schmerge, John

2018-01-17

Weak, rotated magnetic and radio frequency quadrupole fields in electron guns and injectors can couple the beam’s horizontal with vertical motion, introduce correlations between otherwise orthogonal transverse momenta, and reduce the beam brightness. This paper discusses two important sources of coupled transverse dynamics common to most electron injectors. The first is quadrupole focusing followed by beam rotation in a solenoid, and the second coupling comes from a skewed high-power rf coupler or cavity port which has a rotated rf quadrupole field. It is shown that a dc quadrupole field can correct for both types of couplings and exactly cancel theirmore » emittance growths. The degree of cancellation of the rf skew quadrupole emittance is limited by the electron bunch length. Analytic expressions are derived and compared with emittance simulations and measurements.« less

Steering Electromagnetic Fields in MRI: Investigating Radiofrequency Field Interactions with Endogenous and External Dielectric Materials for Improved Coil Performance at High Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaidya, Manushka

Although 1.5 and 3 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance (MR) systems remain the clinical standard, the number of 7 T MR systems has increased over the past decade because of the promise of higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which can translate to images with higher resolution, improved image quality and faster acquisition times. However, there are a number of technical challenges that have prevented exploiting the full potential of ultra-high field (≥ 7 T) MR imaging (MRI), such as the inhomogeneous distribution of the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field and specific energy absorption rate (SAR), which can compromise image quality and patient safety. To better understand the origin of these issues, we first investigated the dependence of the spatial distribution of the magnetic field associated with a surface RF coil on the operating frequency and electrical properties of the sample. Our results demonstrated that the asymmetries between the transmit (B1+) and receive (B 1-) circularly polarized components of the magnetic field, which are in part responsible for RF inhomogeneity, depend on the electric conductivity of the sample. On the other hand, when sample conductivity is low, a high relative permittivity can result in an inhomogeneous RF field distribution, due to significant constructive and destructive interference patterns between forward and reflected propagating magnetic field within the sample. We then investigated the use of high permittivity materials (HPMs) as a method to alter the field distribution and improve transmit and receive coil performance in MRI. We showed that HPM placed at a distance from an RF loop coil can passively shape the field within the sample. Our results showed improvement in transmit and receive sensitivity overlap, extension of coil field-of-view, and enhancement in transmit/receive efficiency. We demonstrated the utility of this concept by employing HPM to improve performance of an existing commercial head coil for the inferior regions of the brain, where the specific coil's imaging efficiency was inherently poor. Results showed a gain in SNR, while the maximum local and head SAR values remained below the prescribed limits. We showed that increasing coil performance with HPM could improve detection of functional MR activation during a motor-based task for whole brain fMRI. Finally, to gain an intuitive understanding of how HPM improves coil performance, we investigated how HPM separately affects signal and noise sensitivity to improve SNR. For this purpose, we employed a theoretical model based on dyadic Green's functions to compare the characteristics of current patterns, i.e. the optimal spatial distribution of coil conductors, that would either maximize SNR (ideal current patterns), maximize signal reception (signal-only optimal current patterns), or minimize sample noise (dark mode current patterns). Our results demonstrated that the presence of a lossless HPM changed the relative balance of signal-only optimal and dark mode current patterns. For a given relative permittivity, increasing the thickness of the HPM altered the magnitude of the currents required to optimize signal sensitivity at the voxel of interest as well as decreased the net electric field in the sample, which is associated, via reciprocity, to the noise received from the sample. Our results also suggested that signal-only current patterns could be used to identify HPM configurations that lead to high SNR gain for RF coil arrays. We anticipate that physical insights from this work could be utilized to build the next generation of high performing RF coils integrated with HPM.

Beam Dynamics Simulation of Photocathode RF Electron Gun at the PBP-CMU Linac Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buakor, K.; Rimjaem, S.

2017-09-01

Photocathode radio-frequency (RF) electron guns are widely used at many particle accelerator laboratories due to high quality of produced electron beams. By using a short-pulse laser to induce the photoemission process, the electrons are emitted with low energy spread. Moreover, the photocathode RF guns are not suffered from the electron back bombardment effect, which can cause the limited electron current and accelerated energy. In this research, we aim to develop the photocathode RF gun for the linac-based THz radiation source. Its design is based on the existing gun at the PBP-CMU Linac Laboratory. The gun consists of a one and a half cell S-band standing-wave RF cavities with a maximum electric field of about 60 MV/m at the centre of the full cell. We study the beam dynamics of electrons traveling through the electromagnetic field inside the RF gun by using the particle tracking program ASTRA. The laser properties i.e. transverse size and injecting phase are optimized to obtain low transverse emittance. In addition, the solenoid magnet is applied for beam focusing and emittance compensation. The proper solenoid magnetic field is then investigated to find the optimum value for proper emittance conservation condition.

Cortical depth dependent population receptive field attraction by spatial attention in human V1.

PubMed

Klein, Barrie P; Fracasso, Alessio; van Dijk, Jelle A; Paffen, Chris L E; Te Pas, Susan F; Dumoulin, Serge O

2018-04-27

Visual spatial attention concentrates neural resources at the attended location. Recently, we demonstrated that voluntary spatial attention attracts population receptive fields (pRFs) toward its location throughout the visual hierarchy. Theoretically, both a feed forward or feedback mechanism could underlie pRF attraction in a given cortical area. Here, we use sub-millimeter ultra-high field functional MRI to measure pRF attraction across cortical depth and assess the contribution of feed forward and feedback signals to pRF attraction. In line with previous findings, we find consistent attraction of pRFs with voluntary spatial attention in V1. When assessed as a function of cortical depth, we find pRF attraction in every cortical portion (deep, center and superficial), although the attraction is strongest in deep cortical portions (near the gray-white matter boundary). Following the organization of feed forward and feedback processing across V1, we speculate that a mixture of feed forward and feedback processing underlies pRF attraction in V1. Specifically, we propose that feedback processing contributes to the pRF attraction in deep cortical portions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Radiofrequency pulse design in parallel transmission under strict temperature constraints.

PubMed

Boulant, Nicolas; Massire, Aurélien; Amadon, Alexis; Vignaud, Alexandre

2014-09-01

To gain radiofrequency (RF) pulse performance by directly addressing the temperature constraints, as opposed to the specific absorption rate (SAR) constraints, in parallel transmission at ultra-high field. The magnitude least-squares RF pulse design problem under hard SAR constraints was solved repeatedly by using the virtual observation points and an active-set algorithm. The SAR constraints were updated at each iteration based on the result of a thermal simulation. The numerical study was performed for an SAR-demanding and simplified time of flight sequence using B1 and ΔB0 maps obtained in vivo on a human brain at 7T. The proposed adjustment of the SAR constraints combined with an active-set algorithm provided higher flexibility in RF pulse design within a reasonable time. The modifications of those constraints acted directly upon the thermal response as desired. Although further confidence in the thermal models is needed, this study shows that RF pulse design under strict temperature constraints is within reach, allowing better RF pulse performance and faster acquisitions at ultra-high fields at the cost of higher sequence complexity. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Experimental measurements of rf breakdowns and deflecting gradients in mm-wave metallic accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon; ...

2016-05-03

We present an experimental study of a high-gradient metallic accelerating structure at sub-THz frequencies, where we investigated the physics of rf breakdowns. Wakefields in the structure were excited by an ultrarelativistic electron beam. We present the first quantitative measurements of gradients and metal vacuum rf breakdowns in sub-THz accelerating cavities. When the beam travels off axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the longitudinal field. We measured the deflecting forces by observing the displacement and changes in the shape of the electron bunch. This behavior can be exploited for subfemtosecond beam diagnostics.

Developing field emission electron sources based on ultrananocrystalline diamond for accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baryshev, Sergey V.; Jing, Chunguang; Qiu, Jiaqi

Radiofrequency (RF) electron guns work by establishing an RF electromagnetic field inside a cavity having conducting walls. Electrons from a cathode are generated in the injector and immediately become accelerated by the RF electric field, and exit the gun as a series of electron bunches. Finding simple solutions for electron injection is a long standing problem. While energies of 30-50 MeV are achievable in linear accelerators (linacs), finding an electron source able to survive under MW electric loads and provide an average current of 1-10 mA is important. Meeting these requirements would open various linac applications for industry. The naturalmore » way to simplify and integrate RF injector architectures with the electron source would be to place the source directly into the RF cavity with no need for additional heaters/lasers. Euclid TechLabs in collaboration with Argonne National Lab are prototyping a family of highly effective field emission electron sources based on a nitrogen-incorporated ultrananocrystalline diamond ((N)UNCD) platform. Determined metrics suggest that our emitters are emissive enough to meet requirements for magnetized cooling at electron-ion colliders, linac-based radioisotope production and X-ray sterilization, and others.« less

High Field In Vivo 13C Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Brain by Random Radiofrequency Heteronuclear Decoupling and Data Sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ningzhi; Li, Shizhe; Shen, Jun

2017-06-01

In vivo 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a unique and effective tool for studying dynamic human brain metabolism and the cycling of neurotransmitters. One of the major technical challenges for in vivo 13C-MRS is the high radio frequency (RF) power necessary for heteronuclear decoupling. In the common practice of in vivo 13C-MRS, alkanyl carbons are detected in the spectra range of 10-65ppm. The amplitude of decoupling pulses has to be significantly greater than the large one-bond 1H-13C scalar coupling (1JCH=125-145 Hz). Two main proton decoupling methods have been developed: broadband stochastic decoupling and coherent composite or adiabatic pulse decoupling (e.g., WALTZ); the latter is widely used because of its efficiency and superb performance under inhomogeneous B1 field. Because the RF power required for proton decoupling increases quadratically with field strength, in vivo 13C-MRS using coherent decoupling is often limited to low magnetic fields (<= 4 Tesla (T)) to keep the local and averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) under the safety guidelines established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Alternately, carboxylic/amide carbons are coupled to protons via weak long-range 1H-13C scalar couplings, which can be decoupled using low RF power broadband stochastic decoupling. Recently, the carboxylic/amide 13C-MRS technique using low power random RF heteronuclear decoupling was safely applied to human brain studies at 7T. Here, we review the two major decoupling methods and the carboxylic/amide 13C-MRS with low power decoupling strategy. Further decreases in RF power deposition by frequency-domain windowing and time-domain random under-sampling are also discussed. Low RF power decoupling opens the possibility of performing in vivo 13C experiments of human brain at very high magnetic fields (such as 11.7T), where signal-to-noise ratio as well as spatial and temporal spectral resolution are more favorable than lower fields.

Predictions of VRF on a Langmuir Probe under the RF Heating Spiral on the Divertor Floor on NSTX-U

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hosea, J C; Perkins, R J; Jaworski, M A

RF heating deposition spirals are observed on the divertor plates on NSTX as shown in for a NB plus RF heating case. It has been shown that the RF spiral is tracked quite well by the spiral mapping of the strike points on the divertor plate of magnetic field lines passing in front of the high harmonic fast wave (HHFW) antenna on NSTX. Indeed, both current instrumented tiles and Langmuir probes respond to the spiral when it is positioned over them. In particular, a positive increment in tile current (collection of electrons) is obtained when the spiral is over themore » tile. This current can be due to RF rectification and/or RF heating of the scrape off layer (SOL) plasma along the magnetic field lines passing in front of the the HHFW antenna. It is important to determine quantitatively the relative contributions of these processes. Here we explore the properties of the characteristics of probes on the lower divertor plate to determine the likelyhood that the primary cause of the RF heat deposition is RF rectification.« less

Electroluminescence of hot electrons in AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors under radio frequency operation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brazzini, Tommaso, E-mail: tommaso.brazzini@bristol.ac.uk; Sun, Huarui; Uren, Michael J.

2015-05-25

Hot electrons in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors are studied during radio frequency (RF) and DC operation by means of electroluminescence (EL) microscopy and spectroscopy. The measured EL intensity is decreased under RF operation compared to DC at the same average current, indicating a lower hot electron density. This is explained by averaging the DC EL intensity over the measured load line used in RF measurements, giving reasonable agreement. In addition, the hot electron temperature is lower by up to 15% under RF compared to DC, again at least partially explainable by the weighted averaging along the specific load line.more » However, peak electron temperature under RF occurs at high V{sub DS} and low I{sub DS} where EL is insignificant suggesting that any wear-out differences between RF and DC stress of the devices will depend on the balance between hot-carrier and field driven degradation mechanisms.« less

Dynamics of vortex penetration, jumpwise instabilities, and nonlinear surface resistance of type-II superconductors in strong rf fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurevich, A.; Ciovati, G.

2008-03-01

We consider the nonlinear dynamics of a single vortex in a superconductor in a strong rf magnetic field B0sinωt . Using the London theory, we calculate the dissipated power Q(B0,ω) and the transient time scales of vortex motion. For the linear Bardeen-Stephen viscous drag force, vortex velocities reach unphysically high values during vortex penetration through the oscillating surface barrier. It is shown that penetration of a single vortex through the ac surface barrier always involves penetration of an antivortex and the subsequent annihilation of the vortex-antivortex pairs. Using the nonlinear Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) viscous drag force at higher vortex velocities v(t) results in a jumpwise vortex penetration through the surface barrier and a significant increase of the dissipated power. We calculate the effect of dissipation on the nonlinear vortex viscosity η(v) and the rf vortex dynamics and show that it can also result in the LO-type behavior, instabilities, and thermal localization of penetrating vortex channels. We propose a thermal feedback model of η(v) , which not only results in the LO dependence of η(v) for a steady-state motion, but also takes into account retardation of the temperature field around a rapidly accelerating vortex and a long-range interaction with the surface. We also address the effect of pinning on the nonlinear rf vortex dynamics and the effect of trapped magnetic flux on the surface resistance Rs calculated as a function of rf frequency and field. It is shown that trapped flux can result in a temperature-independent residual resistance Ri at low T and a hysteretic low-field dependence of Ri(B0) , which can decrease as B0 is increased, reaching a minimum at B0 much smaller than the thermodynamic critical field Bc . We propose that cycling of the rf field can reduce Ri due to rf annealing of the magnetic flux which is pumped out by the rf field from a thin surface layer of the order of the London penetration depth.

B1 transmit phase gradient coil for single-axis TRASE RF encoding.

PubMed

Deng, Qunli; King, Scott B; Volotovskyy, Vyacheslav; Tomanek, Boguslaw; Sharp, Jonathan C

2013-07-01

TRASE (Transmit Array Spatial Encoding) MRI uses RF transmit phase gradients instead of B0 field gradients for k-space traversal and high-resolution MR image formation. Transmit coil performance is a key determinant of TRASE image quality. The purpose of this work is to design an optimized RF transmit phase gradient array for spatial encoding in a transverse direction (x- or y- axis) for a 0.2T vertical B0 field MRI system, using a single transmitter channel. This requires the generation of two transmit B1 RF fields with uniform amplitude and positive and negative linear phase gradients respectively over the imaging volume. A two-element array consisting of a double Maxwell-type coil and a Helmholtz-type coil was designed using 3D field simulations. The phase gradient polarity is set by the relative phase of the RF signals driving the simultaneously energized elements. Field mapping and 1D TRASE imaging experiments confirmed that the constructed coil produced the fields and operated as designed. A substantially larger imaging volume relative to that obtainable from a non-optimized Maxwell-Helmholtz design was achieved. The Maxwell (sine)-Helmholtz (cosine) approach has proven successful for a horizontal phase gradient coil. A similar approach may be useful for other phase-gradient coil designs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

2D modeling of DC potential structures induced by RF sheaths with transverse currents in front of ICRF antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faudot, E.; Heuraux, S.; Colas, L.

2005-09-01

Understanding DC potential generation in front of ICRF antennas is crucial for long pulse high RF power systems. DC potentials are produced by sheath rectification of these RF potentials. To reach this goal, near RF parallel electric fields have to be computed in 3D and integrated along open magnetic field lines to yield a 2D RF potential map in a transverse plane. DC potentials are produced by sheath rectification of these RF potentials. As RF potentials are spatially inhomogeneous, transverse polarization currents are created, modifying RF and DC maps. Such modifications are quantified on a `test map' having initially a Gaussian shape and assuming that the map remains Gaussian near its summit,the time behavior of the peak can be estimated analytically in presence of polarization current as a function of its width r0 and amplitude φ0 (normalized to a characteristic length for transverse transport and to the local temperature). A `peaking factor' is built from the DC peak potential normalized to φ0, and validated with a 2D fluid code and a 2D PIC code (XOOPIC). In an unexpected way transverse currents can increase this factor. Realistic situations of a Tore Supra antenna are also studied, with self-consistent near fields provided by ICANT code. Basic processes will be detailed and an evaluation of the `peaking factor' for ITER will be presented for a given configuration.

2D modeling of DC potential structures induced by RF sheaths with transverse currents in front of ICRF antenna

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Faudot, E.; Heuraux, S.; Colas, L.

2005-09-26

Understanding DC potential generation in front of ICRF antennas is crucial for long pulse high RF power systems. DC potentials are produced by sheath rectification of these RF potentials. To reach this goal, near RF parallel electric fields have to be computed in 3D and integrated along open magnetic field lines to yield a 2D RF potential map in a transverse plane. DC potentials are produced by sheath rectification of these RF potentials. As RF potentials are spatially inhomogeneous, transverse polarization currents are created, modifying RF and DC maps. Such modifications are quantified on a 'test map' having initially amore » Gaussian shape and assuming that the map remains Gaussian near its summit,the time behavior of the peak can be estimated analytically in presence of polarization current as a function of its width r0 and amplitude {phi}0 (normalized to a characteristic length for transverse transport and to the local temperature). A 'peaking factor' is built from the DC peak potential normalized to {phi}0, and validated with a 2D fluid code and a 2D PIC code (XOOPIC). In an unexpected way transverse currents can increase this factor. Realistic situations of a Tore Supra antenna are also studied, with self-consistent near fields provided by ICANT code. Basic processes will be detailed and an evaluation of the 'peaking factor' for ITER will be presented for a given configuration.« less

Gene and protein expression following exposure to radiofrequency fields from mobile phones.

PubMed

Vanderstraeten, Jacques; Verschaeve, Luc

2008-09-01

Since 1999, several articles have been published on genome-wide and/or proteome-wide response after exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields whose signal and intensities were similar to or typical of those of currently used mobile telephones. These studies were performed using powerful high-throughput screening techniques (HTSTs) of transcriptomics and/or proteomics, which allow for the simultaneous screening of the expression of thousands of genes or proteins. We reviewed these HTST-based studies and compared the results with currently accepted concepts about the effects of RF fields on gene expression. In this article we also discuss these last in light of the recent concept of microwave-assisted chemistry. To date, the results of HTST-based studies of transcriptomics and/or proteomics after exposure to RF fields relevant to human exposure are still inconclusive, as most of the positive reports are flawed by methodologic imperfections or shortcomings. In addition, when positive findings were reported, no precise response pattern could be identified in a reproducible way. In particular, results from HTST studies tend to exclude the role of a cell stressor for exposure to RF fields at nonthermal intensities. However, on the basis of lessons from microwave-assisted chemistry, we can assume that RF fields might affect heat-sensitive gene or protein expression to an extent larger than would be predicted from temperature change only. But in all likelihood, this would concern intensities higher than those relevant to usual human exposure. The precise role of transcriptomics and proteomics in the screening of bioeffects from exposure to RF fields from mobile phones is still uncertain in view of the lack of positively identified phenotypic change and the lack of theoretical, as well as experimental, arguments for specific gene and/or protein response patterns after this kind of exposure.

RF Photoelectric injectors using needle cathodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewellen, J. W.; Brau, C. A.

2003-07-01

Photocathode RF guns, in various configurations, are the injectors of choice for both current and future applications requiring high-brightness electron beams. Many of these applications, such as single-pass free-electron lasers, require beams with high brilliance but not necessarily high charge per bunch. Field-enhanced photoelectric emission has demonstrated electron-beam current density as high as 10 10 A/m 2, with a quantum efficiency in the UV that approaches 10% at fields on the order of 10 10 V/m. Thus, the use of even a blunt needle holds promise for increasing cathode quantum efficiency without sacrificing robustness. We present an initial study on the use of needle cathodes in photoinjectors to enhance beam brightness while reducing beam charge. Benefits include lower drive-laser power requirements, easier multibunch operation, lower emittance, and lower beam degradation due to charge-dependent effects in the postinjector accelerator. These benefits result from a combination of a smaller cathode emission area, greatly enhanced RF field strength at the cathode, and the charge scaling of detrimental postinjector linac effects, e.g., transverse wakefields and CSR.

rf breakdown measurements in electron beam driven 200 GHz copper and copper-silver accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon; ...

2016-11-30

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in subterahertz high-gradient traveling-wave accelerating structures. We present the experimental results of rf tests of 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, made of copper and copper-silver. These experiments were carried out at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultrarelativistic electron beam. The traveling-wave structure is an open geometry, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated by a gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changedmore » from 160 to 235 GHz. When the beam travels off axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the longitudinal field. We measure the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and use this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. Furthermore, we present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures. The breakdown rate of the copper structure is 10 –2 per pulse, with a peak surface electric field of 500 MV/m and a rf pulse length of 0.3 ns, which at a relatively large gap of 1.5 mm, or one wavelength, corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 56 MV/m. For the same breakdown rate, the copper-silver structure has a peak electric field of 320 MV/m at a pulse length of 0.5 ns. For a gap of 1.1 mm, or 0.74 wavelengths, this corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 50 MV/m.« less

A low-cost, mechanically simple apparatus for measuring eddy current-induced magnetic fields in MRI.

PubMed

Gilbert, Kyle M; Martyn Klassen, L; Menon, Ravi S

2013-10-01

The fidelity of gradient waveforms in MRI pulse sequences is essential to the acquisition of images and spectra with minimal distortion artefacts. Gradient waveforms can become nonideal when eddy currents are created in nearby conducting structures; however, the resultant magnetic fields can be characterised and compensated for by measuring the spatial and temporal field response following a gradient impulse. This can be accomplished using a grid of radiofrequency (RF) coils. The RF coils must adhere to strict performance requirements: they must achieve a high sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), have minimal susceptibility field gradients between the sample and surrounding material interfaces and be highly decoupled from each other. In this study, an apparatus is presented that accomplishes these tasks with a low-cost, mechanically simple solution. The coil system consists of six transmit/receive RF coils immersed in a high-molarity saline solution. The sensitivity and SNR following an excitation pulse are sufficiently high to allow accurate phase measurements during free-induction decays; the intrinsic susceptibility matching of the materials, because of the unique design of the coil system, results in sufficiently narrow spectral line widths (mean of 19 Hz), and adjacent RF coils are highly decoupled (mean S12 of -47 dB). The temporal and spatial distributions of eddy currents following a gradient pulse are measured to validate the efficacy of the design, and the resultant amplitudes and time constants required for zeroth- and first-order compensation are provided. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Position Information Encoded by Population Activity in Hierarchical Visual Areas

PubMed Central

Majima, Kei; Horikawa, Tomoyasu

2017-01-01

Abstract Neurons in high-level visual areas respond to more complex visual features with broader receptive fields (RFs) compared to those in low-level visual areas. Thus, high-level visual areas are generally considered to carry less information regarding the position of seen objects in the visual field. However, larger RFs may not imply loss of position information at the population level. Here, we evaluated how accurately the position of a seen object could be predicted (decoded) from activity patterns in each of six representative visual areas with different RF sizes [V1–V4, lateral occipital complex (LOC), and fusiform face area (FFA)]. We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses while human subjects viewed a ball randomly moving in a two-dimensional field. To estimate population RF sizes of individual fMRI voxels, RF models were fitted for individual voxels in each brain area. The voxels in higher visual areas showed larger estimated RFs than those in lower visual areas. Then, the ball’s position in a separate session was predicted by maximum likelihood estimation using the RF models of individual voxels. We also tested a model-free multivoxel regression (support vector regression, SVR) to predict the position. We found that regardless of the difference in RF size, all visual areas showed similar prediction accuracies, especially on the horizontal dimension. Higher areas showed slightly lower accuracies on the vertical dimension, which appears to be attributed to the narrower spatial distributions of the RF centers. The results suggest that much position information is preserved in population activity through the hierarchical visual pathway regardless of RF sizes and is potentially available in later processing for recognition and behavior. PMID:28451634

Design of an interventional magnetic resonance imaging coil for cerebral surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yue; Wang, Wen-Tao; Wang, Wei-Min

2012-11-01

In clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the design of the radiofrequency (RF) coil is very important. For certain applications, the appropriate coil can produce an improved image quality. However, it is difficult to achieve a uniform B1 field and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) simultaneously. In this article, we design an interventional transmitter-and-receiver RF coil for cerebral surgery. This coil adopts a disassembly structure that can be assembled and disassembled repeatedly on the cerebral surgery gantry to reduce the amount of interference from the MRI during surgery. The simulation results and the imaging experiments demonstrate that this coil can produce a uniform RF field, a high SNR, and a large imaging range to meet the requirements of the cerebral surgery.

MR-compatibility assessment of MADPET4: a study of interferences between an SiPM-based PET insert and a 7 T MRI system.

PubMed

Omidvari, Negar; Topping, Geoffrey; Cabello, Jorge; Paul, Stephan; Schwaiger, Markus; Ziegler, Sibylle I

2018-05-01

Compromises in the design of a positron emission tomography (PET) insert for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system should minimize the deterioration of image quality in both modalities, particularly when simultaneous demanding acquisitions are performed. In this work, the advantages of using individually read-out crystals with high-gain silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) were studied with a small animal PET insert for a 7 T MRI system, in which the SiPM charge was transferred to outside the MRI scanner using coaxial cables. The interferences between the two systems were studied with three radio-frequency (RF) coil configurations. The effects of PET on the static magnetic field, flip angle distribution, RF noise, and image quality of various MRI sequences (gradient echo, spin echo, and echo planar imaging (EPI) at 1 H frequency, and chemical shift imaging at 13 C frequency) were investigated. The effects of fast-switching gradient fields and RF pulses on PET count rate were studied, while the PET insert and the readout electronics were not shielded. Operating the insert inside a 1 H volume coil, used for RF transmission and reception, limited the MRI to T1-weighted imaging, due to coil detuning and RF attenuation, and resulted in significant PET count loss. Using a surface receive coil allowed all tested MR sequences to be used with the insert, with 45-59% signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation, compared to without PET. With a 1 H/ 13 C volume coil inside the insert and shielded by a copper tube, the SNR degradation was limited to 23-30% with all tested sequences. The insert did not introduce any discernible distortions into images of two tested EPI sequences. Use of truncated sinc shaped RF excitation pulses and gradient field switching had negligible effects on PET count rate. However, PET count rate was substantially affected by high-power RF block pulses and temperature variations due to high gradient duty cycles.

Direct enhancement of nitrogen-15 targets at high-field by fast ADAPT-SABRE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Soumya S.; Stevanato, Gabriele; Rayner, Peter J.; Duckett, Simon B.

2017-12-01

Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) is an attractive nuclear spin hyperpolarization technique capable of huge sensitivity enhancement in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection. The resonance condition of SABRE hyperpolarization depends on coherent spin mixing, which can be achieved naturally at a low magnetic field. The optimum transfer field to spin-1/2 heteronuclei is technically demanding, as it requires field strengths weaker than the earth's magnetic field for efficient spin mixing. In this paper, we illustrate an approach to achieve strong 15N SABRE hyperpolarization at high magnetic field by a radio frequency (RF) driven coherent transfer mechanism based on alternate pulsing and delay to achieve polarization transfer. The presented scheme is found to be highly robust and much faster than existing related methods, producing ∼ 3 orders of magnitude 15N signal enhancement within 2 s of RF pulsing.

Direct enhancement of nitrogen-15 targets at high-field by fast ADAPT-SABRE.

PubMed

Roy, Soumya S; Stevanato, Gabriele; Rayner, Peter J; Duckett, Simon B

2017-12-01

Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) is an attractive nuclear spin hyperpolarization technique capable of huge sensitivity enhancement in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection. The resonance condition of SABRE hyperpolarization depends on coherent spin mixing, which can be achieved naturally at a low magnetic field. The optimum transfer field to spin-1/2 heteronuclei is technically demanding, as it requires field strengths weaker than the earth's magnetic field for efficient spin mixing. In this paper, we illustrate an approach to achieve strong 15 N SABRE hyperpolarization at high magnetic field by a radio frequency (RF) driven coherent transfer mechanism based on alternate pulsing and delay to achieve polarization transfer. The presented scheme is found to be highly robust and much faster than existing related methods, producing ∼3 orders of magnitude 15 N signal enhancement within 2 s of RF pulsing. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Half-Cell RF Gun Simulations with the Electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell Code VORPAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, K.; Dimitrov, D. A.; Busby, R.; Bruhwiler, D. L.; Smithe, D.; Cary, J. R.; Kewisch, J.; Kayran, D.; Calaga, R.; Ben-Zvi, I.

2009-01-01

We have simulated Brookhaven National Laboratory's half-cell superconducting RF gun design for a proposed high-current ERL using the three-dimensional, electromagnetic particle-in-cell code VORPAL. VORPAL computes the fully self-consistent electromagnetic fields produced by the electron bunches, meaning that it accurately models space-charge effects as well as bunch-to-bunch beam loading effects and the effects of higher-order cavity modes, though these are beyond the scope of this paper. We compare results from VORPAL to the well-established space-charge code PARMELA, using RF fields produced by SUPERFISH, as a benchmarking exercise in which the two codes should agree well.

Beam energy tracking system on Optima XEx high energy ion implanter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David, Jonathan; Satoh, Shu; Wu Xiangyang

2012-11-06

The Axcelis Optima XEx high energy implanter is an RF linac-based implanter with 12 RF resonators for beam acceleration. Even though each acceleration field is an alternating, sinusoidal RF field, the well known phase-focusing principle produces a beam with a sharp quasi-monoenergetic energy spectrum. A magnetic energy filter after the linac further attenuates the low energy continuum in the energy spectrum often associated with RF acceleration. The final beam energy is a function of the phase and amplitude of the 12 resonators in the linac. When tuning a beam, the magnetic energy filter is set to the desired energy, andmore » each linac parameter is tuned to maximize the transmission through the filter. Once a beam is set up, all the parameters are stored in a recipe, which can be easily tuned and has proven to be quite repeatable. The magnetic field setting of the energy filter selects the beam energy from the RF Linac accelerator, and in-situ verification of beam energy in addition to the magnetic energy filter setting has long been desired. An independent energy tracking system was developed for this purpose, using the existing electrostatic beam scanner as a deflector to construct an in-situ electrostatic energy analyzer. This paper will describe the system and performance of the beam energy tracking system.« less

Radiofrequency fields in MAS solid state NMR probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tošner, Zdeněk; Purea, Armin; Struppe, Jochem O.; Wegner, Sebastian; Engelke, Frank; Glaser, Steffen J.; Reif, Bernd

2017-11-01

We present a detailed analysis of the radiofrequency (RF) field over full volume of a rotor that is generated in a solenoid coil. On top of the usually considered static distribution of amplitudes along the coil axis we describe dynamic radial RF inhomogeneities induced by sample rotation. During magic angle spinning (MAS), the mechanical rotation of the sample about the magic angle, a spin packet travels through areas of different RF fields and experiences periodical modulations of both the RF amplitude and the phase. These modulations become particularly severe at the end regions of the coil where the relative RF amplitude varies up to ±25% and the RF phase changes within ±30°. Using extensive numerical simulations we demonstrate effects of RF inhomogeneity on pulse calibration and for the ramped CP experiment performed at a wide range of MAS rates. In addition, we review various methods to map RF fields using a B0 gradient along the sample (rotor axis) for imaging purposes. Under such a gradient, a nutation experiment provides directly the RF amplitude distribution, a cross polarization experiment images the correlation of the RF fields on the two channels according to the Hartmann-Hahn matching condition, while a spin-lock experiment allows to calibrate the RF amplitude employing the rotary resonance recoupling condition. Knowledge of the RF field distribution in a coil provides key to understand its effects on performance of a pulse sequence at the spectrometer and enables to set robustness requirements in the experimental design.

Basic Study on the Generation of RF Plasmas in Premixed Oxy-combustion with Methane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osaka, Yugo; Kobayashi, Noriyuki; Razzak, M. A.; Ohno, Noriyasu; Takamura, Shuichi; Uesugi, Yoshihiko

Oxy-combustion generates a high temperature field (above 3000 K), which is applied to next generation power plants and high temperature industrial technologies because of N2 free processes. However, the combustion temperature is so high that the furnace wall may be fatally damaged. In addition, it is very difficult to control the heat flux and chemical species' concentrations because of rapid chemical reactions. We have developed a new method for controlling the flame by electromagnetic force on this field. In this paper, we experimentally investigated the power coupling between the premixed oxy-combustion with methane and radio frequency (RF) power through the induction coil. By optimizing the power coupling, we observed that the flame can absorb RF power up to 1.5 kW. Spectroscopic measurements also showed an increase in the emission intensity from OH radicals in the flame, indicating improved combustibility.

Parallel transmission RF pulse design for eddy current correction at ultra high field.

PubMed

Zheng, Hai; Zhao, Tiejun; Qian, Yongxian; Ibrahim, Tamer; Boada, Fernando

2012-08-01

Multidimensional spatially selective RF pulses have been used in MRI applications such as B₁ and B₀ inhomogeneities mitigation. However, the long pulse duration has limited their practical applications. Recently, theoretical and experimental studies have shown that parallel transmission can effectively shorten pulse duration without sacrificing the quality of the excitation pattern. Nonetheless, parallel transmission with accelerated pulses can be severely impeded by hardware and/or system imperfections. One of such imperfections is the effect of the eddy current field. In this paper, we first show the effects of the eddy current field on the excitation pattern and then report an RF pulse the design method to correct eddy current fields caused by the RF coil and the gradient system. Experimental results on a 7 T human eight-channel parallel transmit system show substantial improvements on excitation patterns with the use of eddy current correction. Moreover, the proposed model-based correction method not only demonstrates comparable excitation patterns as the trajectory measurement method, but also significantly improves time efficiency. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Association of Exposure to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Field Radiation (RF-EMFR) Generated by Mobile Phone Base Stations with Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Meo, Sultan Ayoub; Alsubaie, Yazeed; Almubarak, Zaid; Almutawa, Hisham; AlQasem, Yazeed; Hasanato, Rana Muhammed

2015-11-13

Installation of mobile phone base stations in residential areas has initiated public debate about possible adverse effects on human health. This study aimed to determine the association of exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic field radiation (RF-EMFR) generated by mobile phone base stations with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. For this study, two different elementary schools (school-1 and school-2) were selected. We recruited 159 students in total; 96 male students from school-1, with age range 12-16 years, and 63 male students with age range 12-17 years from school-2. Mobile phone base stations with towers existed about 200 m away from the school buildings. RF-EMFR was measured inside both schools. In school-1, RF-EMFR was 9.601 nW/cm² at frequency of 925 MHz, and students had been exposed to RF-EMFR for a duration of 6 h daily, five days in a week. In school-2, RF-EMFR was 1.909 nW/cm² at frequency of 925 MHz and students had been exposed for 6 h daily, five days in a week. 5-6 mL blood was collected from all the students and HbA1c was measured by using a Dimension Xpand Plus Integrated Chemistry System, Siemens. The mean HbA1c for the students who were exposed to high RF-EMFR was significantly higher (5.44 ± 0.22) than the mean HbA1c for the students who were exposed to low RF-EMFR (5.32 ± 0.34) (p = 0.007). Moreover, students who were exposed to high RF-EMFR generated by MPBS had a significantly higher risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (p = 0.016) relative to their counterparts who were exposed to low RF-EMFR. It is concluded that exposure to high RF-EMFR generated by MPBS is associated with elevated levels of HbA1c and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Currents and fields of thin conductors in rf saddle coils.

PubMed

Carlson, J W

1986-10-01

The current distribution on thin conductors and rf field homogeneity for rf coils is described theoretically. After a pedagogical introduction to the techniques and an exact solution for the current or an isolated strip conductor, this article describes current distribution and field uniformity for a variety of conventional and quadrature rf coil designs.

ADX: a high field, high power density, advanced divertor and RF tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaBombard, B.; Marmar, E.; Irby, J.; Terry, J. L.; Vieira, R.; Wallace, G.; Whyte, D. G.; Wolfe, S.; Wukitch, S.; Baek, S.; Beck, W.; Bonoli, P.; Brunner, D.; Doody, J.; Ellis, R.; Ernst, D.; Fiore, C.; Freidberg, J. P.; Golfinopoulos, T.; Granetz, R.; Greenwald, M.; Hartwig, Z. S.; Hubbard, A.; Hughes, J. W.; Hutchinson, I. H.; Kessel, C.; Kotschenreuther, M.; Leccacorvi, R.; Lin, Y.; Lipschultz, B.; Mahajan, S.; Minervini, J.; Mumgaard, R.; Nygren, R.; Parker, R.; Poli, F.; Porkolab, M.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J.; Rognlien, T.; Rowan, W.; Shiraiwa, S.; Terry, D.; Theiler, C.; Titus, P.; Umansky, M.; Valanju, P.; Walk, J.; White, A.; Wilson, J. R.; Wright, G.; Zweben, S. J.

2015-05-01

The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center and collaborators are proposing a high-performance Advanced Divertor and RF tokamak eXperiment (ADX)—a tokamak specifically designed to address critical gaps in the world fusion research programme on the pathway to next-step devices: fusion nuclear science facility (FNSF), fusion pilot plant (FPP) and/or demonstration power plant (DEMO). This high-field (⩾6.5 T, 1.5 MA), high power density facility (P/S ˜ 1.5 MW m-2) will test innovative divertor ideas, including an ‘X-point target divertor’ concept, at the required performance parameters—reactor-level boundary plasma pressures, magnetic field strengths and parallel heat flux densities entering into the divertor region—while simultaneously producing high-performance core plasma conditions that are prototypical of a reactor: equilibrated and strongly coupled electrons and ions, regimes with low or no torque, and no fuelling from external heating and current drive systems. Equally important, the experimental platform will test innovative concepts for lower hybrid current drive and ion cyclotron range of frequency actuators with the unprecedented ability to deploy launch structures both on the low-magnetic-field side and the high-magnetic-field side—the latter being a location where energetic plasma-material interactions can be controlled and favourable RF wave physics leads to efficient current drive, current profile control, heating and flow drive. This triple combination—advanced divertors, advanced RF actuators, reactor-prototypical core plasma conditions—will enable ADX to explore enhanced core confinement physics, such as made possible by reversed central shear, using only the types of external drive systems that are considered viable for a fusion power plant. Such an integrated demonstration of high-performance core-divertor operation with steady-state sustainment would pave the way towards an attractive pilot plant, as envisioned in the ARC concept (affordable, robust, compact) (Sorbom et al 2015 Fusion Eng. Des. submitted (arXiv:1409.3540)) that makes use of high-temperature superconductor technology—a high-field (9.25 T) tokamak the size of the Joint European Torus that produces 270 MW of net electricity.

Microscopic Investigation of Materials Limitations of Superconducting RF Cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anlage, Steven

2017-08-04

Our overall goal is to contribute to the understanding of defects that limit the high accelerating gradient performance of Nb SRF cavities. Our approach is to develop a microscopic connection between materials defects and SRF performance. We developed a near-field microwave microscope to establish this connection. The microscope is based on magnetic hard drive write heads, which are designed to create very strong rf magnetic fields in very small volumes on a surface.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in subterahertz high-gradient traveling-wave accelerating structures. We present the experimental results of rf tests of 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, made of copper and copper-silver. These experiments were carried out at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultrarelativistic electron beam. The traveling-wave structure is an open geometry, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated by a gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changedmore » from 160 to 235 GHz. When the beam travels off axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the longitudinal field. We measure the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and use this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. Furthermore, we present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures. The breakdown rate of the copper structure is 10 –2 per pulse, with a peak surface electric field of 500 MV/m and a rf pulse length of 0.3 ns, which at a relatively large gap of 1.5 mm, or one wavelength, corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 56 MV/m. For the same breakdown rate, the copper-silver structure has a peak electric field of 320 MV/m at a pulse length of 0.5 ns. For a gap of 1.1 mm, or 0.74 wavelengths, this corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 50 MV/m.« less

RF assisted switching in magnetic Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caruso, R.; Massarotti, D.; Bolginov, V. V.; Ben Hamida, A.; Karelina, L. N.; Miano, A.; Vernik, I. V.; Tafuri, F.; Ryazanov, V. V.; Mukhanov, O. A.; Pepe, G. P.

2018-04-01

We test the effect of an external RF field on the switching processes of magnetic Josephson junctions (MJJs) suitable for the realization of fast, scalable cryogenic memories compatible with Single Flux Quantum logic. We show that the combined application of microwaves and magnetic field pulses can improve the performances of the device, increasing the separation between the critical current levels corresponding to logical "0" and "1." The enhancement of the current level separation can be as high as 80% using an optimal set of parameters. We demonstrate that external RF fields can be used as an additional tool to manipulate the memory states, and we expect that this approach may lead to the development of new methods of selecting MJJs and manipulating their states in memory arrays for various applications.

Studies and optimization of Pohang Light Source-II superconducting radio frequency system at stable top-up operation with beam current of 400 mA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joo, Youngdo, E-mail: Ydjoo77@postech.ac.kr; Yu, Inha; Park, Insoo

After three years of upgrading work, the Pohang Light Source-II (PLS-II) is now successfully operating. The final quantitative goal of PLS-II is a top-up user-service operation with beam current of 400 mA to be completed by the end of 2014. During the beam store test up to 400 mA in the storage ring (SR), it was observed that the vacuum pressure around the radio frequency (RF) window of the superconducting cavity rapidly increases over the interlock level limiting the availability of the maximum beam current storing. Although available beam current is enhanced by setting a higher RF accelerating voltage, it is bettermore » to keep the RF accelerating voltage as low as possible in the long time top-up operation. We investigated the cause of the window vacuum pressure increment by studying the changes in the electric field distribution at the superconducting cavity and waveguide according to the beam current. In our simulation, an equivalent physical modeling was developed using a finite-difference time-domain code. The simulation revealed that the electric field amplitude at the RF window is exponentially increased as the beam current increases, thus this high electric field amplitude causes a RF breakdown at the RF window, which comes with the rapid increase of window vacuum pressure. The RF accelerating voltage of PLS-II RF system was set to 4.95 MV, which was estimated using the maximum available beam current that works as a function of RF voltage, and the top-up operation test with the beam current of 400 mA was successfully carried out.« less

DESIGN AND INSTRUMENTATION OF A POUND-WATKINS NUCLEAR MAGNETIC-RESONANCE SPECTROMETER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geiger, F.E. Jr.

Problems of instrumentation of a Pound-Watkins nuclear magnetic- resonance spectrometer were investigated. Experimertal data were collected for the sensitivity of the os cillator to a signal from a Watkins calibrator as a function of modulation frequencies from 30 cps to 5 kc and rf tank voltsges from 0.05 to 0.7v/sub rms/. The results confirm Watkins" oscillator theory. An expression was derived for the amount of frequency modulation of the rf oscillator by the Watkins calibrator. For representative values of rf circuit components, this frequency modulation is roughly 0.5 cps at 10 Mc. The rf sample probes constructed for this projectmore » are almost free of modulation pickup in modulation fields as high as 23.5 oersteds (280 cps) and a steady field of 7000 oersteds. (auth)« less

High gradient tests of metallic mm-wave accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon; ...

2017-05-10

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in high gradient mm-wave accelerating structures. We performed a series of experiments with 100 GHz and 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This paper presents the experimental results of rf tests of 100 GHz travelling-wave accelerating structures, made of hard copper-silver alloy. The results are compared with pure hard copper structures. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultra-relativistic electron beam. The accelerating structures have open geometries, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated bymore » a variable gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changed from 90 GHz to 140 GHz. The measured frequency and pulse length are consistent with our simulations. When the beam travels off-axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the decelerating longitudinal field. We measured the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and used this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. We present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 100 GHz copper-silver accelerating structure, which was 10 –3 per pulse, with peak electric field of 0.42 GV/m, an accelerating gradient of 127 MV/m, at a pulse length of 2.3 ns. The goal of our studies is to understand the physics of gradient limitations in order to increase the energy reach of future accelerators.« less

High gradient tests of metallic mm-wave accelerating structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in high gradient mm-wave accelerating structures. We performed a series of experiments with 100 GHz and 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This paper presents the experimental results of rf tests of 100 GHz travelling-wave accelerating structures, made of hard copper-silver alloy. The results are compared with pure hard copper structures. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultra-relativistic electron beam. The accelerating structures have open geometries, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated bymore » a variable gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changed from 90 GHz to 140 GHz. The measured frequency and pulse length are consistent with our simulations. When the beam travels off-axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the decelerating longitudinal field. We measured the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and used this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. We present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 100 GHz copper-silver accelerating structure, which was 10 –3 per pulse, with peak electric field of 0.42 GV/m, an accelerating gradient of 127 MV/m, at a pulse length of 2.3 ns. The goal of our studies is to understand the physics of gradient limitations in order to increase the energy reach of future accelerators.« less

[Effects of nano-selenium on cognition performance of mice exposed in 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields].

PubMed

Qin, Fenju; Yuan, Hongxia; Nie, Jihua; Cao, Yi; Tong, Jian

2014-01-01

To study the effects of nano-selenium (NSe) on cognition performance of mice exposed to 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields (RF). Male mice were randomly divided into four groups, control and nano-Se low, middle and high dose groups (L, M, H). Each group was sub-divided into three groups, RF 0 min, RF 30 min and RF 120 min. Nano-se solution (2, 4 and 8 microg/ml) were administered to mice of L, M, H groups by intra-gastric injection respectively, 0.5 ml/d for 50 days, the conctral group were administered with distilled water. At the 21st day, the mice in RF subgroup were exposed to 208 microW/cm2 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields (0, 30 and 120 min/d respectively) for 30 days. The cognitive ability of the mice were tested with Y-maze. Further, the levels of MDA, GABA, Glu, Ach and the activities of CAT and GSH-Px in cerebra were measured. Significant impairments in learning and memory (P < 0.05) were observed in the RF 120 min group, and with reduction of the Ach level and the activities of CAT and GSH-Px and increase of the content of GABA, Glu and MDA in cerebrum. NSe enhanced cognitive performance of RF mice, decreased GABA, Glu and MDA levels, increased Ach levels, GSH-Px and CAT activities. NSe could improve cognitive impairments of mice exposed to RF, the mechanism of which might involve the increasing antioxidation, decreasing free radical content and the changes of cerebra neurotransmitters.

Radiofrequency fields in MAS solid state NMR probes.

PubMed

Tošner, Zdeněk; Purea, Armin; Struppe, Jochem O; Wegner, Sebastian; Engelke, Frank; Glaser, Steffen J; Reif, Bernd

2017-11-01

We present a detailed analysis of the radiofrequency (RF) field over full volume of a rotor that is generated in a solenoid coil. On top of the usually considered static distribution of amplitudes along the coil axis we describe dynamic radial RF inhomogeneities induced by sample rotation. During magic angle spinning (MAS), the mechanical rotation of the sample about the magic angle, a spin packet travels through areas of different RF fields and experiences periodical modulations of both the RF amplitude and the phase. These modulations become particularly severe at the end regions of the coil where the relative RF amplitude varies up to ±25% and the RF phase changes within ±30°. Using extensive numerical simulations we demonstrate effects of RF inhomogeneity on pulse calibration and for the ramped CP experiment performed at a wide range of MAS rates. In addition, we review various methods to map RF fields using a B 0 gradient along the sample (rotor axis) for imaging purposes. Under such a gradient, a nutation experiment provides directly the RF amplitude distribution, a cross polarization experiment images the correlation of the RF fields on the two channels according to the Hartmann-Hahn matching condition, while a spin-lock experiment allows to calibrate the RF amplitude employing the rotary resonance recoupling condition. Knowledge of the RF field distribution in a coil provides key to understand its effects on performance of a pulse sequence at the spectrometer and enables to set robustness requirements in the experimental design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dependence of the microwave surface resistance of superconducting niobium on the magnitude of the rf field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romanenko, A.; Grassellino, A.

Utilizing difference in temperature dependencies we decoupled Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and residual components of the microwave surface resistance of superconducting niobium at all rf fields up to B{sub rf}{approx}115 mT. We reveal that the residual resistance decreases with field at B{sub rf} Less-Than-Or-Equivalent-To 40 mT and strongly increases in chemically treated niobium at B{sub rf}>80 mT. We find that BCS surface resistance is weakly dependent on field in the clean limit, whereas a strong and peculiar field dependence emerges after 120 Degree-Sign C vacuum baking.

Design and test of a double-nuclear RF coil for 1H MRI and 13C MRSI at 7 T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutledge, Omar; Kwak, Tiffany; Cao, Peng; Zhang, Xiaoliang

2016-06-01

RF coil operation at the ultrahigh field of 7 T is fraught with technical challenges that limit the advancement of novel human in vivo applications at 7 T. In this work, a hybrid technique combining a microstrip transmission line and a lumped-element L-C loop coil to form a double-nuclear RF coil for proton magnetic resonance imaging and carbon magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 7 T was proposed and investigated. Network analysis revealed a high Q-factor and excellent decoupling between the coils. Proton images and localized carbon spectra were acquired with high sensitivity. The successful testing of this novel double-nuclear coil demonstrates the feasibility of this hybrid design for double-nuclear MR imaging and spectroscopy studies at the ultrahigh field of 7 T.

Thermal Analysis of AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistor and Its RF Power Efficiency Optimization with Source-Bridged Field-Plate Structure.

PubMed

Kwak, Hyeon-Tak; Chang, Seung-Bo; Jung, Hyun-Gu; Kim, Hyun-Seok

2018-09-01

In this study, we consider the relationship between the temperature in a two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) channel layer and the RF characteristics of an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor by changing the geometrical structure of the field-plate. The final goal is to achieve a high power efficiency by decreasing the channel layer temperature. First, simulations were performed to compare and contrast the experimental data of a conventional T-gate head structure. Then, a source-bridged field-plate (SBFP) structure was used to obtain the lower junction temperature in the 2-DEG channel layer. The peak electric field intensity was reduced, and a decrease in channel temperature resulted in an increase in electron mobility. Furthermore, the gate-to-source capacitance was increased by the SBFP structure. However, under the large current flow condition, the SBFP structure had a lower maximum temperature than the basic T-gate head structure, which improved the device electron mobility. Eventually, an optimum position of the SBFP was used, which led to higher frequency responses and improved the breakdown voltages. Hence, the optimized SBFP structure can be a promising candidate for high-power RF devices.

Technique for Predicting the RF Field Strength Inside an Enclosure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallett, M.; Reddell, J.

1998-01-01

This Memorandum presents a simple analytical technique for predicting the RF electric field strength inside an enclosed volume in which radio frequency radiation occurs. The technique was developed to predict the radio frequency (RF) field strength within a launch vehicle's fairing from payloads launched with their telemetry transmitters radiating and to the impact of the radiation on the vehicle and payload. The RF field strength is shown to be a function of the surface materials and surface areas. The method accounts for RF energy losses within exposed surfaces, through RF windows, and within multiple layers of dielectric materials which may cover the surfaces. This Memorandum includes the rigorous derivation of all equations and presents examples and data to support the validity of the technique.

Rotating field mass and velocity analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Steven Joel (Inventor); Chutjian, Ara (Inventor)

1998-01-01

A rotating field mass and velocity analyzer having a cell with four walls, time dependent RF potentials that are applied to each wall, and a detector. The time dependent RF potentials create an RF field in the cell which effectively rotates within the cell. An ion beam is accelerated into the cell and the rotating RF field disperses the incident ion beam according to the mass-to-charge (m/e) ratio and velocity distribution present in the ion beam. The ions of the beam either collide with the ion detector or deflect away from the ion detector, depending on the m/e, RF amplitude, and RF frequency. The detector counts the incident ions to determine the m/e and velocity distribution in the ion beam.

FPGA-based RF interference reduction techniques for simultaneous PET–MRI

PubMed Central

Gebhardt, P; Wehner, J; Weissler, B; Botnar, R; Marsden, P K; Schulz, V

2016-01-01

Abstract The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a multi-modal imaging technique is considered very promising and powerful with regard to in vivo disease progression examination, therapy response monitoring and drug development. However, PET–MRI system design enabling simultaneous operation with unaffected intrinsic performance of both modalities is challenging. As one of the major issues, both the PET detectors and the MRI radio-frequency (RF) subsystem are exposed to electromagnetic (EM) interference, which may lead to PET and MRI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) deteriorations. Early digitization of electronic PET signals within the MRI bore helps to preserve PET SNR, but occurs at the expense of increased amount of PET electronics inside the MRI and associated RF field emissions. This raises the likelihood of PET-related MRI interference by coupling into the MRI RF coil unwanted spurious signals considered as RF noise, as it degrades MRI SNR and results in MR image artefacts. RF shielding of PET detectors is a commonly used technique to reduce PET-related RF interferences, but can introduce eddy-current-related MRI disturbances and hinder the highest system integration. In this paper, we present RF interference reduction methods which rely on EM field coupling–decoupling principles of RF receive coils rather than suppressing emitted fields. By modifying clock frequencies and changing clock phase relations of digital circuits, the resulting RF field emission is optimised with regard to a lower field coupling into the MRI RF coil, thereby increasing the RF silence of PET detectors. Our methods are demonstrated by performing FPGA-based clock frequency and phase shifting of digital silicon photo-multipliers (dSiPMs) used in the PET modules of our MR-compatible Hyperion IID PET insert. We present simulations and magnetic-field map scans visualising the impact of altered clock phase pattern on the spatial RF field distribution, followed by MRI noise and SNR scans performed with an operating PET module using different clock frequencies and phase patterns. The methods were implemented via firmware design changes without any hardware modifications. This introduces new means of flexibility by enabling adaptive RF interference reduction optimisations in the field, e.g. when using a PET insert with different MRI systems or when different MRI RF coil types are to be operated with the same PET detector. PMID:27049898

FPGA-based RF interference reduction techniques for simultaneous PET-MRI.

PubMed

Gebhardt, P; Wehner, J; Weissler, B; Botnar, R; Marsden, P K; Schulz, V

2016-05-07

The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a multi-modal imaging technique is considered very promising and powerful with regard to in vivo disease progression examination, therapy response monitoring and drug development. However, PET-MRI system design enabling simultaneous operation with unaffected intrinsic performance of both modalities is challenging. As one of the major issues, both the PET detectors and the MRI radio-frequency (RF) subsystem are exposed to electromagnetic (EM) interference, which may lead to PET and MRI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) deteriorations. Early digitization of electronic PET signals within the MRI bore helps to preserve PET SNR, but occurs at the expense of increased amount of PET electronics inside the MRI and associated RF field emissions. This raises the likelihood of PET-related MRI interference by coupling into the MRI RF coil unwanted spurious signals considered as RF noise, as it degrades MRI SNR and results in MR image artefacts. RF shielding of PET detectors is a commonly used technique to reduce PET-related RF interferences, but can introduce eddy-current-related MRI disturbances and hinder the highest system integration. In this paper, we present RF interference reduction methods which rely on EM field coupling-decoupling principles of RF receive coils rather than suppressing emitted fields. By modifying clock frequencies and changing clock phase relations of digital circuits, the resulting RF field emission is optimised with regard to a lower field coupling into the MRI RF coil, thereby increasing the RF silence of PET detectors. Our methods are demonstrated by performing FPGA-based clock frequency and phase shifting of digital silicon photo-multipliers (dSiPMs) used in the PET modules of our MR-compatible Hyperion II (D) PET insert. We present simulations and magnetic-field map scans visualising the impact of altered clock phase pattern on the spatial RF field distribution, followed by MRI noise and SNR scans performed with an operating PET module using different clock frequencies and phase patterns. The methods were implemented via firmware design changes without any hardware modifications. This introduces new means of flexibility by enabling adaptive RF interference reduction optimisations in the field, e.g. when using a PET insert with different MRI systems or when different MRI RF coil types are to be operated with the same PET detector.

FPGA-based RF interference reduction techniques for simultaneous PET-MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebhardt, P.; Wehner, J.; Weissler, B.; Botnar, R.; Marsden, P. K.; Schulz, V.

2016-05-01

The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a multi-modal imaging technique is considered very promising and powerful with regard to in vivo disease progression examination, therapy response monitoring and drug development. However, PET-MRI system design enabling simultaneous operation with unaffected intrinsic performance of both modalities is challenging. As one of the major issues, both the PET detectors and the MRI radio-frequency (RF) subsystem are exposed to electromagnetic (EM) interference, which may lead to PET and MRI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) deteriorations. Early digitization of electronic PET signals within the MRI bore helps to preserve PET SNR, but occurs at the expense of increased amount of PET electronics inside the MRI and associated RF field emissions. This raises the likelihood of PET-related MRI interference by coupling into the MRI RF coil unwanted spurious signals considered as RF noise, as it degrades MRI SNR and results in MR image artefacts. RF shielding of PET detectors is a commonly used technique to reduce PET-related RF interferences, but can introduce eddy-current-related MRI disturbances and hinder the highest system integration. In this paper, we present RF interference reduction methods which rely on EM field coupling-decoupling principles of RF receive coils rather than suppressing emitted fields. By modifying clock frequencies and changing clock phase relations of digital circuits, the resulting RF field emission is optimised with regard to a lower field coupling into the MRI RF coil, thereby increasing the RF silence of PET detectors. Our methods are demonstrated by performing FPGA-based clock frequency and phase shifting of digital silicon photo-multipliers (dSiPMs) used in the PET modules of our MR-compatible Hyperion II D PET insert. We present simulations and magnetic-field map scans visualising the impact of altered clock phase pattern on the spatial RF field distribution, followed by MRI noise and SNR scans performed with an operating PET module using different clock frequencies and phase patterns. The methods were implemented via firmware design changes without any hardware modifications. This introduces new means of flexibility by enabling adaptive RF interference reduction optimisations in the field, e.g. when using a PET insert with different MRI systems or when different MRI RF coil types are to be operated with the same PET detector.

Effect of assistant rf field on phase composition of iron nitride film prepared by magnetron sputtering process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, W.L.; Zheng, F.; Fei, W.D.

2006-01-15

Fe-N thin films were fabricated using a direct current magnetron sputtering process assisted by a radio-frequency (rf) field. The effect of the rf field on the phase composition of the films was investigated. The results indicate that with the assistance of the rf field, various kinds of iron nitrides can be obtained in the films, including {alpha}{sup '}-Fe-N, {alpha}{sup ''}-Fe{sub 16}N{sub 2}, {xi}-Fe{sub 2}N, {epsilon}-Fe{sub 3}N, and {gamma}{sup ''}-FeN with ZnS structure. It was found that the rf field greatly benefits the formation of iron nitrides in the Fe-N films.

Characterization of rf-SSET in both in-plane and perpendicular magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Chunyang; Yang, Zhen; Yuan, Mingyun; Rimberg, A. J.; Savage, D. E.; Eriksson, M. A.; Rimberg Team; Eriksson Collaboration

2013-03-01

Previous success in coupling an aluminum radio-frequency superconducting single electron transistor (rf-SSET) to quantum dots (QDs) has demonstrated use of the rf-SSET as an ultra-sensitive and fast charge sensor. Since a magnetic field is usually necessary for quantum dot qubit manipulation, it is important to understand the effect of magnetic fields, either in-plane or perpendicular, on the performance of any charge sensor near the QDs. Here we report characterization of rf-SSETs in both in-plane and perpendicular magnetic fields. The rf-SSET works well in an in-plane fields up to 1 Tesla at a temperature of 30 mK. At 0.3K, in a perpendicular field generated by a stripline located 700 nm away, the rf-SSET charge sensitivity even shows improvement for up to 2.1 mA current through the stripline (corresponding roughly to a field of 6 Gauss). This work was supported by NSA, LPS and ARO

Superconducting 500 MHz accelerating copper cavities sputter-coated with niobium films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benvenuti, C.; Circelli, N.; Hauer, M.

Thermal breakdown induced either by electron loading or by local defects of enhanced RF losses limits the accelerating field of superconducting niobium cavities. Replacing niobium with a material of higher thermal conductivity would be highly desirable to increase the maximum field. Therefore, cavities made of OFHC copper were coated by D.C. bias sputtering with a thin niobium film (1.5 to 5 ..mu..). Accelerating fields up to 8.6 MVm/sup -1/ were obtained without observing any field breakdown, the limitation being due to the available rf power. The Q values achieved at 4.2 K and low field were similar to those ofmore » niobium sheet cavities (i.e. about 2 x 10/sup 9/), but a fast initial decrease of Q to about 10/sup 9/ was reproducibly experienced. Subsequent inspection of regions of enhanced rf losses revealed defects the origin of which is under study. The apparatus used for coating the cavities and the results obtained are presented and discussed.« less

Joint design of large-tip-angle parallel RF pulses and blipped gradient trajectories.

PubMed

Cao, Zhipeng; Donahue, Manus J; Ma, Jun; Grissom, William A

2016-03-01

To design multichannel large-tip-angle kT-points and spokes radiofrequency (RF) pulses and gradient waveforms for transmit field inhomogeneity compensation in high field magnetic resonance imaging. An algorithm to design RF subpulse weights and gradient blip areas is proposed to minimize a magnitude least-squares cost function that measures the difference between realized and desired state parameters in the spin domain, and penalizes integrated RF power. The minimization problem is solved iteratively with interleaved target phase updates, RF subpulse weights updates using the conjugate gradient method with optimal control-based derivatives, and gradient blip area updates using the conjugate gradient method. Two-channel parallel transmit simulations and experiments were conducted in phantoms and human subjects at 7 T to demonstrate the method and compare it to small-tip-angle-designed pulses and circularly polarized excitations. The proposed algorithm designed more homogeneous and accurate 180° inversion and refocusing pulses than other methods. It also designed large-tip-angle pulses on multiple frequency bands with independent and joint phase relaxation. Pulses designed by the method improved specificity and contrast-to-noise ratio in a finger-tapping spin echo blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging study, compared with circularly polarized mode refocusing. A joint RF and gradient waveform design algorithm was proposed and validated to improve large-tip-angle inversion and refocusing at ultrahigh field. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Advances/applications of MAGIC and SOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warren, Gary; Ludeking, Larry; Nguyen, Khanh; Smithe, David; Goplen, Bruce

1993-12-01

MAGIC and SOS have been applied to investigate a variety of accelerator-related devices. Examples include high brightness electron guns, beam-RF interactions in klystrons, cold-test modes in an RFQ and in RF sources, and a high-quality, flexible, electron gun with operating modes appropriate for gyrotrons, peniotrons, and other RF sources. Algorithmic improvements for PIC have been developed and added to MAGIC and SOS to facilitate these modeling efforts. Two new field algorithms allow improved control of computational numerical noise and selective control of harmonic modes in RF cavities. An axial filter in SOS accelerates simulations in cylindrical coordinates. The recent addition of an export/import feature now allows long devices to be modeled in sections. Interfaces have been added to receive electromagnetic field information from the Poisson group of codes and from EGUN and to send beam information to PARMELA for subsequent tracing of bunches through beam optics. Post-processors compute and display beam properties including geometric, normalized, and slice emittances, and phase-space parameters, and video. VMS, UNIX, and DOS versions are supported, with migration underway toward windows environments.

Real-time digital signal processing for live electro-optic imaging.

PubMed

Sasagawa, Kiyotaka; Kanno, Atsushi; Tsuchiya, Masahiro

2009-08-31

We present an imaging system that enables real-time magnitude and phase detection of modulated signals and its application to a Live Electro-optic Imaging (LEI) system, which realizes instantaneous visualization of RF electric fields. The real-time acquisition of magnitude and phase images of a modulated optical signal at 5 kHz is demonstrated by imaging with a Si-based high-speed CMOS image sensor and real-time signal processing with a digital signal processor. In the LEI system, RF electric fields are probed with light via an electro-optic crystal plate and downconverted to an intermediate frequency by parallel optical heterodyning, which can be detected with the image sensor. The artifacts caused by the optics and the image sensor characteristics are corrected by image processing. As examples, we demonstrate real-time visualization of electric fields from RF circuits.

A hybrid six-dimensional muon cooling channel using gas filled rf cavities

DOE PAGES

Stratakis, D.

2017-09-25

We describe an alternative cooling approach to prevent rf breakdown in magnetic fields that simultaneously reduces all six phase-space dimensions of a muon beam. In this process, cooling is accomplished by reducing the beam momentum through ionization energy loss in discrete absorbers and replenishing the momentum loss only in the longitudinal direction through gas-filled rf cavities. The advantage of gas filled cavities is that they can run at high gradients in magnetic fields without breakdown. Using this approach, we show that our channel can achieve a decrease of the 6-dimensional phase-space volume by several orders of magnitude. With the aidmore » of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the transmission of our proposed channel is comparable to that of an equivalent channel with vacuum rf cavities. Finally, we discuss the sensitivity of the channel performance to the choice of gas and operating pressure.« less

A hybrid six-dimensional muon cooling channel using gas filled rf cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stratakis, D.

We describe an alternative cooling approach to prevent rf breakdown in magnetic fields that simultaneously reduces all six phase-space dimensions of a muon beam. In this process, cooling is accomplished by reducing the beam momentum through ionization energy loss in discrete absorbers and replenishing the momentum loss only in the longitudinal direction through gas-filled rf cavities. The advantage of gas filled cavities is that they can run at high gradients in magnetic fields without breakdown. Using this approach, we show that our channel can achieve a decrease of the 6-dimensional phase-space volume by several orders of magnitude. With the aidmore » of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the transmission of our proposed channel is comparable to that of an equivalent channel with vacuum rf cavities. Finally, we discuss the sensitivity of the channel performance to the choice of gas and operating pressure.« less

Survey of electromagnetic field exposure in bedrooms of residences in lower Austria.

PubMed

Tomitsch, Johannes; Dechant, Engelbert; Frank, Wilhelm

2010-04-01

Previous investigations of exposure to electric, magnetic, or electromagnetic fields (EMF) in households were either about electricity supply EMFs or radio frequency EMFs (RF-EMFs). We report results from spot measurements at the bedside that comprise electrostatic fields, extremely low-frequency electric fields (ELF-EFs), extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs), and RF-EMFs. Measurements were taken in 226 households throughout Lower Austria. In addition, effects of simple reduction measures (e.g., removal of clock radios or increasing their distance from the bed, turning off Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication (DECT) telephone base stations) were assessed. All measurements were well below International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guideline levels. Average night-time ELF-MFs (long-term measurement from 10 pm to 6 am, geometric mean over households) above 100 nT were obtained in 2.3%, and RF-EMFs above 1000 microW/m(2) in 7.1% of households. Highest ELF-EFs were primarily due to lamps beside the bed (max = 166 V/m), and highest ELF-MFs because of transformers of devices (max = 1030 nT) or high current of power lines (max = 380 nT). The highest values of RF-EMFs were caused by DECT telephone base stations (max = 28979 microW/m(2)) and mobile phone base stations (max = 4872 microW/m(2)). Simple reduction measures resulted in an average decrease of 23 nT for ELF-MFs, 23 V/m for ELF-EFs, and 246 microW/m(2) for RF-EMFs. A small but statistically significant correlation between ELF-MF exposure and overall RF-EMF levels of R = 0.16 (P = 0.008) was computed that was independent of type (flat, single family) and location (urban, rural) of houses. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A second-order orientation-contrast stimulus for population-receptive-field-based retinotopic mapping.

PubMed

Yildirim, Funda; Carvalho, Joana; Cornelissen, Frans W

2018-01-01

Visual field or retinotopic mapping is one of the most frequently used paradigms in fMRI. It uses activity evoked by position-varying high luminance contrast visual patterns presented throughout the visual field for determining the spatial organization of cortical visual areas. While the advantage of using high luminance contrast is that it tends to drive a wide range of neural populations - thus resulting in high signal-to-noise BOLD responses - this may also be a limitation, especially for approaches that attempt to squeeze more information out of the BOLD response, such as population receptive field (pRF) mapping. In that case, more selective stimulation of a subset of neurons - despite reduced signals - could result in better characterization of pRF properties. Here, we used a second-order stimulus based on local differences in orientation texture - to which we refer as orientation contrast - to perform retinotopic mapping. Participants in our experiment viewed arrays of Gabor patches composed of a foreground (a bar) and a background. These could only be distinguished on the basis of a difference in patch orientation. In our analyses, we compare the pRF properties obtained using this new orientation contrast-based retinotopy (OCR) to those obtained using classic luminance contrast-based retinotopy (LCR). Specifically, in higher order cortical visual areas such as LO, our novel approach resulted in non-trivial reductions in estimated population receptive field size of around 30%. A set of control experiments confirms that the most plausible cause for this reduction is that OCR mainly drives neurons sensitive to orientation contrast. We discuss how OCR - by limiting receptive field scatter and reducing BOLD displacement - may result in more accurate pRF localization as well. Estimation of neuronal properties is crucial for interpreting cortical function. Therefore, we conclude that using our approach, it is possible to selectively target particular neuronal populations, opening the way to use pRF modeling to dissect the response properties of more clearly-defined neuronal populations in different visual areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High gradient rf gun studies of CsBr photocathodes

DOE PAGES

Vecchione, Theodore; Maldonado, Juan R.; Gierman, Stephen; ...

2015-04-03

CsBr photocathodes have 10 times higher quantum efficiency with only 3 times larger intrinsic transverse emittance than copper. They are robust and can withstand 80 MV/m fields without breaking down or emitting dark current. They can operate in 2×10⁻⁹ torr vacuum and survive exposure to air. They are well suited for generating high pulse charge in rf guns without a photocathode transfer system.

Pure phase encode magnetic field gradient monitor.

PubMed

Han, Hui; MacGregor, Rodney P; Balcom, Bruce J

2009-12-01

Numerous methods have been developed to measure MRI gradient waveforms and k-space trajectories. The most promising new strategy appears to be magnetic field monitoring with RF microprobes. Multiple RF microprobes may record the magnetic field evolution associated with a wide variety of imaging pulse sequences. The method involves exciting one or more test samples and measuring the time evolution of magnetization through the FIDs. Two critical problems remain. The gradient waveform duration is limited by the sample T(2)*, while the k-space maxima are limited by gradient dephasing. The method presented is based on pure phase encode FIDs and solves the above two problems in addition to permitting high strength gradient measurement. A small doped water phantom (1-3 mm droplet, T(1), T(2), T(2)* < 100 micros) within a microprobe is excited by a series of closely spaced broadband RF pulses each followed by FID single point acquisition. Two trial gradient waveforms have been chosen to illustrate the technique, neither of which could be measured by the conventional RF microprobe measurement. The first is an extended duration gradient waveform while the other illustrates the new method's ability to measure gradient waveforms with large net area and/or high amplitude. The new method is a point monitor with simple implementation and low cost hardware requirements.

SU-E-J-239: Influence of RF Coil Materials On Surface and Buildup Dose From a 6MV Photon Beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghila, A; Fallone, B; Rathee, S

2015-06-15

Purpose: In order to perform real time tumour tracking using an integrated Linac-MR, images have to be acquired during irradiation. MRI uses RF coils in close proximity to the imaged volume. Given current RF coil designs this means that the high energy photons will be passing through the coil before reaching the patient. This study experimentally investigates the dose modifications that occur due to the presence of various RF coil materials in the treatment beam. Methods: Polycarbonate, copper or aluminum tape, and Teflon were used to emulate the base, conductor and cover respectively of a surface RF coil. These materialsmore » were placed at various distances from the surface of polystyrene or solid water phantoms which were irradiated in the presence of no magnetic field, a transverse 0.2T magnetic field, and a parallel 0.2T magnetic field. Percent depth doses were measured using ion chambers. Results: A significant increase in surface and buildup dose is observed. The surface dose is seen to decrease with an increasing separation between the emulated coil and the phantom surface, when no magnetic field is present. When a transverse magnetic field is applied the surface dose decreases faster with increasing separation, as some of the electrons created in the coil are curved away from the phantom’s surface. When a parallel field is present the surface dose stays approximately constant for small separations, only slightly decreasing for separations greater than 5cm, since the magnetic field focuses the electrons produced in the coil materials not allowing them to scatter. Conclusion: Irradiating a patient through an RF coil leads to an increase in the surface and buildup doses. Mitigating this increase is important for the successful clinical use of either a transverse or a parallel configuration Linac-MR unit. This project is partially supported by an operating grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR MOP 93752)« less

Gene and Protein Expression following Exposure to Radiofrequency Fields from Mobile Phones

PubMed Central

Vanderstraeten, Jacques; Verschaeve, Luc

2008-01-01

Background Since 1999, several articles have been published on genome-wide and/or proteome-wide response after exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields whose signal and intensities were similar to or typical of those of currently used mobile telephones. These studies were performed using powerful high-throughput screening techniques (HTSTs) of transcriptomics and/or proteomics, which allow for the simultaneous screening of the expression of thousands of genes or proteins. Objectives We reviewed these HTST-based studies and compared the results with currently accepted concepts about the effects of RF fields on gene expression. In this article we also discuss these last in light of the recent concept of microwave-assisted chemistry. Discussion To date, the results of HTST-based studies of transcriptomics and/or proteomics after exposure to RF fields relevant to human exposure are still inconclusive, as most of the positive reports are flawed by methodologic imperfections or shortcomings. In addition, when positive findings were reported, no precise response pattern could be identified in a reproducible way. In particular, results from HTST studies tend to exclude the role of a cell stressor for exposure to RF fields at nonthermal intensities. However, on the basis of lessons from microwave-assisted chemistry, we can assume that RF fields might affect heat-sensitive gene or protein expression to an extent larger than would be predicted from temperature change only. But in all likelihood, this would concern intensities higher than those relevant to usual human exposure. Conclusions The precise role of transcriptomics and proteomics in the screening of bioeffects from exposure to RF fields from mobile phones is still uncertain in view of the lack of positively identified phenotypic change and the lack of theoretical, as well as experimental, arguments for specific gene and/or protein response patterns after this kind of exposure. PMID:18795152

Unbalanced field RF electron gun

DOEpatents

Hofler, Alicia

2013-11-12

A design for an RF electron gun having a gun cavity utilizing an unbalanced electric field arrangement. Essentially, the electric field in the first (partial) cell has higher field strength than the electric field in the second (full) cell of the electron gun. The accompanying method discloses the use of the unbalanced field arrangement in the operation of an RF electron gun in order to accelerate an electron beam.

SU-E-T-558: An Exploratory RF Pulse Sequence Technique Used to Induce Differential Heating in Tissues Containing Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for a Possible Hyperthermic Adjuvant Effect to Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yee, S; Ionascu, D; Wilson, G

2014-06-01

Purpose: In pre-clinical trials of cancer thermotherapy, hyperthermia can be induced by exposing localized super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) to external alternating magnetic fields generated by a solenoid electrical circuit (Zhao et al., Theranostics 2012). Alternatively, an RF pulse technique implemented in a regular MRI system is explored as a possible hyperthermia induction technique . Methods: A new thermal RF pulse sequence was developed using the Philips pulse programming tool for the 3T Ingenia MRI system to provide a sinusoidal magnetic field alternating at the frequency of 1.43 kHz (multiples of sine waves of 0.7 ms period) before each excitationmore » RF pulse for imaging. The duration of each thermal RF pulse routine was approximately 3 min, and the thermal pulse was applied multiple times to a phantom that contains different concentrations (high, medium and low) of SPION samples. After applying the thermal pulse each time, the temperature change was estimated by measuring the phase changes in the T1-weighted inversion-prepared multi-shot turbo field echo (TFE) sequence (TR=5.5 ms, TE=2.7 ms, inversion time=200 ms). Results: The phase values and relative differences among them changed as the number of applied thermal RF pulses increased. After the 5th application of the thermal RF pulse, the relative phase differences increased significantly, suggesting the thermal activation of the SPION. The increase of the phase difference was approximately linear with the SPION concentration. Conclusion: A sinusoidal RF pulse from the MRI system may be utilized to selectively thermally activate tissues containing super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.« less

Long pulse EBW start-up experiments in MAST

DOE PAGES

Shevchenko, V. F.; Baranov, Y. F.; Bigelow, T.; ...

2015-03-12

Start-up technique reported here relies on a double mode conversion (MC) for electron Bernstein wave (EBW) excitation. It consists of MC of the ordinary (O) mode, entering the plasma from the low field side of the tokamak, into the extraordinary (X) mode at a mirror-polarizer located at the high field side. The X mode propagates back to the plasma, passes through electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) and experiences a subsequent X to EBW MC near the upper hybrid resonance (UHR). Finally the excited EBW mode is totally absorbed at the Doppler shifted ECR. The absorption of EBW remains high even inmore » cold rarefied plasmas. Furthermore, EBW can generate significant plasma current giving the prospect of a fully solenoid-free plasma start-up. First experiments using this scheme were carried out on MAST [1]. Plasma currents up to 33 kA have been achieved using 28 GHz 100kW 90ms RF pulses. Recently experimental results were extended to longer RF pulses showing further increase of plasma currents generated by RF power alone. A record current of 73kA has been achieved with 450ms RF pulse of similar power. The current drive enhancement was mainly achieved due to RF pulse extension and further optimisation of the start-up scenario.« less

Long pulse EBW start-up experiments in MAST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shevchenko, V. F.; Baranov, Y. F.; Bigelow, T.

Start-up technique reported here relies on a double mode conversion (MC) for electron Bernstein wave (EBW) excitation. It consists of MC of the ordinary (O) mode, entering the plasma from the low field side of the tokamak, into the extraordinary (X) mode at a mirror-polarizer located at the high field side. The X mode propagates back to the plasma, passes through electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) and experiences a subsequent X to EBW MC near the upper hybrid resonance (UHR). Finally the excited EBW mode is totally absorbed at the Doppler shifted ECR. The absorption of EBW remains high even inmore » cold rarefied plasmas. Furthermore, EBW can generate significant plasma current giving the prospect of a fully solenoid-free plasma start-up. First experiments using this scheme were carried out on MAST [1]. Plasma currents up to 33 kA have been achieved using 28 GHz 100kW 90ms RF pulses. Recently experimental results were extended to longer RF pulses showing further increase of plasma currents generated by RF power alone. A record current of 73kA has been achieved with 450ms RF pulse of similar power. The current drive enhancement was mainly achieved due to RF pulse extension and further optimisation of the start-up scenario.« less

Long Pulse EBW Start-up Experiments in MAST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shevchenko, V. F.; Bigelow, Tim S; Caughman, J. B. O.

Start-up technique reported here relies on a double mode conversion (MC) for electron Bernstein wave (EBW) excitation. It consists of MC of the ordinary (0) mode, entering the plasma from the low field side of the tokamak, into the extraordinary (X) mode at a mirror-polarizer located at the high field side. The X mode propagates back to the plasma, passes through electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) and experiences a subsequent X to EBW MC near the upper hybrid resonance (UHR). Finally the excited EBW mode is totally absorbed at the Doppler shifted ECR. The absorption of EBW remains high even inmore » cold rarefied plasmas. Furthermore, EBW can generate significant plasma current giving the prospect of a fully solenoid-free plasma start-up. First experiments using this scheme were carried out on MAST [1]. Plasma currents up to 33 kA have been achieved using 28 GHz 100kW 90ms RF pulses. Recently experimental results were extended to longer RF pulses showing further increase of plasma currents generated by RF power alone. A record current of 73kA has been achieved with 450ms RF pulse of similar power. The current drive enhancement was mainly achieved due to RF pulse extension and further optimisation of the start-up scenario.« less

A METHOD FOR IN-SITU CHARACTERIZATION OF RF HEATING IN PARALLEL TRANSMIT MRI

PubMed Central

Alon, Leeor; Deniz, Cem Murat; Brown, Ryan; Sodickson, Daniel K.; Zhu, Yudong

2012-01-01

In ultra high field magnetic resonance imaging, parallel radio-frequency (RF) transmission presents both opportunities and challenges for specific absorption rate (SAR) management. On one hand, parallel transmission provides flexibility in tailoring electric fields in the body while facilitating magnetization profile control. On the other hand, it increases the complexity of energy deposition as well as possibly exacerbating local SAR by improper design or delivery of RF pulses. This study shows that the information needed to characterize RF heating in parallel transmission is contained within a local power correlation matrix. Building upon a calibration scheme involving a finite number of magnetic resonance thermometry measurements, the present work establishes a way of estimating the local power correlation matrix. Determination of this matrix allows prediction of temperature change for an arbitrary parallel transmit RF pulse. In the case of a three transmit coil MR experiment in a phantom, determination and validation of the power correlation matrix was conducted in less than 200 minutes with induced temperature changes of <4 degrees C. Further optimization and adaptation are possible, and simulations evaluating potential feasibility for in vivo use are presented. The method allows general characteristics indicative of RF coil/pulse safety determined in situ. PMID:22714806

The effect of MRET polymer compound on SAR values of RF phones.

PubMed

Smirnov, Igor

2008-01-01

This article is related to the proposed hypothesis and experimental data regarding the ability of defined polar polymer compound (MRET polymer) applied to RF phones to increase the dielectric permittivity of water based solutions and to reduce the SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) values inside the "phantom head" filled with the jelly simulating muscle and brain tissues. Due to the high organizational state of fractal structures of MRET polymer compounds and the phenomenon of piezoelectricity, this polymer generates specific subtle, low frequency, non-coherent electromagnetic oscillations (optimal random field) that can affect the hydrogen lattice of the molecular structure of water and subsequently modify the electrodynamic properties of water. The increase of dielectric permittivity of water finally leads to the reduction of the absorption rate of the electromagnetic field by living tissue. The reduction of SAR values is confirmed by the research conducted in June - July of 2006 at RF Exposure Laboratory in Escondido, California. This test also confirmed that the application of MRET polymer to RF phones does not significantly affect the air measurements of RF phone signals, and subsequently does not lead to any significant distortion of transmitted RF signals.

Inductive Electron Heating Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuszewski, M.

1996-11-01

Inductively Coupled Plasmas (ICPs) have been studied for over a century. Recently, ICPs have been rediscovered by the multi-billion dollar semiconductor industry as an important class of high-density, low-pressure plasma sources suitable for the manufacture of next-generation integrated circuits. Present low-pressure ICP development is among the most active areas of plasma research. However, this development remains largely empirical, a prohibitively expensive approach for upcoming 300-mm diameter wafers. Hence, there is an urgent need for basic ICP plasma physics research, including experimental characterization and predictive numerical modeling. Inductive radio frequency (rf) power absorption is fundamental to the ICP electron heating and the resulting plasma transport but remains poorly understood. For example, recent experimental measurements and supporting fluid calculationsfootnote M. Tuszewski, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 in press (1996) on a commercial deposition tool prototype show that the induced rf magnetic fields in the source can cause an order of magnitude reduction in plasma conductivity and in electron heating power density. In some cases, the rf fields penetrate through the entire volume of the ICP discharges while existing models that neglect the induced rf magnetic fields predict rf absorption in a thin skin layer near the plasma surface. The rf magnetic fields also cause more subtle changes in the plasma density and in the electron temperature spatial distributions. These data will be presented and the role of basic research in the applied world of semiconductor manufacturing will be discussed. ^*This research was conducted under the auspices of the U.S. DOE, supported by funds provided by the University of California for discretionary research by Los Alamos National Laboratory.

MR-compatibility assessment of MADPET4: a study of interferences between an SiPM-based PET insert and a 7 T MRI system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omidvari, Negar; Topping, Geoffrey; Cabello, Jorge; Paul, Stephan; Schwaiger, Markus; Ziegler, Sibylle I.

2018-05-01

Compromises in the design of a positron emission tomography (PET) insert for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system should minimize the deterioration of image quality in both modalities, particularly when simultaneous demanding acquisitions are performed. In this work, the advantages of using individually read-out crystals with high-gain silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) were studied with a small animal PET insert for a 7 T MRI system, in which the SiPM charge was transferred to outside the MRI scanner using coaxial cables. The interferences between the two systems were studied with three radio-frequency (RF) coil configurations. The effects of PET on the static magnetic field, flip angle distribution, RF noise, and image quality of various MRI sequences (gradient echo, spin echo, and echo planar imaging (EPI) at 1H frequency, and chemical shift imaging at 13C frequency) were investigated. The effects of fast-switching gradient fields and RF pulses on PET count rate were studied, while the PET insert and the readout electronics were not shielded. Operating the insert inside a 1H volume coil, used for RF transmission and reception, limited the MRI to T1-weighted imaging, due to coil detuning and RF attenuation, and resulted in significant PET count loss. Using a surface receive coil allowed all tested MR sequences to be used with the insert, with 45–59% signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation, compared to without PET. With a 1H/13C volume coil inside the insert and shielded by a copper tube, the SNR degradation was limited to 23–30% with all tested sequences. The insert did not introduce any discernible distortions into images of two tested EPI sequences. Use of truncated sinc shaped RF excitation pulses and gradient field switching had negligible effects on PET count rate. However, PET count rate was substantially affected by high-power RF block pulses and temperature variations due to high gradient duty cycles.

Beam Test of a Dielectric Loaded High Pressure RF Cavity for Use in Muon Cooling Channels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Freemire, Ben; Bowring, Daniel; Kochemirovskiy, Alexey

2016-06-01

Bright muon sources require six dimensional cooling to achieve acceptable luminosities. Ionization cooling is the only known method able to do so within the muon lifetime. One proposed cooling channel, the Helical Cooling Channel, utilizes gas filled radio frequency cavities to both mitigate RF breakdown in the presence of strong, external magnetic fields, and provide the cooling medium. Engineering constraints on the diameter of the magnets within which these cavities operate dictate the radius of the cavities be decreased at their nominal operating frequency. To accomplish this, one may load the cavities with a larger dielectric material. A 99.5% aluminamore » ring was inserted in a high pressure RF test cell and subjected to an intense proton beam at the MuCool Test Area at Fermilab. The results of the performance of this dielectric loaded high pressure RF cavity will be presented.« less

Coupling of RF antennas to large volume helicon plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Lei; Hu, Xinyue; Gao, Lei; Chen, Wei; Wu, Xianming; Sun, Xinfeng; Hu, Ning; Huang, Chongxiang

2018-04-01

Large volume helicon plasma sources are of particular interest for large scale semiconductor processing, high power plasma propulsion and recently plasma-material interaction under fusion conditions. This work is devoted to studying the coupling of four typical RF antennas to helicon plasma with infinite length and diameter of 0.5 m, and exploring its frequency dependence in the range of 13.56-70 MHz for coupling optimization. It is found that loop antenna is more efficient than half helix, Boswell and Nagoya III antennas for power absorption; radially parabolic density profile overwhelms Gaussian density profile in terms of antenna coupling for low-density plasma, but the superiority reverses for high-density plasma. Increasing the driving frequency results in power absorption more near plasma edge, but the overall power absorption increases with frequency. Perpendicular stream plots of wave magnetic field, wave electric field and perturbed current are also presented. This work can serve as an important reference for the experimental design of large volume helicon plasma source with high RF power.

Ion funnel with extended mass range and reduced conductance limit aperture

DOEpatents

Tolmachev, Aleksey V [Richland, WA; Smith, Richard D [Richland, WA

2008-04-01

An improved ion funnel design is disclosed that decreases the axial RF (parasite) fields at the ion funnel exit. This is achieved by addition of one or more compensation electrodes after the conductance limit electrode. Various RF voltage profiles may be applied to the various electrodes minimizing the parasite axial potential wells. The smallest RF aperture that serves as the conductance limiting electrode is further reduced over standard designs. Overall, the ion funnel improves transmission ranges of both low m/z and high m/z ions, reducing RF activation of ions and decreasing the gas load to subsequent differential pumping stages.

Optimization of L-shaped tunneling field-effect transistor for ambipolar current suppression and Analog/RF performance enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cong; Zhao, Xiaolong; Zhuang, Yiqi; Yan, Zhirui; Guo, Jiaming; Han, Ru

2018-03-01

L-shaped tunneling field-effect transistor (LTFET) has larger tunnel area than planar TFET, which leads to enhanced on-current ION . However, LTFET suffers from severe ambipolar behavior, which needs to be further optimized for low power and high-frequency applications. In this paper, both hetero-gate-dielectric (HGD) and lightly doped drain (LDD) structures are introduced into LTFET for suppression of ambipolarity and improvement of analog/RF performance of LTFET. Current-voltage characteristics, the variation of energy band diagrams, distribution of band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) generation and distribution of electric field are analyzed for our proposed HGD-LDD-LTFET. In addition, the effect of LDD on the ambipolar behavior of LTFET is investigated, the length and doping concentration of LDD is also optimized for better suppression of ambipolar current. Finally, analog/RF performance of HGD-LDD-LTFET are studied in terms of gate-source capacitance, gate-drain capacitance, cut-off frequency, and gain bandwidth production. TCAD simulation results show that HGD-LDD-LTFET not only drastically suppresses ambipolar current but also improves analog/RF performance compared with conventional LTFET.

Introduction to Superconducting RF Structures and the Effect of High Pressure Rinsing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tajima, Tsuyoshi

2016-06-30

This presentation begins by describing RF superconductivity and SRF accelerating structures. Then the use of superconducting RF structures in a number of accelerators around the world is reviewed; for example, the International Linear Collider (ILC) will use ~16,000 SRF cavities with ~2,000 cryomodules to get 500 GeV e⁺/e⁻ colliding energy. Field emission control was (and still is) a very important practical issue for SRF cavity development. It has been found that high-pressure ultrapure water rinsing as a final cleaning step after chemical surface treatment resulted in consistent performance of single- and multicell superconducting cavities.

Segmented surface coil resonator for in vivo EPR applications at 1.1GHz.

PubMed

Petryakov, Sergey; Samouilov, Alexandre; Chzhan-Roytenberg, Michael; Kesselring, Eric; Sun, Ziqi; Zweier, Jay L

2009-05-01

A four-loop segmented surface coil resonator (SSCR) with electronic frequency and coupling adjustments was constructed with 18mm aperture and loading capability suitable for in vivo Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and imaging applications at L-band. Increased sample volume and loading capability were achieved by employing a multi-loop three-dimensional surface coil structure. Symmetrical design of the resonator with coupling to each loop resulted in high homogeneity of RF magnetic field. Parallel loops were coupled to the feeder cable via balancing circuitry containing varactor diodes for electronic coupling and tuning over a wide range of loading conditions. Manually adjusted high Q trimmer capacitors were used for initial tuning with subsequent tuning electronically controlled using varactor diodes. This design provides transparency and homogeneity of magnetic field modulation in the sample volume, while matching components are shielded to minimize interference with modulation and ambient RF fields. It can accommodate lossy samples up to 90% of its aperture with high homogeneity of RF and modulation magnetic fields and can function as a surface loop or a slice volume resonator. Along with an outer coaxial NMR surface coil, the SSCR enabled EPR/NMR co-imaging of paramagnetic probes in living rats to a depth of 20mm.

Segmented surface coil resonator for in vivo EPR applications at 1.1 GHz

PubMed Central

Petryakov, Sergey; Samouilov, Alexandre; Chzhan-Roytenberg, Michael; Kesselring, Eric; Sun, Ziqi; Zweier, Jay L.

2010-01-01

A four-loop segmented surface coil resonator (SSCR) with electronic frequency and coupling adjustments was constructed with 18 mm aperture and loading capability suitable for in vivo Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and imaging applications at L-band. Increased sample volume and loading capability were achieved by employing a multi-loop three-dimensional surface coil structure. Symmetrical design of the resonator with coupling to each loop resulted in high homogeneity of RF magnetic field. Parallel loops were coupled to the feeder cable via balancing circuitry containing varactor diodes for electronic coupling and tuning over a wide range of loading conditions. Manually adjusted high Q trimmer capacitors were used for initial tuning with subsequent tuning electronically controlled using varactor diodes. This design provides transparency and homogeneity of magnetic field modulation in the sample volume, while matching components are shielded to minimize interference with modulation and ambient RF fields. It can accommodate lossy samples up to 90% of its aperture with high homogeneity of RF and modulation magnetic fields and can function as a surface loop or a slice volume resonator. Along with an outer coaxial NMR surface coil, the SSCR enabled EPR/NMR co-imaging of paramagnetic probes in living rats to a depth of 20 mm. PMID:19268615

Multipactor susceptibility on a dielectric with a bias dc electric field and a background gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang Peng; Lau, Y. Y.; Franzi, Matthew

2011-05-15

We use Monte Carlo simulations and analytical calculations to derive the condition for the onset of multipactor discharge on a dielectric surface at various combinations of the bias dc electric field, rf electric field, and background pressures of noble gases, such as Argon. It is found that the presence of a tangential bias dc electric field on the dielectric surface lowers the magnitude of rf electric field threshold to initiate multipactor, therefore plausibly offering robust protection against high power microwaves. The presence of low pressure gases may lead to a lower multipactor saturation level, however. The combined effects of tangentialmore » dc electric field and external gases on multipactor susceptibility are presented.« less

Evaluation of power transfer efficiency for a high power inductively coupled radio-frequency hydrogen ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, P.; Recchia, M.; Cavenago, M.; Fantz, U.; Gaio, E.; Kraus, W.; Maistrello, A.; Veltri, P.

2018-04-01

Neutral beam injection (NBI) for plasma heating and current drive is necessary for International Thermonuclear Experimental reactor (ITER) tokamak. Due to its various advantages, a radio frequency (RF) driven plasma source type was selected as a reference ion source for the ITER heating NBI. The ITER relevant RF negative ion sources are inductively coupled (IC) devices whose operational working frequency has been chosen to be 1 MHz and are characterized by high RF power density (˜9.4 W cm-3) and low operational pressure (around 0.3 Pa). The RF field is produced by a coil in a cylindrical chamber leading to a plasma generation followed by its expansion inside the chamber. This paper recalls different concepts based on which a methodology is developed to evaluate the efficiency of the RF power transfer to hydrogen plasma. This efficiency is then analyzed as a function of the working frequency and in dependence of other operating source and plasma parameters. The study is applied to a high power IC RF hydrogen ion source which is similar to one simplified driver of the ELISE source (half the size of the ITER NBI source).

47 CFR 97.13 - Restrictions on station location.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... cause human exposure to RF electromagnetic field levels in excess of those allowed under § 1.1310 of... power). (2) If the routine environmental evaluation indicates that the RF electromagnetic fields could... action to prevent human exposure to such RF electromagnetic fields. Further information on evaluating...

47 CFR 97.13 - Restrictions on station location.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... cause human exposure to RF electromagnetic field levels in excess of those allowed under § 1.1310 of... power). (2) If the routine environmental evaluation indicates that the RF electromagnetic fields could... action to prevent human exposure to such RF electromagnetic fields. Further information on evaluating...

47 CFR 97.13 - Restrictions on station location.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... cause human exposure to RF electromagnetic field levels in excess of those allowed under § 1.1310 of... power). (2) If the routine environmental evaluation indicates that the RF electromagnetic fields could... action to prevent human exposure to such RF electromagnetic fields. Further information on evaluating...

47 CFR 97.13 - Restrictions on station location.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... cause human exposure to RF electromagnetic field levels in excess of those allowed under § 1.1310 of... power). (2) If the routine environmental evaluation indicates that the RF electromagnetic fields could... action to prevent human exposure to such RF electromagnetic fields. Further information on evaluating...

47 CFR 97.13 - Restrictions on station location.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... cause human exposure to RF electromagnetic field levels in excess of those allowed under § 1.1310 of... power). (2) If the routine environmental evaluation indicates that the RF electromagnetic fields could... action to prevent human exposure to such RF electromagnetic fields. Further information on evaluating...

Exposure Perception as a Key Indicator of Risk Perception and Acceptance of Sources of Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields.

PubMed

Freudenstein, Frederik; Wiedemann, Peter M; Brown, Tim W C

2015-01-01

The presented survey was conducted in six European countries as an online study. A total of 2454 subjects participated. Two main research questions were investigated: firstly, how does the cognitive, moral, and affective framing of radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) exposure perception influence RF EMF risk perception? Secondly, can the deployment of mobile phone base stations have greater acceptance with RF EMF exposure reduction? The findings with respect to the first question clearly indicated that the cognitive framed exposure perception is the main determinant of RF EMF risk perception. The concomitant sensitivity to exposure strength offers an opportunity to improve the acceptance of base stations by exposure reduction. A linear regression analysis supported this assumption: in a fictional test situation, exposure reduction improved the acceptance of base stations, operationalized as the requested distance of the base station from one's own home. Furthermore, subjects with high RF EMF risk perception were most sensitive to exposure reduction. On average, a 70% exposure reduction reduced the requested distance from about 2000 meters to 1000 meters. The consequences for risk communication are discussed.

Population receptive field (pRF) measurements of chromatic responses in human visual cortex using fMRI.

PubMed

Welbourne, Lauren E; Morland, Antony B; Wade, Alex R

2018-02-15

The spatial sensitivity of the human visual system depends on stimulus color: achromatic gratings can be resolved at relatively high spatial frequencies while sensitivity to isoluminant color contrast tends to be more low-pass. Models of early spatial vision often assume that the receptive field size of pattern-sensitive neurons is correlated with their spatial frequency sensitivity - larger receptive fields are typically associated with lower optimal spatial frequency. A strong prediction of this model is that neurons coding isoluminant chromatic patterns should have, on average, a larger receptive field size than neurons sensitive to achromatic patterns. Here, we test this assumption using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We show that while spatial frequency sensitivity depends on chromaticity in the manner predicted by behavioral measurements, population receptive field (pRF) size measurements show no such dependency. At any given eccentricity, the mean pRF size for neuronal populations driven by luminance, opponent red/green and S-cone isolating contrast, are identical. Changes in pRF size (for example, an increase with eccentricity and visual area hierarchy) are also identical across the three chromatic conditions. These results suggest that fMRI measurements of receptive field size and spatial resolution can be decoupled under some circumstances - potentially reflecting a fundamental dissociation between these parameters at the level of neuronal populations. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiofrequency Heating Pathways for Gold Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Collins, C. B.; McCoy, R. S.; Ackerson, B. J.; Collins, G. J.

2015-01-01

This feature article reviews the thermal dissipation of nanoscopic gold under radiofrequency (RF) irradiation. It also presents previously unpublished data addressing obscure aspects of this phenomenon. While applications in biology motivated initial investigation of RF heating of gold nanoparticles, recent controversy concerning whether thermal effects can be attributed to nanoscopic gold highlight the need to understand the involved mechanism or mechanisms of heating. Both the nature of the particle and the nature of the RF field influence heating. Aspects of nanoparticle chemistry and physics, including the hydrodynamic diameter of the particle, the oxidation state and related magnetism of the core, and the chemical nature of the ligand shell may all strongly influence to what extent a nanoparticle heats in an RF field. Aspects of RF include: power, frequency and antenna designs that emphasize relative strength of magnetic or electric fields, and also influence the extent to which a gold nanoparticle heats in RF. These nanoparticle and RF properties are analysed in the context of three heating mechanisms proposed to explain gold nanoparticle heating in an RF field. This article also makes a critical analysis of the existing literature in the context of the nanoparticle preparations, RF structure, and suggested mechanisms in previously reported experiments. PMID:24962620

Probing the plasma near high power wave launchers in fusion devices for static and dynamic electric fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klepper, C Christopher; Martin, Elijah H; Isler, Ralph C

2014-01-01

An exploratory study was carried out in the long-pulse tokamak Tore Supra, to determine if electric fields in the plasma around high-power, RF wave launchers could be measured with non-intrusive, passive, optical emission spectroscopy. The focus was in particular on the use of the external electric field Stark effect. The feasibility was found to be strongly dependent on the spatial extent of the electric fields and overlap between regions of strong (> 1 kV/cm) electric fields and regions of plasma particle recycling and plasma-induced, spectral line emission. Most amenable to the measurement was the RF electric field in edge plasma,more » in front of a lower hybrid heating and current drive launcher. Electric field strengths and direction, derived from fitting the acquired spectra to a model including time-dependent Stark effect and the tokamak-range magnetic field Zeeman-effect, were found to be in good agreement with full-wave modeling of the observed launcher.« less

Probing the plasma near high power wave launchers in fusion devices for static and dynamic electric fields (invited)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klepper, C. C., E-mail: kleppercc@ornl.gov; Isler, R. C.; Biewer, T. M.

2014-11-15

An exploratory study was carried out in the long-pulse tokamak Tore Supra, to determine if electric fields in the plasma around high-power, RF wave launchers could be measured with non-intrusive, passive, optical emission spectroscopy. The focus was in particular on the use of the external electric field Stark effect. The feasibility was found to be strongly dependent on the spatial extent of the electric fields and overlap between regions of strong (>∼1 kV/cm) electric fields and regions of plasma particle recycling and plasma-induced, spectral line emission. Most amenable to the measurement was the RF electric field in edge plasma, inmore » front of a lower hybrid heating and current drive launcher. Electric field strengths and direction, derived from fitting the acquired spectra to a model including time-dependent Stark effect and the tokamak-range magnetic field Zeeman-effect, were found to be in good agreement with full-wave modeling of the observed launcher.« less

Probing the plasma near high power wave launchers in fusion devices for static and dynamic electric fields (invited).

PubMed

Klepper, C C; Martin, E H; Isler, R C; Colas, L; Goniche, M; Hillairet, J; Panayotis, S; Pegourié, B; Jacquot, J; Lotte, Ph; Colledani, G; Biewer, T M; Caughman, J B; Ekedahl, A; Green, D L; Harris, J H; Hillis, D L; Shannon, S C; Litaudon, X

2014-11-01

An exploratory study was carried out in the long-pulse tokamak Tore Supra, to determine if electric fields in the plasma around high-power, RF wave launchers could be measured with non-intrusive, passive, optical emission spectroscopy. The focus was in particular on the use of the external electric field Stark effect. The feasibility was found to be strongly dependent on the spatial extent of the electric fields and overlap between regions of strong (>∼1 kV/cm) electric fields and regions of plasma particle recycling and plasma-induced, spectral line emission. Most amenable to the measurement was the RF electric field in edge plasma, in front of a lower hybrid heating and current drive launcher. Electric field strengths and direction, derived from fitting the acquired spectra to a model including time-dependent Stark effect and the tokamak-range magnetic field Zeeman-effect, were found to be in good agreement with full-wave modeling of the observed launcher.

Strut Shaping of 34m Beam Waveguide Antenna for Reductions in Near-Field RF and Noise Temeperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khayatian, Behrouz; Hoppe, Daniel J.; Britcliffe, Michael J.; Gama, Eric

2012-01-01

Struts shaping of the NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) 34m Beam Waveguide (BWG) antenna has been implemented to reduce near-field RF exposure while improving the antenna noise temperature. Strut shaping was achieved by introducing an RF shield that does not compromise the structural integrity of the existing structure. Reduction in the RF near-field exposure will compensate for the planned transmit power increase of the antenna from 20 kW to 80 kW while satisfying safety requirements for RF exposure. Antenna noise temperature was also improved by as much as 1.5 K for the low elevation angles and 0.5 K in other areas. Both reductions of RF near-field exposure and antenna noise temperature were verified through measurements and agree very well with calculated results.

Radio-frequency Electrometry Using Rydberg Atoms in Vapor Cells: Towards the Shot Noise Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Santosh; Fan, Haoquan; Jahangiri, Akbar; Kuebler, Harald; Shaffer, James P.; 5. Physikalisches Institut, Universitat Stuttgart, Germany Collaboration

2016-05-01

Rydberg atoms are a promising candidate for radio frequency (RF) electric field sensing. Our method uses electromagnetically induced transparency with Rydberg atoms in vapor cells to read out the effect that the RF electric field has on the Rydberg atoms. The method has the potential for high sensitivity (pV cm-1 Hz- 1 / 2) and can be self-calibrated. Some of the main factors limiting the sensitivity of RF electric field sensing from reaching the shot noise limit are the residual Doppler effect and the sensitivity of the optical read-out using the probe laser. We present progress on overcoming the residual Doppler effect by using a new multi-photon scheme and reaching the shot noise detection limit using frequency modulated spectroscopy. Our experiments also show promise for studying quantum optical effects such as superradiance in vapor cells using Rydberg atoms. This work is supported by DARPA, ARO, and NRO.

MEASUREMENT OF THE HIGH-FIELD Q-DROP IN A LARGE-GRAIN NIOBIUM CAVITY FOR DIFFERENT OXIDATION PROCESSES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gianluigi Ciovati; Peter Kneisel; Alex Gurevich

In this contribution, we present the results from a series of RF tests at 1.7 K and 2.0 K on a single-cell cavity made of high-purity large (with area of the order of few cm2) grain niobium which underwent various oxidation processes. After initial buffered chemical polishing, anodization, baking in pure oxygen atmosphere and baking in air up to 180 °C was applied with the objective of clearly identifying the role of oxygen and the oxide layer on the Q-drop. During each rf test a temperature mapping system was used allowing to measure the local temperature rise of the cavitymore » outer surface due to RF losses, which gives information about the losses location, their field dependence and space distribution on the RF surface. The results confirmed that the depth affected by baking is about 20 – 30 nm from the surface and showed that the Q-drop did not re-appear in a previously baked cavity by further baking at 120 °C in pure oxygen atmosphere or in air up to 180 °C. A statistic of the position of the “hot-spots” on the cavity surface showed that grain-boundaries are not the preferred location. An interesting correlation was found between the Q-drop onset, the quench field and the low-field energy gap, which supports the hypothesis of thermo-magnetic instability governing the Q-drop and the baking effect.« less

MEASUREMENT OF THE HIGH-FIELD Q-DROP IN A LARGE-GRAIN NIOBIUM CAVITY FOR DIFFERENT OXIDATION PROCESSES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ciovati, Gianluigi; Kneisel, Peter; Gurevich, Alex

In this contribution, we present the results from a series of RF tests at 1.7 K and 2.0 K on a single-cell cavity made of high-purity large (with area of the order of few cm2) grain niobium which underwent various oxidation processes. After initial buffered chemical polishing, anodization, baking in pure oxygen atmosphere and baking in air up to 180 °C was applied with the objective of clearly identifying the role of oxygen and the oxide layer on the Q-drop. During each rf test a temperature mapping system was used allowing to measure the local temperature rise of the cavitymore » outer surface due to RF losses, which gives information about the losses location, their field dependence and space distribution on the RF surface. The results confirmed that the depth affected by baking is about 20 – 30 nm from the surface and showed that the Q-drop did not re-appear in a previously baked cavity by further baking at 120 °C in pure oxygen atmosphere or in air up to 180 °C. A statistic of the position of the "hot-spots" on the cavity surface showed that grain-boundaries are not the preferred location. An interesting correlation was found between the Q-drop onset, the quench field and the low-field energy gap, which supports the hypothesis of thermomagnetic instability governing the Q-drop and the baking effect.« less

High Speed and High Functional Inverter Power Supplies for Plasma Generation and Control, and their Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uesugi, Yoshihiko; Razzak, Mohammad A.; Kondo, Kenji; Kikuchi, Yusuke; Takamura, Shuichi; Imai, Takahiro; Toyoda, Mitsuhiro

The Rapid development of high power and high speed semiconductor switching devices has led to their various applications in related plasma fields. Especially, a high speed inverter power supply can be used as an RF power source instead of conventional linear amplifiers and a power supply to control the magnetic field in a fusion plasma device. In this paper, RF thermal plasma production and plasma heating experiments are described emphasis placed on using a static induction transistor inverter at a frequency range between 200 kHz and 2.5 MHz as an RF power supply. Efficient thermal plasma production is achieved experimentally by using a flexible and easily operated high power semiconductor inverter power supply. Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) inverter power supplies driven by a high speed digital signal processor are applied as tokamak joule coil and vertical coil power supplies to control plasma current waveform and plasma equilibrium. Output characteristics, such as the arbitrary bipolar waveform generation of a pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter using digital signal processor (DSP) can be successfully applied to tokamak power supplies for flexible plasma current operation and fast position control of a small tokamak.

Improvements in Technique of NMR Imaging and NMR Diffusion Measurements in the Presence of Background Gradients.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lian, Jianyu

In this work, modification of the cosine current distribution rf coil, PCOS, has been introduced and tested. The coil produces a very homogeneous rf magnetic field, and it is inexpensive to build and easy to tune for multiple resonance frequency. The geometrical parameters of the coil are optimized to produce the most homogeneous rf field over a large volume. To avoid rf field distortion when the coil length is comparable to a quarter wavelength, a parallel PCOS coil is proposed and discussed. For testing rf coils and correcting B _1 in NMR experiments, a simple, rugged and accurate NMR rf field mapping technique has been developed. The method has been tested and used in 1D, 2D, 3D and in vivo rf mapping experiments. The method has been proven to be very useful in the design of rf coils. To preserve the linear relation between rf output applied on an rf coil and modulating input for an rf modulating -amplifying system of NMR imaging spectrometer, a quadrature feedback loop is employed in an rf modulator with two orthogonal rf channels to correct the amplitude and phase non-linearities caused by the rf components in the rf system. The modulator is very linear over a large range and it can generate an arbitrary rf shape. A diffusion imaging sequence has been developed for measuring and imaging diffusion in the presence of background gradients. Cross terms between the diffusion sensitizing gradients and background gradients or imaging gradients can complicate diffusion measurement and make the interpretation of NMR diffusion data ambiguous, but these have been eliminated in this method. Further, the background gradients has been measured and imaged. A dipole random distribution model has been established to study background magnetic fields Delta B and background magnetic gradients G_0 produced by small particles in a sample when it is in a B_0 field. From this model, the minimum distance that a spin can approach a particle can be determined by measuring and <{bf G}_sp{0 }{2}>. From this model, the particle concentration in a sample can be determined by measuring the lineshape of a free induction decay (fid).

1950 MHz Electromagnetic Fields Ameliorate Aβ Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease Mice

PubMed Central

Jeong, Ye Ji; Kang, Ga-Young; Kwon, Jong Hwa; Choi, Hyung-Do; Pack, Jeong-Ki; Kim, Nam; Lee, Yun-Sil; Lee, Hae-June

2015-01-01

The involvement of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in the neurodegenerative disease, especially Alzheimer’s disease (AD), has received wide consideration, however, outcomes from several researches have not shown consistency. In this study, we determined whether RF-EMF influenced AD pathology in vivo using Tg-5xFAD mice as a model of AD-like amyloid β (Aβ) pathology. The transgenic (Tg)-5xFAD and wild type (WT) mice were chronically exposed to RF-EMF for 8 months (1950 MHz, SAR 5W/kg, 2 hrs/day, 5 days/week). Notably, chronic RF-EMF exposure significantly reduced not only Aβ plaques, APP, and APP carboxyl-terminal fragments (CTFs) in whole brain including hippocampus and entorhinal cortex but also the ratio of Aβ42 and Aβ40 peptide in the hippocampus of Tg-5xFAD mice. We also found that parenchymal expression of β-amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1(BACE1) and neuroinflammation were inhibited by RF-EMF exposure in Tg-5xFAD. In addition, RF-EMF was shown to rescue memory impairment in Tg-5xFAD. Moreover, gene profiling from microarray data using hippocampus of WT and Tg-5xFAD following RF-EMF exposure revealed that 5 genes (Tshz2, Gm12695, St3gal1, Isx and Tll1), which are involved in Aβ, are significantly altered inTg-5xFAD mice, exhibiting different responses to RF-EMF in WT or Tg-5xFAD mice; RF-EMF exposure in WT mice showed similar patterns to control Tg-5xFAD mice, however, RF-EMF exposure in Tg-5xFAD mice showed opposite expression patterns. These findings indicate that chronic RF-EMF exposure directly affects Aβ pathology in AD but not in normal brain. Therefore, RF-EMF has preventive effects against AD-like pathology in advanced AD mice with a high expression of Aβ, which suggests that RF-EMF can have a beneficial influence on AD. PMID:26017559

Dynamic Stark spectroscopic measurements of microwave electric fields inside the plasma near a high-power antenna.

PubMed

Klepper, C C; Isler, R C; Hillairet, J; Martin, E H; Colas, L; Ekedahl, A; Goniche, M; Harris, J H; Hillis, D L; Panayotis, S; Pegourié, B; Lotte, Ph; Colledani, G; Martin, V

2013-05-24

Fully dynamic Stark effect visible spectroscopy was used for the first time to directly measure the local rf electric field in the boundary plasma near a high-power antenna in high-performance, magnetically confined, fusion energy experiment. The measurement was performed in the superconducting tokamak Tore Supra, in the near field of a 1–3 MW, lower-hybrid, 3.7 GHz wave-launch antenna, and combined with modeling of neutral atom transport to estimate the local rf electric field amplitude (as low as 1–2 kV/cm) and direction in this region. The measurement was then shown to be consistent with the predicted values from a 2D full-wave propagation model. Notably the measurement confirmed that the electric field direction deviates substantially from the direction in which it is launched by the waveguides as it penetrates only a few cm radially inward into the plasma from the waveguides, consistent with the model.

Investigation of multipactor breakdown in communication satellite microwave co-axial systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagesh, S. K.; Revannasiddiah, D.; Shastry, S. V. K.

2005-01-01

Multipactor breakdown or multipactor discharge is a form of high frequency discharge that may occur in microwave components operating at very low pressures. Some RF components of multi-channel communication satellites have co-axial geometry and handle high RF power under near-vacuum conditions. The breakdown occurs due to secondary electron resonance, wherein electrons move back and forth in synchronism with the RF voltage across the gap between the inner and outer conductors of the co-axial structure. If the yield of secondary electrons from the walls of the co-axial structure is greater than unity, then the electron density increases with time and eventually leads to the breakdown. In this paper, the current due to the oscillating electrons in the co-axial geometry has been treated as a radially oriented Hertzian dipole. The electric field, due to this dipole, at any point in the coaxial structure, may then be determined by employing the dyadic Green's function technique. This field has been compared with the field that would exist in the absence of multipactor.

Radio-Frequency Illuminated Superconductive Disks: Reverse Josephson Effects and Implications for Precise Measuring of Proposed Gravity Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noever, David A.; Koczor, Ronald J.

1998-01-01

We have previously reported results using a high precision gravimeter to probe local gravity changes in the neighborhood of large bulk-processed high-temperature superconductors. It have been indicated three essential components to achieve anomalous gravity effects, namely large, two-layer high-temperature YBCO superconductors, magnetic levitation and AC input in the form of radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. We report experiments on RF-illuminated (1-15 MHz) superconducting disks with corresponding gravity readings indicating an apparent increase in observed gravity of approximately 3-5 x l0(exp -5)cm/sq s, above and to the side of the superconductor. In this preliminary study, RF- illumination is achieved using a series of large radius (15 cm) spiral antenna with RF power inputs equal to or greater than 90 W. The observed gravitational modification range is significantly lower than the 2.1% gravity modification. The error analyses of thermal and electromagnetic interference in a magnetically shielded gravimeter with vacuum enclosures, Faraday cages and shielded instrument leads, are outlined both experimentally and theoretically. The nearly exact correspondence between the peak gravity effects reported and the well-known peak in AC resistance in superconductors (2-7 MHz, owing to reverse Josephson quantum effects) suggests that electrical resistance will arise in this frequency range and subsequently any trapped magnetic fields in the superconductor may disperse partially into the measuring instrument's local environment. Implications for propulsion initiatives and RF-heating in superconductors will be discussed.

Vehicle-mounted high-power microwave systems and health risk communication in a deployed environment.

PubMed

Westhoff, John L; Roberts, Brad J; Erickson, Kristin

2013-01-01

Vehicle-mounted high-power microwave systems have been developed to counter the improvised explosive device threat in southwest Asia. Many service members only vaguely comprehend the nature of these devices and the nonionizing radio frequency (RF) radiation they emit. Misconceptions about the health effects of RF radiation have the potential to produce unnecessary anxiety. We report an incident in which concern for exposure to radiation from a high-power microwave device thought to be malfunctioning led to an extensive field investigation, multiple evaluations by clinicians in theater, and subsequent referrals to an Occupational Health clinic upon return from deployment. When acute exposure to RF does occur, the effects are thermally mediated and immediately perceptible--limiting the possibility of injury. Unlike ionizing radiation, RF radiation is not known to cause cancer and the adverse health effects are not cumulative. Medical officers counseling service members concerned about potential RF radiation exposure should apply established principles of risk communication, attend to real and perceived risks, and enlist the assistance of technical experts to properly characterize an exposure when appropriate.

From Complex B1 Mapping to Local SAR Estimation for Human Brain MR Imaging Using Multi-channel Transceiver Coil at 7T

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaotong; Schmitter, Sebastian; Van de Moortel, Pierre-François; Liu, Jiaen

2014-01-01

Elevated Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) associated with increased main magnetic field strength remains as a major safety concern in ultra-high-field (UHF) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) applications. The calculation of local SAR requires the knowledge of the electric field induced by radiofrequency (RF) excitation, and the local electrical properties of tissues. Since electric field distribution cannot be directly mapped in conventional MR measurements, SAR estimation is usually performed using numerical model-based electromagnetic simulations which, however, are highly time consuming and cannot account for the specific anatomy and tissue properties of the subject undergoing a scan. In the present study, starting from the measurable RF magnetic fields (B1) in MRI, we conducted a series of mathematical deduction to estimate the local, voxel-wise and subject-specific SAR for each single coil element using a multi-channel transceiver array coil. We first evaluated the feasibility of this approach in numerical simulations including two different human head models. We further conducted experimental study in a physical phantom and in two human subjects at 7T using a multi-channel transceiver head coil. Accuracy of the results is discussed in the context of predicting local SAR in the human brain at UHF MRI using multi-channel RF transmission. PMID:23508259

Feasibility study of a new RF coil design for prostate MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Seunghoon; Roeck, Werner W.; Cho, Jaedu; Nalcioglu, Orhan

2014-09-01

The combined use of a torso-pelvic RF array coil and endorectal RF coil is the current state-of-the-art in prostate MRI. The endorectal coil provides high detection sensitivity to acquire high-spatial resolution images and spectroscopic data, while the torso-pelvic coil provides large coverage to assess pelvic lymph nodes and pelvic bones for metastatic disease. However, the use of an endorectal coil is an invasive procedure that presents difficulties for both patients and technicians. In this study, we propose a novel non-invasive RF coil design that can provide both image signal to noise ratio and field of view coverage comparable to the combined torso-pelvic and endorectal coil configuration. A prototype coil was constructed and tested using a pelvic phantom. The results demonstrate that this new design is a viable alternative for prostate MRI

Tilt optimized flip uniformity (TOFU) RF pulse for uniform image contrast at low specific absorption rate levels in combination with a surface breast coil at 7 Tesla.

PubMed

van Kalleveen, Irene M L; Boer, Vincent O; Luijten, Peter R; Klomp, Dennis W J

2015-08-01

Going to ultrahigh field MRI (e.g., 7 Tesla [T]), the nonuniformity of the B1+ field and the increased radiofrequency (RF) power deposition become challenging. While surface coils improve the power efficiency in B1+, its field remains nonuniform. In this work, an RF pulse was designed that uses the slab selection to compensate the inhomogeneous B1+ field of a surface coil without a substantial increase in specific absorption rate (SAR). A breast surface coil was used with a decaying B1+ field in the anterior-posterior direction of the human breast. Slab selective RF pulses were designed and compared with adiabatic and spokes RF pulses. Proof of principle was demonstrated with FFE and B1+ maps of the human breast. In vivo measurements obtained with the breast surface coil show that the tilt optimized flip uniformity (TOFU) RF pulses can improve the flip angle homogeneity by 31%, while the SAR will be lower compared with BIR-4 and spokes RF pulses. By applying TOFU RF pulses to the breast surface coil, we are able to compensate the inhomogeneous B1+ field, while keeping the SAR low. Therefore stronger T1 -weighting in FFE sequences can be obtained, while pulse durations can remain short, as shown in the human breast at 7T. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Radiofrequency heating of nanomaterials for cancer treatment: Progress, controversies, and future development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaoming; Chen, Hui-jiuan; Chen, Xiaodong; Alfadhl, Yasir; Yu, Junsheng; Wen, Dongsheng

2015-03-01

In recent years, the application of nanomaterials to biological and biomedicine areas has attracted intensive interest. One of the hot topics is the nanomaterial mediated radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia or ablation, i.e., using RF fields/waves to heat tumor tissues treated with nanomaterials to destroy cancerous cells while minimizing the side-heating effect. However, there are currently many contradictive results reported concerning the heating effect of nanomaterials under a RF field. This paper provided a comprehensive review to nanomaterial mediated RF ablation from both experimental and theoretical aspects. Three heating mechanisms were discussed, i.e., laser heating, magnetic field heating, and electric field heating in RF spectrum, with the focus on the last one. The results showed that while diluted pure metallic nanoparticles could be heated significantly by a laser through the surface plasmon resonance, they cannot be easily heated by a RF electric field. Further studies are proposed focusing on nanoparticle structure and morphology, electromagnetic frequency and localized heating effect to pave the way for future development.

Does acute radio-frequency electromagnetic field exposure affect visual event-related potentials in healthy adults?

PubMed

Dalecki, Anna; Loughran, Sarah P; Verrender, Adam; Burdon, Catriona A; Taylor, Nigel A S; Croft, Rodney J

2018-05-01

To use improved methods to address the question of whether acute exposure to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) affects early (80-200 ms) sensory and later (180-600 ms) cognitive processes as indexed by event-related potentials (ERPs). Thirty-six healthy subjects completed a visual discrimination task during concurrent exposure to a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)-like, 920 MHz signal with peak-spatial specific absorption rate for 10 g of tissue of 0 W/kg of body mass (Sham), 1 W/kg (Low RF) and 2 W/kg (High RF). A fully randomised, counterbalanced, double-blind design was used. P1 amplitude was reduced (p = .02) and anterior N1 latency was increased (p = .04) during Exposure compared to Sham. There were no effects on any other ERP latencies or amplitudes. RF-EMF exposure may affect early perceptual (P1) and preparatory motor (anterior N1) processes. However, only two ERP indices, out of 56 comparisons, were observed to differ between RF-EMF exposure and Sham, suggesting that these observations may be due to chance. These observations are consistent with previous findings that RF-EMF exposure has no reliable impact on cognition (e.g., accuracy and response speed). Copyright © 2018 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A New First-Principles Calculation of Field-Dependent RF Surface Impedance of BCS Superconductor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xiao, Binping; Reece, Charles E.

2014-02-01

There is a need to understand the intrinsic limit of radiofrequency (RF) surface impedance that determines the performance of superconducting RF cavities in particle accelerators. Here we present a field-dependent derivation of Mattis-Bardeen theory of the RF surface impedance of BCS superconductors based on the shifted density of states resulting from coherently moving Cooper pairs. Our theoretical prediction of the effective BCS RF surface resistance (Rs) of niobium as a function of peak surface magnetic field amplitude agrees well with recently reported record low loss resonant cavity measurements from JLab and FNAL with carefully, yet differently, prepared niobium material. Themore » surprising reduction in resistance with increasing field is explained to be an intrinsic effect.« less

Improved nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus having semitoroidal rf coil for use in topical NMR and NMR imaging

DOEpatents

Fukushima, E.; Roeder, S.B.W.; Assink, R.A.; Gibson, A.A.V.

1984-01-01

An improved nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) apparatus for use in topical magnetic resonance (TMR) spectroscopy and other remote sensing NMR applications includes a semitoroidal radio frequency (rf) coil. The semitoroidal rf coil produces an effective alternating magnetic field at a distance from the poles of the coil, so as to enable NMR measurements to be taken from selected regions inside an object, particularly including human and other living subjects. The semitoroidal rf coil is relatively insensitive to magnetic interference from metallic objects located behind the coil, thereby rendering the coil particularly suited for use in both conventional and superconducting NMR magnets. The semitoroidal NMR coil can be constructed so that it emits little or no excess rf electric field associated with the rf magnetic field, thus avoiding adverse effects due to dielectric heating of the sample or to any other interaction of the electric field with the sample.

Nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus having semitoroidal rf coil for use in topical NMR and NMR imaging

DOEpatents

Fukushima, Eiichi; Roeder, Stephen B. W.; Assink, Roger A.; Gibson, Atholl A. V.

1986-01-01

An improved nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) apparatus for use in topical magnetic resonance (TMR) spectroscopy and other remote sensing NMR applications includes a semitoroidal radio-frequency (rf) coil. The semitoroidal rf coil produces an effective alternating magnetic field at a distance from the poles of the coil, so as to enable NMR measurements to be taken from selected regions inside an object, particularly including human and other living subjects. The semitoroidal rf coil is relatively insensitive to magnetic interference from metallic objects located behind the coil, thereby rendering the coil particularly suited for use in both conventional and superconducting NMR magnets. The semitoroidal NMR coil can be constructed so that it emits little or no excess rf electric field associated with the rf magnetic field, thus avoiding adverse effects due to dielectric heating of the sample or to any other interaction of the electric field with the sample.

DC currents collected by a RF biased electrode quasi-parallel to the magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faudot, E.; Devaux, S.; Moritz, J.; Bobkov, V.; Heuraux, S.

2017-10-01

Local plasma biasings due to RF sheaths close to ICRF antennas result mainly in a negative DC current collection on the antenna structure. In some specific cases, we may observe positive currents when the ion mobility (seen from the collecting surface) overcomes the electron one or/and when the collecting surface on the antenna side becomes larger than the other end of the flux tube connected to the wall. The typical configuration is when the antenna surface is almost parallel to the magnetic field lines and the other side perpendicular. To test the optimal case where the magnetic field is quasi-parallel to the electrode surface, one needs a linear magnetic configuration as our magnetized RF discharge experiment called Aline. The magnetic field angle is in our case lower than 1 relative to the RF biased surface. The DC current flowing through the discharge has been measured as a function of the magnetic field strength, neutral gas (He) pressure and RF power. The main result is the reversal of the DC current depending on the magnetic field, collision frequency and RF power level.

Theranostic Iron Oxide/Gold Ion Nanoprobes for MR Imaging and Noninvasive RF Hyperthermia.

PubMed

Fazal, Sajid; Paul-Prasanth, Bindhu; Nair, Shantikumar V; Menon, Deepthy

2017-08-30

This work focuses on the development of a nanoparticulate system that can be used for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and E-field noninvasive radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia. For this purpose, an amine-functional gold ion complex (GIC), [Au(III)(diethylenetriamine)Cl]Cl 2 , which generates heat upon RF exposure, was conjugated to carboxyl-functional poly(acrylic acid)-capped iron-oxide nanoparticles (IO-PAA NPs) to form IO-GIC NPs of size ∼100 nm. The multimodal superparamagnetic IO-GIC NPs produced T2-contrast on MR imaging and unlike IO-PAA NPs generated heat on RF exposure. The RF heating response of IO-GIC NPs was found to be dependent on the RF power, exposure period, and particle concentration. IO-GIC NPs at a concentration of 2.5 mg/mL showed a high heating response (δT) of ∼40 °C when exposed to 100 W RF power for 1 min. In vitro cytotoxicity measurements on NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells and 4T1 cancer cells showed that IO-GIC NPs are cytocompatible at high NP concentrations for up to 72 h. Upon in vitro RF exposure (100 W, 1 min), a high thermal response leads to cell death of 4T1 cancer cells incubated with IO-GIC NPs (1 mg/mL). Hematoxylin and eosin imaging of rat liver tissues injected with 100 μL of 2.5 mg/mL IO-GIC NPs and exposed to low RF power of 20 W for 10 min showed significant loss of tissue morphology at the site of injection, as against RF-exposed or nanoparticle-injected controls. In vivo MR imaging and noninvasive RF exposure of 4T1-tumor-bearing mice after IO-GIC NP administration showed T2 contrast enhancement and a localized generation of high temperatures in tumors, leading to tumor tissue damage. Furthermore, the administration of IO-GIC NPs followed by RF exposure showed no adverse acute toxicity effects in vivo. Thus, IO-GIC NPs show good promise as a theranostic agent for magnetic resonance imaging and noninvasive RF hyperthermia for cancer.

Method and apparatus for low-loss signal transmission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shimabukuro, Fred (Inventor); Yeh, Cavour (Inventor); Fraser, Scott (Inventor); Siegel, Peter (Inventor)

2008-01-01

The present invention relates to the field of radio-frequency (RF) waveguides. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a method and apparatus that provides ultra-low-loss RF waveguide structures targeted between approximately 300 GHz and approximately 30 THz. The RF waveguide includes a hollow core and a flexible honeycomb, periodic-bandgap structure surrounding the hollow core. The flexible honeycomb, periodic-bandgap structure is formed of a plurality of tubes formed of a dielectric material such as of low-loss quartz, polyethylene, or high-resistivity silicon. Using the RF waveguide, a user may attach a terahertz signal source to the waveguide and pass signals through the waveguide, while a terahertz signal receiver receives the signals.

Solid-state NMR imaging system

DOEpatents

Gopalsami, Nachappa; Dieckman, Stephen L.; Ellingson, William A.

1992-01-01

An apparatus for use with a solid-state NMR spectrometer includes a special imaging probe with linear, high-field strength gradient fields and high-power broadband RF coils using a back projection method for data acquisition and image reconstruction, and a real-time pulse programmer adaptable for use by a conventional computer for complex high speed pulse sequences.

Investigation of rf power absorption in the plasma of helicon ion source.

PubMed

Mordyk, S; Alexenko, O; Miroshnichenko, V; Storizhko, V; Stepanov, K; Olshansky, V

2008-02-01

The simulations of the spatial distribution of rf power absorbed in a helicon ion source reveal a correlation between the depth of penetration of rf power into the plasma and the tilt angle of lines of force of the outer magnetic field. The deeper field penetration and greater power absorption were observed at large tilt angles of the field line to the plasma surface. The evaluations as to the possibility of excitation of helicon waves in compact rf ion sources were performed.

OVERMODED HIGH-POWER RF MAGNETIC SWITCHES AND CIRCULATORS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tantawi, Sami

2002-08-20

We present design methodology for active rf magnetic components which are suitable for pulse compression systems of future X-band linear colliders. These components comprise an array of active elements arranged together so that the total electromagnetic field is reduced and the power handling capabilities are increased. The active element of choice is a magnetic material (garnet), which can be switched by changing a biasing magnetic field. A novel design allows these components to operate in the low loss circular waveguide mode TE{sub 01}. We describe the design methodology, the switching elements and circuits.

A PIC-MCC code RFdinity1d for simulation of discharge initiation by ICRF antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripský, M.; Wauters, T.; Lyssoivan, A.; Bobkov, V.; Schneider, P. A.; Stepanov, I.; Douai, D.; Van Eester, D.; Noterdaeme, J.-M.; Van Schoor, M.; ASDEX Upgrade Team; EUROfusion MST1 Team

2017-12-01

Discharges produced and sustained by ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) waves in absence of plasma current will be used on ITER for (ion cyclotron-) wall conditioning (ICWC, Te = 3{-}5 eV, ne < 1018 m-3 ). In this paper, we present the 1D particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) RFdinity1d for the study the breakdown phase of ICRF discharges, and its dependency on the RF discharge parameters (i) antenna input power P i , (ii) RF frequency f, (iii) shape of the electric field and (iv) the neutral gas pressure pH_2 . The code traces the motion of both electrons and ions in a narrow bundle of magnetic field lines close to the antenna straps. The charged particles are accelerated in the parallel direction with respect to the magnetic field B T by two electric fields: (i) the vacuum RF field of the ICRF antenna E_z^RF and (ii) the electrostatic field E_zP determined by the solution of Poisson’s equation. The electron density evolution in simulations follows exponential increase, {\\dot{n_e} ∼ ν_ion t } . The ionization rate varies with increasing electron density as different mechanisms become important. The charged particles are affected solely by the antenna RF field E_z^RF at low electron density ({ne < 1011} m-3 , {≤ft \\vert E_z^RF \\right \\vert \\gg ≤ft \\vert E_zP \\right \\vert } ). At higher densities, when the electrostatic field E_zP is comparable to the antenna RF field E_z^RF , the ionization frequency reaches the maximum. Plasma oscillations propagating toroidally away from the antenna are observed. The simulated energy distributions of ions and electrons at {ne ∼ 1015} m-3 correspond a power-law Kappa energy distribution. This energy distribution was also observed in NPA measurements at ASDEX Upgrade in ICWC experiments.

16-channel bow tie antenna transceiver array for cardiac MR at 7.0 tesla.

PubMed

Oezerdem, Celal; Winter, Lukas; Graessl, Andreas; Paul, Katharina; Els, Antje; Weinberger, Oliver; Rieger, Jan; Kuehne, Andre; Dieringer, Matthias; Hezel, Fabian; Voit, Dirk; Frahm, Jens; Niendorf, Thoralf

2016-06-01

To design, evaluate, and apply a bow tie antenna transceiver radiofrequency (RF) coil array tailored for cardiac MRI at 7.0 Tesla (T). The radiofrequency (RF) coil array comprises 16 building blocks each containing a bow tie shaped λ/2-dipole antenna. Numerical simulations were used for transmission field homogenization and RF safety validation. RF characteristics were examined in a phantom study. The array's suitability for high spatial resolution two-dimensional (2D) CINE imaging and for real time imaging of the heart was examined in a volunteer study. The arrays transmission fields and RF characteristics are suitable for cardiac MRI at 7.0T. The coil performance afforded a spatial resolution as good as (0.8 × 0.8 × 2.5) mm(3) for segmented 2D CINE MRI at 7.0T which is by a factor of 12 superior versus standardized protocols used in clinical practice at 1.5T. The proposed transceiver array supports 1D acceleration factors of up to R = 6 without impairing image quality significantly. The 16-channel bow tie antenna transceiver array supports accelerated and high spatial resolution cardiac MRI. The array is compatible with multichannel transmission and provides a technological basis for future clinical assessment of parallel transmission techniques at 7.0 Tesla. Magn Reson Med 75:2553-2565, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of a 2.45-GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field on neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis in differentiated human HL-60 cells.

PubMed

Koyama, Shin; Narita, Eijiro; Suzuki, Yoshihisa; Taki, Masao; Shinohara, Naoki; Miyakoshi, Junji

2015-01-01

The potential public health risks of radiofrequency (RF) fields have been discussed at length, especially with the use of mobile phones spreading extensively throughout the world. In order to investigate the properties of RF fields, we examined the effect of 2.45-GHz RF fields at the specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2 and 10 W/kg for 4 and 24 h on neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis in differentiated human HL-60 cells. Neutrophil chemotaxis was not affected by RF-field exposure, and subsequent phagocytosis was not affected either compared with that under sham exposure conditions. These studies demonstrated an initial immune response in the human body exposed to 2.45-GHz RF fields at the SAR of 2 W/kg, which is the maximum value recommended by the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. The results of our experiments for RF-field exposure at an SAR under 10 W/kg showed very little or no effects on either chemotaxis or phagocytosis in neutrophil-like human HL-60 cells. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Design of universal parallel-transmit refocusing kT -point pulses and application to 3D T2 -weighted imaging at 7T.

PubMed

Gras, Vincent; Mauconduit, Franck; Vignaud, Alexandre; Amadon, Alexis; Le Bihan, Denis; Stöcker, Tony; Boulant, Nicolas

2018-07-01

T 2 -weighted sequences are particularly sensitive to the radiofrequency (RF) field inhomogeneity problem at ultra-high-field because of the errors accumulated by the imperfections of the train of refocusing pulses. As parallel transmission (pTx) has proved particularly useful to counteract RF heterogeneities, universal pulses were recently demonstrated to save precious time and computational efforts by skipping B 1 calibration and online RF pulse tailoring. Here, we report a universal RF pulse design for non-selective refocusing pulses to mitigate the RF inhomogeneity problem at 7T in turbo spin-echo sequences with variable flip angles. Average Hamiltonian theory was used to synthetize a single non-selective refocusing pulse with pTx while optimizing its scaling properties in the presence of static field offsets. The design was performed under explicit power and specific absorption rate constraints on a database of 10 subjects using a 8Tx-32Rx commercial coil at 7T. To validate the proposed design, the RF pulses were tested in simulation and applied in vivo on 5 additional test subjects. The root-mean-square rotation angle error (RA-NRMSE) evaluation and experimental data demonstrated great improvement with the proposed universal pulses (RA-NRMSE ∼8%) compared to the standard circularly polarized mode of excitation (RA-NRMSE ∼26%). This work further completes the spectrum of 3D universal pulses to mitigate RF field inhomogeneity throughout all 3D MRI sequences without any pTx calibration. The approach returns a single pulse that can be scaled to match the desired flip angle train, thereby increasing the modularity of the proposed plug and play approach. Magn Reson Med 80:53-65, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

RF sheaths for arbitrary B field angles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Ippolito, Daniel; Myra, James

2014-10-01

RF sheaths occur in tokamaks when ICRF waves encounter conducting boundaries and accelerate electrons out of the plasma. Sheath effects reduce the efficiency of ICRF heating, cause RF-specific impurity influxes from the edge plasma, and increase the plasma-facing component damage. The rf sheath potential is sensitive to the angle between the B field and the wall, the ion mobility and the ion magnetization. Here, we obtain a numerical solution of the non-neutral rf sheath and magnetic pre-sheath equations (for arbitrary values of these parameters) and attempt to infer the parametric dependences of the Child-Langmuir law. This extends previous work on the magnetized, immobile ion regime. An important question is how the rf sheath voltage distributes itself between sheath and pre-sheath for various B field angles. This will show how generally previous estimates of the rf sheath voltage and capacitance were reasonable, and to improve the RF sheath BC. Work supported by US DOE grants DE-FC02-05ER54823 and DE-FG02-97ER54392.

Spatial proximity effects on the excitation of sheath RF voltages by evanescent slow waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colas, Laurent; Lu, Ling-Feng; Křivská, Alena; Jacquot, Jonathan; Hillairet, Julien; Helou, Walid; Goniche, Marc; Heuraux, Stéphane; Faudot, Eric

2017-02-01

We investigate theoretically how sheath radio-frequency (RF) oscillations relate to the spatial structure of the near RF parallel electric field E ∥ emitted by ion cyclotron (IC) wave launchers. We use a simple model of slow wave (SW) evanescence coupled with direct current (DC) plasma biasing via sheath boundary conditions in a 3D parallelepiped filled with homogeneous cold magnetized plasma. Within a ‘wide-sheath’ asymptotic regime, valid for large-amplitude near RF fields, the RF part of this simple RF  +  DC model becomes linear: the sheath oscillating voltage V RF at open field line boundaries can be re-expressed as a linear combination of individual contributions by every emitting point in the input field map. SW evanescence makes individual contributions all the larger as the wave emission point is located closer to the sheath walls. The decay of |V RF| with the emission point/sheath poloidal distance involves the transverse SW evanescence length and the radial protrusion depth of lateral boundaries. The decay of |V RF| with the emitter/sheath parallel distance is quantified as a function of the parallel SW evanescence length and the parallel connection length of open magnetic field lines. For realistic geometries and target SOL plasmas, poloidal decay occurs over a few centimeters. Typical parallel decay lengths for |V RF| are found to be smaller than IC antenna parallel extension. Oscillating sheath voltages at IC antenna side limiters are therefore mainly sensitive to E ∥ emission by active or passive conducting elements near these limiters, as suggested by recent experimental observations. Parallel proximity effects could also explain why sheath oscillations persist with antisymmetric strap toroidal phasing, despite the parallel antisymmetry of the radiated field map. They could finally justify current attempts at reducing the RF fields induced near antenna boxes to attenuate sheath oscillations in their vicinity.

2D radially compensating excitation pulse in combination with an internal transceiver antenna for 3D MRI of the rectum at 7 T.

PubMed

van Kalleveen, I M L; Kroeze, H; Sbrizzi, A; Boer, V O; Reerink, O; Philippens, M E P; van de Berg, C A T; Luijten, P R; Klomp, D W J

2016-07-01

The high precession frequency in ultrahigh field MRI coincides with reduced RF penetration, increased RF power deposition and consequently can lead to reduced scan efficiency. However, the shorter wavelength enables the use of efficient antennas rather than loop coils. In fact, ultrathin monopole antennas have been demonstrated at 7 T, which fit in natural cavities like the rectum in the human body. As the RF field generated by the antenna provides an extremely nonuniform B1 field, the use of conventional RF pulses will lead to severe image distortions and highly nonuniform contrast. However, using the two predominant dimensions (orthogonal to the antenna), 2D RF pulses can be designed that counteract the nonuniform B1 into uniform flip angles. In this study the authors investigate the use of an ultrathin antenna not only for reception, but also for transmission in 7 T MRI of the rectum. The 2D radially compensating excitation (2D RACE) pulse was designed in matlab. SAR calculations between the 2D RACE pulse and an adiabatic RF pulse (BIR-4) have been obtained, to visualize the gain in decreasing the SAR when using the 2D RACE pulse instead of an adiabatic RF pulse. The authors used the 7 T whole body MR system in combination with an internally placed monopole antenna used for transceiving and obtained 3D gradient echo images with a conventional sinc pulse and with the 2D RACE pulse. For extra clarity, they also reconstructed an image where the receive field of the antenna was removed. Comparing the results of the SAR simulations of the 2D RACE pulse with a BIR-4 pulse shows that for low flip angles (θ < 41°) the SAR can be decreased with a factor of 4.8 or even more, when using the 2D RACE pulse. Relative to a conventional sinc excitation, the 2D RACE pulse achieves more uniform flip angle distributions than a BIR-4 pulse with a smaller SAR increase (16 × versus 64 ×). The authors have shown that the 2D RACE pulse provides more homogeneous flip angles for gradient echo sequences when compared to a conventional sinc pulse albeit at increased SAR. However, when compared to adiabatic RF pulses, as shown by simulations, the SAR of the 2D RACE pulse can be an order of magnitude less. Phantom and in vivo human rectum images are obtained to demonstrate that the 2D RACE pulse can provide a uniform excitation while transmitting with a single ultrathin endorectal antenna at 7 T. The combination of thin rectal antennas with efficient uniform transmit can open up new possibilities in high resolution imaging of rectal cancer.

Synthesis of a fiber-optic magnetostrictive sensor (FOMS) pixel for RF magnetic field imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rengarajan, Suraj

The principal objective of this dissertation was to synthesize a sensor element with properties specifically optimized for integration into arrays capable of imaging RF magnetic fields. The dissertation problem was motivated by applications in nondestructive eddy current testing, smart skins, etc., requiring sensor elements that non-invasively detect millimeter-scale variations over several square meters, in low level magnetic fields varying at frequencies in the 100 kHz-1 GHz range. The poor spatial and temporal resolution of FOMS elements available prior to this dissertation research, precluded their use in non-invasive large area mapping applications. Prior research had been focused on large, discrete devices for detecting extremely low level magnetic fields varying at a few kHz. These devices are incompatible with array integration and imaging applications. The dissertation research sought to overcome the limitations of current technology by utilizing three new approaches; synthesizing magnetostrictive thin films and optimizing their properties for sensor applications, integrating small sensor elements into an array compatible fiber optic interferometer, and devising a RF mixing approach to measure high frequency magnetic fields using the integrated sensor element. Multilayer thin films were used to optimize the magnetic properties of the magnetostrictive elements. Alternating soft (Nisb{80}Fesb{20}) and hard (Cosb{50}Fesb{50}) magnetic alloy layers were selected for the multilayer and the layer thicknesses were varied to obtain films with a combination of large magnetization, high frequency permeability and large magnetostrictivity. X-Ray data and measurement of the variations in the magnetization, resistivity and magnetostriction with layer thicknesses, indicated that an interfacial layer was responsible for enhancing the sensing performance of the multilayers. A FOMS pixel was patterned directly onto the sensing arm of a fiber-optic interferometer, by sputtering a multilayer film with favorable sensor properties. After calibrating the interferometer response with a piezo, the mechanical and magnetic responses of the FOMS element were evaluated for various test fields. High frequency magnetic fields were detected using a local oscillator field to downconvert the RF signal fields to the lower mechanical resonant frequency of the element. A field sensitivity of 0.3 Oe/cm sensor element length was demonstrated at 1 MHz. A coherent magnetization rotation model was developed to predict the magnetostrictive response of the element, and identify approaches for optimizing its performance. This model predicts that an optimized element could resolve ˜1 mm variations in fields varying at frequencies >10 MHz with a sensitivity of ˜10sp{-3} Oe/mm. The results demonstrate the potential utility of integrating this device as a FOMS pixel in RF magnetic field imaging arrays.

The RF Probe: providing space situational awareness through broad-spectrum detection and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zenick, Raymond; Kohlhepp, Kimberly; Partch, Russell

2004-09-01

AeroAstro's patented RF Probe is a system designed to address the needs of spacecraft developers and operators interested in measuring and analyzing near-field RF emissions emanating from a nearby spacecraft of interest. The RF Probe consists of an intelligent spectrum analyzer with digital signal processing capabilities combined with a calibrated, wide-bandwidth antenna and RF front end that covers the 50 kHz to 18 GHz spectrum. It is capable of acquiring signal level and signal vector information, classifying signals, assessing the quality of a satellite"s transponders, and characterizing near-field electromagnetic emissions. The RF Probe is intended for either incorporation as part of a suite of spacecraft sensors, or as a stand-alone sensor on spacecraft or other platforms such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The RF Probe was initially conceived as a tool to detect and aid in diagnosis of malfunctions in a spacecraft of interest. However, the utility of the RF Probe goes far beyond this initial concept, spanning a wide range of military applications. Most importantly, the RF Probe can provide space situational awareness for critical on-orbit assets by detecting externally induced RF fields, aiding in protection against potentially devastating attacks.

Kinetic Modeling of RF Breakdown in High-Pressure Gas-filled Cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tollestrup, A. V.; Yonehara, K.; Byrd, J. M.

2012-05-01

Recent studies have shown that high gradients can be achieved quickly in high-pressure gas-filled cavities without the need for long conditioning times, because the dense gas can dramatically reduce dark currents and multipacting. In this proj ect we use this high pressure technique to suppress effects of residual vacuum and geometry found in evacuated cavities to isolate and study the role of the metallic surfaces in RF cavity breakdown as a function of radiofrequency and surface preparation. A series of experiments at 805 MHz using hydrogen fill pressures up to 0.01 g/cm3 of H2 have demonstrated high electric field gradientsmore » and scaling with the DC Paschen law limit, up to ~30 MV/m, depending on the choice of electrode material. For higher fi eld stresses, the breakdown characteristics deviate from the Paschen law scaling. Fully-kinetic 0D collisional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations give breakdown characteristics in H2 and H2/SF6 mixtures in good agreement with the 805 MHz experimental resu lts below this field stress threshold. The impact of these results on gas-filled RF accelerating cavity design will be discussed.« less

Multipactor susceptibility on a dielectric with two carrier frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Asif; Verboncoeur, John; Zhang, Peng

2018-04-01

This work investigates multipactor discharge on a single dielectric surface with two carrier frequencies of an rf electric field. We use Monte Carlo simulations and analytical calculations to obtain susceptibility diagrams in terms of the rf electric field and normal electric field due to the residual charge on the dielectric. It is found that in contrast to the single frequency case, in general, the presence of a second carrier frequency of the rf electric field increases the threshold of the magnitude of the rf electric field to initiate multipactor. The effects of the relative strength and phase, and the frequency separation of the two carrier frequencies are examined. The conditions to minimize mulitpactor are derived.

Rapid radiofrequency field mapping in vivo using single-shot STEAM MRI.

PubMed

Helms, Gunther; Finsterbusch, Jürgen; Weiskopf, Nikolaus; Dechent, Peter

2008-09-01

Higher field strengths entail less homogeneous RF fields. This may influence quantitative MRI and MRS. A method for rapidly mapping the RF field in the human head with minimal distortion was developed on the basis of a single-shot stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequence. The flip angle of the second RF pulse in the STEAM preparation was set to 60 degrees and 100 degrees instead of 90 degrees , inducing a flip angle-dependent signal change. A quadratic approximation of this trigonometric signal dependence together with a calibration accounting for slice excitation-related bias allowed for directly determining the RF field from the two measurements only. RF maps down to the level of the medulla could be obtained in less than 1 min and registered to anatomical volumes by means of the T(2)-weighted STEAM images. Flip angles between 75% and 125% of the nominal value were measured in line with other methods.

Validity of at home model predictions as a proxy for personal exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phone base stations.

PubMed

Martens, Astrid L; Bolte, John F B; Beekhuizen, Johan; Kromhout, Hans; Smid, Tjabe; Vermeulen, Roel C H

2015-10-01

Epidemiological studies on the potential health effects of RF-EMF from mobile phone base stations require efficient and accurate exposure assessment methods. Previous studies have demonstrated that the 3D geospatial model NISMap is able to rank locations by indoor and outdoor RF-EMF exposure levels. This study extends on previous work by evaluating the suitability of using NISMap to estimate indoor RF-EMF exposure levels at home as a proxy for personal exposure to RF-EMF from mobile phone base stations. For 93 individuals in the Netherlands we measured personal exposure to RF-EMF from mobile phone base stations during a 24h period using an EME-SPY 121 exposimeter. Each individual kept a diary from which we extracted the time spent at home and in the bedroom. We used NISMap to model exposure at the home address of the participant (at bedroom height). We then compared model predictions with measurements for the 24h period, when at home, and in the bedroom by the Spearman correlation coefficient (rsp) and by calculating specificity and sensitivity using the 90th percentile of the exposure distribution as a cutpoint for high exposure. We found a low to moderate rsp of 0.36 for the 24h period, 0.51 for measurements at home, and 0.41 for measurements in the bedroom. The specificity was high (0.9) but with a low sensitivity (0.3). These results indicate that a meaningful ranking of personal RF-EMF can be achieved, even though the correlation between model predictions and 24h personal RF-EMF measurements is lower than with at home measurements. However, the use of at home RF-EMF field predictions from mobile phone base stations in epidemiological studies leads to significant exposure misclassification that will result in a loss of statistical power to detect health effects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ferroelectric Based High Power Components for L-Band Accelerator Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kanareykin, Alex; Jing, Chunguang; Kostin, Roman

2018-01-16

We are developing a new electronic device to control the power in particle accelerators. The key technology is a new nanostructured material developed by Euclid that changes its properties with an applied electric field. Both superconducting and conventional accelerating structures require fast electronic control of the input rf power. A fast controllable phase shifter would allow for example the control of the rf power delivered to multiple accelerating cavities from a single power amplifier. Nonlinear ferroelectric microwave components can control the tuning or the input power coupling for rf cavities. Applying a bias voltage across a nonlinear ferroelectric changes itsmore » permittivity. This effect can be used to cause a phase change of a propagating rf signal or change the resonant frequency of a cavity. The key is the development of a low loss highly tunable ferroelectric material.« less

Traveling wave linear accelerator with RF power flow outside of accelerating cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dolgashev, Valery A.

A high power RF traveling wave accelerator structure includes a symmetric RF feed, an input matching cell coupled to the symmetric RF feed, a sequence of regular accelerating cavities coupled to the input matching cell at an input beam pipe end of the sequence, one or more waveguides parallel to and coupled to the sequence of regular accelerating cavities, an output matching cell coupled to the sequence of regular accelerating cavities at an output beam pipe end of the sequence, and output waveguide circuit or RF loads coupled to the output matching cell. Each of the regular accelerating cavities hasmore » a nose cone that cuts off field propagating into the beam pipe and therefore all power flows in a traveling wave along the structure in the waveguide.« less

A transmit/receive radiofrequency array for imaging the carotid arteries at 7 Tesla: coil design and first in vivo results.

PubMed

Kraff, Oliver; Bitz, Andreas K; Breyer, Tobias; Kruszona, Stefan; Maderwald, Stefan; Brote, Irina; Gizewski, Elke R; Ladd, Mark E; Quick, Harald H

2011-04-01

To develop a transmit/receive radiofrequency (RF) array for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the carotid arteries at 7 T. The prototype is characterized in numerical simulations and bench measurements, and the feasibility of plaque imaging at 7 T is demonstrated in first in vivo images. The RF phased array coil consists of 8 surface loop coils. To allow imaging of both sides of the neck, the RF array is divided into 2 coil clusters, each with 4 overlapping loop elements. For safety validation, numerical computations of the RF field distribution and the corresponding specific absorption rate were performed on the basis of a heterogeneous human body model. To validate the coil model, maps of the transmit B1(+) field were compared between simulation and measurement. In vivo images of a healthy volunteer and a patient (ulcerating plaque and a 50% stenosis of the right internal carotid artery) were acquired using a 3-dimensional FLASH sequence with a high isotropic spatial resolution of 0.54 mm as well as using pulse-triggered proton density (PD)/T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequences. Measurements of the S-parameters yielded a reflection and isolation of the coil elements of better than -18 and -13 dB, respectively. Measurements of the g-factor indicated good image quality for parallel imaging acceleration factors up to 2.4. A similar distribution and a very good match of the absolute values were found between the measured and simulated B1(+) transmit RF field for the validation of the coil model. In vivo images revealed good signal excitation of both sides of the neck and a high vessel-to-background image contrast for the noncontrast-enhanced 3-dimensional FLASH sequence. Imaging at 7 T could depict the extent of stenosis, and revealed the disruption and ulcer of the plaque. This study demonstrates that 2 four-channel transmit/receive RF arrays for each side of the neck is a suitable concept for in vivo MRI of the carotid arteries at 7 Tesla. Further studies are needed to explore and exploit the full potential of 7 T high-field MRI for carotid atherosclerotic plaque imaging.

Local Multi-Channel RF Surface Coil versus Body RF Coil Transmission for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance at 3 Tesla: Which Configuration Is Winning the Game?

PubMed

Weinberger, Oliver; Winter, Lukas; Dieringer, Matthias A; Els, Antje; Oezerdem, Celal; Rieger, Jan; Kuehne, Andre; Cassara, Antonino M; Pfeiffer, Harald; Wetterling, Friedrich; Niendorf, Thoralf

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using local four-channel RF coil transmission and benchmark it against large volume body RF coil excitation. Electromagnetic field simulations are conducted to detail RF power deposition, transmission field uniformity and efficiency for local and body RF coil transmission. For both excitation regimes transmission field maps are acquired in a human torso phantom. For each transmission regime flip angle distributions and blood-myocardium contrast are examined in a volunteer study of 12 subjects. The feasibility of the local transceiver RF coil array for cardiac chamber quantification at 3 Tesla is demonstrated. Our simulations and experiments demonstrate that cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using four-channel surface RF coil transmission is competitive versus current clinical CMR practice of large volume body RF coil transmission. The efficiency advantage of the 4TX/4RX setup facilitates shorter repetition times governed by local SAR limits versus body RF coil transmission at whole-body SAR limit. No statistically significant difference was found for cardiac chamber quantification derived with body RF coil versus four-channel surface RF coil transmission. Our simulation also show that the body RF coil exceeds local SAR limits by a factor of ~2 when driven at maximum applicable input power to reach the whole-body SAR limit. Pursuing local surface RF coil arrays for transmission in cardiac MR is a conceptually appealing alternative to body RF coil transmission, especially for patients with implants.

Ex vivo mouse brain microscopy at 15T with loop-gap RF coil.

PubMed

Cohen, Ouri; Ackerman, Jerome L

2018-04-18

The design of a loop-gap-resonator RF coil optimized for ex vivo mouse brain microscopy at ultra high fields is described and its properties characterized using simulations, phantoms and experimental scans of mouse brains fixed in 10% formalin containing 4 mM Magnevist™. The RF (B 1 ) and magnetic field (B 0 ) homogeneities are experimentally quantified and compared to electromagnetic simulations of the coil. The coil's performance is also compared to a similarly sized surface coil and found to yield double the sensitivity. A three-dimensional gradient-echo (GRE) sequence is used to acquire high resolution mouse brain scans at (47 μm) 3 resolution in 1.8 h and a 20 × 20 × 19 μm 3 resolution in 27 h. The high resolution obtained permitted clear visualization and identification of multiple structures in the ex vivo mouse brain and represents, to our knowledge, the highest resolution ever achieved for a whole mouse brain. Importantly, the coil design is simple and easy to construct. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improved Drain Current Saturation and Voltage Gain in Graphene-on-Silicon Field Effect Transistors.

PubMed

Song, Seung Min; Bong, Jae Hoon; Hwang, Wan Sik; Cho, Byung Jin

2016-05-04

Graphene devices for radio frequency (RF) applications are of great interest due to their excellent carrier mobility and saturation velocity. However, the insufficient current saturation in graphene field effect transistors (FETs) is a barrier preventing enhancements of the maximum oscillation frequency and voltage gain, both of which should be improved for RF transistors. Achieving a high output resistance is therefore a crucial step for graphene to be utilized in RF applications. In the present study, we report high output resistances and voltage gains in graphene-on-silicon (GoS) FETs. This is achieved by utilizing bare silicon as a supporting substrate without an insulating layer under the graphene. The GoSFETs exhibit a maximum output resistance of 2.5 MΩ∙μm, maximum intrinsic voltage gain of 28 dB, and maximum voltage gain of 9 dB. This method opens a new route to overcome the limitations of conventional graphene-on-insulator (GoI) FETs and subsequently brings graphene electronics closer to practical usage.

High Gradient Accelerator Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Temkin, Richard

The goal of the MIT program of research on high gradient acceleration is the development of advanced acceleration concepts that lead to a practical and affordable next generation linear collider at the TeV energy level. Other applications, which are more near-term, include accelerators for materials processing; medicine; defense; mining; security; and inspection. The specific goals of the MIT program are: • Pioneering theoretical research on advanced structures for high gradient acceleration, including photonic structures and metamaterial structures; evaluation of the wakefields in these advanced structures • Experimental research to demonstrate the properties of advanced structures both in low-power microwave coldmore » test and high-power, high-gradient test at megawatt power levels • Experimental research on microwave breakdown at high gradient including studies of breakdown phenomena induced by RF electric fields and RF magnetic fields; development of new diagnostics of the breakdown process • Theoretical research on the physics and engineering features of RF vacuum breakdown • Maintaining and improving the Haimson / MIT 17 GHz accelerator, the highest frequency operational accelerator in the world, a unique facility for accelerator research • Providing the Haimson / MIT 17 GHz accelerator facility as a facility for outside users • Active participation in the US DOE program of High Gradient Collaboration, including joint work with SLAC and with Los Alamos National Laboratory; participation of MIT students in research at the national laboratories • Training the next generation of Ph. D. students in the field of accelerator physics.« less

Exposure Perception as a Key Indicator of Risk Perception and Acceptance of Sources of Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

PubMed Central

Wiedemann, Peter M.; Brown, Tim W. C.

2015-01-01

The presented survey was conducted in six European countries as an online study. A total of 2454 subjects participated. Two main research questions were investigated: firstly, how does the cognitive, moral, and affective framing of radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) exposure perception influence RF EMF risk perception? Secondly, can the deployment of mobile phone base stations have greater acceptance with RF EMF exposure reduction? The findings with respect to the first question clearly indicated that the cognitive framed exposure perception is the main determinant of RF EMF risk perception. The concomitant sensitivity to exposure strength offers an opportunity to improve the acceptance of base stations by exposure reduction. A linear regression analysis supported this assumption: in a fictional test situation, exposure reduction improved the acceptance of base stations, operationalized as the requested distance of the base station from one's own home. Furthermore, subjects with high RF EMF risk perception were most sensitive to exposure reduction. On average, a 70% exposure reduction reduced the requested distance from about 2000 meters to 1000 meters. The consequences for risk communication are discussed. PMID:26229540

Impact of device engineering on analog/RF performances of tunnel field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijayvargiya, V.; Reniwal, B. S.; Singh, P.; Vishvakarma, S. K.

2017-06-01

The tunnel field effect transistor (TFET) and its analog/RF performance is being aggressively studied at device architecture level for low power SoC design. Therefore, in this paper we have investigated the influence of the gate-drain underlap (UL) and different dielectric materials for the spacer and gate oxide on DG-TFET (double gate TFET) and its analog/RF performance for low power applications. Here, it is found that the drive current behavior in DG-TFET with a UL feature while implementing dielectric material for the spacer is different in comparison to that of DG-FET. Further, hetero gate dielectric-based DG-TFET (HGDG-TFET) is more resistive against drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) as compared to DG-TFET with high-k (HK) gate dielectric. Along with that, as compared to DG-FET, this paper also analyses the attributes of UL and dielectric material on analog/RF performance of DG-TFET in terms of transconductance (gm ), transconductance generation factor (TGF), capacitance, intrinsic resistance (Rdcr), cut-off frequency (F T), and maximum oscillation frequency (F max). The LK spacer-based HGDG-TFET with a gate-drain UL has the potential to improve the RF performance of device.

Strut Shaping of 34m Beam Waveguide Antenna for Reductions in Near-Field RF and Noise Temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khayatian, Behrouz; Hoppe, Daniel J.; Britcliffe, Michael J.; Gama, Eric

2012-01-01

Strut shaping of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) 34m Beam Waveguide (BWG) antenna has been implemented to reduce near-field RF exposure while improving the antenna noise temperature. Strut shaping was achieved by introducing an RF shield that does not compromise the structural integrity of the existing antenna. Reduction in the RF near-field level will compensate for the planned transmit power increase of the antenna from 20 kW to 80 kW while satisfying safety requirements for RF exposure. Measured antenna noise temperature was also improved by as much as 1.5 K for the low elevation angles and 0.5 K in other areas.

Electric field determination in the plasma-antenna boundary of a lower-hybrid wave launcher in Tore Supra through dynamic Stark-effect spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, E. H.; Goniche, M.; Klepper, C. C.; Hillairet, J.; Isler, R. C.; Bottereau, C.; Colas, L.; Ekedahl, A.; Panayotis, S.; Pegourie, B.; Lotte, Ph; Colledani, G.; Caughman, J. B.; Harris, J. H.; Hillis, D. L.; Shannon, S. C.; Clairet, F.; Litaudon, X.

2015-06-01

Interaction of radio-frequency (RF) waves with the plasma in the near-field of a high-power wave launcher is now seen to be an important topic, both in understanding the channeling of these waves through the plasma boundary and in avoiding power losses in the edge. In a recent Letter, a direct non-intrusive measurement of a near antenna RF electric field in the range of lower hybrid (LH) frequencies (ELH) was announced (2013 Phys. Rev. Lett. 110 215005). This measurement was achieved through the fitting of Balmer series deuterium spectral lines utilizing a time dependent (dynamic) Stark effect model. In this article, the analysis of the spectral data is discussed in detail and applied to a larger range of measurements and the accuracy and limitations of the experimental technique are investigated. It was found through an analysis of numerous Tore Supra discharges that good quantitative agreement exists between the measured and full-wave modeled ELH when the launched power exceeds 0.5 MW. For low power the measurement becomes inaccurate utilizing the implemented passive spectroscopic technique because the spectral noise overwhelms the effect of the RF electric field on the line profile. Additionally, effects of the ponderomotive force are suspected at sufficiently high power.

Modulation of V1 Spike Response by Temporal Interval of Spatiotemporal Stimulus Sequence

PubMed Central

Kim, Taekjun; Kim, HyungGoo R.; Kim, Kayeon; Lee, Choongkil

2012-01-01

The spike activity of single neurons of the primary visual cortex (V1) becomes more selective and reliable in response to wide-field natural scenes compared to smaller stimuli confined to the classical receptive field (RF). However, it is largely unknown what aspects of natural scenes increase the selectivity of V1 neurons. One hypothesis is that modulation by surround interaction is highly sensitive to small changes in spatiotemporal aspects of RF surround. Such a fine-tuned modulation would enable single neurons to hold information about spatiotemporal sequences of oriented stimuli, which extends the role of V1 neurons as a simple spatiotemporal filter confined to the RF. In the current study, we examined the hypothesis in the V1 of awake behaving monkeys, by testing whether the spike response of single V1 neurons is modulated by temporal interval of spatiotemporal stimulus sequence encompassing inside and outside the RF. We used two identical Gabor stimuli that were sequentially presented with a variable stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA): the preceding one (S1) outside the RF and the following one (S2) in the RF. This stimulus configuration enabled us to examine the spatiotemporal selectivity of response modulation from a focal surround region. Although S1 alone did not evoke spike responses, visual response to S2 was modulated for SOA in the range of tens of milliseconds. These results suggest that V1 neurons participate in processing spatiotemporal sequences of oriented stimuli extending outside the RF. PMID:23091631

Design and Evaluation of a Hybrid Radiofrequency Applicator for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and RF Induced Hyperthermia: Electromagnetic Field Simulations up to 14.0 Tesla and Proof-of-Concept at 7.0 Tesla

PubMed Central

Winter, Lukas; Özerdem, Celal; Hoffmann, Werner; Santoro, Davide; Müller, Alexander; Waiczies, Helmar; Seemann, Reiner; Graessl, Andreas; Wust, Peter; Niendorf, Thoralf

2013-01-01

This work demonstrates the feasibility of a hybrid radiofrequency (RF) applicator that supports magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR controlled targeted RF heating at ultrahigh magnetic fields (B0≥7.0T). For this purpose a virtual and an experimental configuration of an 8-channel transmit/receive (TX/RX) hybrid RF applicator was designed. For TX/RX bow tie antenna electric dipoles were employed. Electromagnetic field simulations (EMF) were performed to study RF heating versus RF wavelength (frequency range: 64 MHz (1.5T) to 600 MHz (14.0T)). The experimental version of the applicator was implemented at B0 = 7.0T. The applicators feasibility for targeted RF heating was evaluated in EMF simulations and in phantom studies. Temperature co-simulations were conducted in phantoms and in a human voxel model. Our results demonstrate that higher frequencies afford a reduction in the size of specific absorption rate (SAR) hotspots. At 7T (298 MHz) the hybrid applicator yielded a 50% iso-contour SAR (iso-SAR-50%) hotspot with a diameter of 43 mm. At 600 MHz an iso-SAR-50% hotspot of 26 mm in diameter was observed. RF power deposition per RF input power was found to increase with B0 which makes targeted RF heating more efficient at higher frequencies. The applicator was capable of generating deep-seated temperature hotspots in phantoms. The feasibility of 2D steering of a SAR/temperature hotspot to a target location was demonstrated by the induction of a focal temperature increase (ΔT = 8.1 K) in an off-center region of the phantom. Temperature simulations in the human brain performed at 298 MHz showed a maximum temperature increase to 48.6C for a deep-seated hotspot in the brain with a size of (19×23×32)mm3 iso-temperature-90%. The hybrid applicator provided imaging capabilities that facilitate high spatial resolution brain MRI. To conclude, this study outlines the technical underpinnings and demonstrates the basic feasibility of an 8-channel hybrid TX/RX applicator that supports MR imaging, MR thermometry and targeted RF heating in one device. PMID:23613896

Design and evaluation of a hybrid radiofrequency applicator for magnetic resonance imaging and RF induced hyperthermia: electromagnetic field simulations up to 14.0 Tesla and proof-of-concept at 7.0 Tesla.

PubMed

Winter, Lukas; Özerdem, Celal; Hoffmann, Werner; Santoro, Davide; Müller, Alexander; Waiczies, Helmar; Seemann, Reiner; Graessl, Andreas; Wust, Peter; Niendorf, Thoralf

2013-01-01

This work demonstrates the feasibility of a hybrid radiofrequency (RF) applicator that supports magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR controlled targeted RF heating at ultrahigh magnetic fields (B0≥7.0T). For this purpose a virtual and an experimental configuration of an 8-channel transmit/receive (TX/RX) hybrid RF applicator was designed. For TX/RX bow tie antenna electric dipoles were employed. Electromagnetic field simulations (EMF) were performed to study RF heating versus RF wavelength (frequency range: 64 MHz (1.5T) to 600 MHz (14.0T)). The experimental version of the applicator was implemented at B0 = 7.0T. The applicators feasibility for targeted RF heating was evaluated in EMF simulations and in phantom studies. Temperature co-simulations were conducted in phantoms and in a human voxel model. Our results demonstrate that higher frequencies afford a reduction in the size of specific absorption rate (SAR) hotspots. At 7T (298 MHz) the hybrid applicator yielded a 50% iso-contour SAR (iso-SAR-50%) hotspot with a diameter of 43 mm. At 600 MHz an iso-SAR-50% hotspot of 26 mm in diameter was observed. RF power deposition per RF input power was found to increase with B0 which makes targeted RF heating more efficient at higher frequencies. The applicator was capable of generating deep-seated temperature hotspots in phantoms. The feasibility of 2D steering of a SAR/temperature hotspot to a target location was demonstrated by the induction of a focal temperature increase (ΔT = 8.1 K) in an off-center region of the phantom. Temperature simulations in the human brain performed at 298 MHz showed a maximum temperature increase to 48.6C for a deep-seated hotspot in the brain with a size of (19×23×32)mm(3) iso-temperature-90%. The hybrid applicator provided imaging capabilities that facilitate high spatial resolution brain MRI. To conclude, this study outlines the technical underpinnings and demonstrates the basic feasibility of an 8-channel hybrid TX/RX applicator that supports MR imaging, MR thermometry and targeted RF heating in one device.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Na; Wu, Yu-Ping; Min, Hao

A radio-frequency (RF) source designed for cold atom experiments is presented. The source uses AD9858, a direct digital synthesizer, to generate the sine wave directly, up to 400 MHz, with sub-Hz resolution. An amplitude control circuit consisting of wideband variable gain amplifier and high speed digital to analog converter is integrated into the source, capable of 70 dB off isolation and 4 ns on-off keying. A field programmable gate array is used to implement a versatile frequency and amplitude co-sweep logic. Owing to modular design, the RF sources have been used on many cold atom experiments to generate various complicatedmore » RF sequences, enriching the operation schemes of cold atoms, which cannot be done by standard RF source instruments.« less

Development of long-pulse heating & current drive actuators & operational techniques compatible with a high-Z divertor & first wall

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tynan, George

This was a collaboration between UCSD and MIT to study the effective application of ion-cyclotron heating (ICRH) on the EAST tokamak, located in China. The original goal was for UCSD to develop a diagnostic that would allow measurement of the steady state, or DC, convection pattern that develops on magnetic field lines that attach or connect to the ICRH antenna. This diagnostic would then be used to develop techniques and approaches that minimize or even eliminate such DC convection during application of strong ICRH heating. This was thought to then indicate reduction or elimination of parasitic losses of heating power,more » and thus be an indicator of effective RF heating. The original plan to use high speed digital gas-puff imaging (GPI) of the antenna-edge plasma region in EAST was ultimately unsuccessful due to limitations in machine and camera operations. We then decided to attempt the same experiment on the ALCATOR C-MOD tokamak at MIT which had a similar instrument already installed. This effort was ultimately successful, and demonstrated that the underlying idea of using GPI as a diagnostic for ICRH antenna physics would, in fact, work. The two-dimensional velocity fields of the turbulent structures, which are advected by RF-induced E x B flows, are obtained via the time-delay estimation (TDE) techniques. Both the magnitude and radial extension of the radial electric field E-r were observed to increase with the toroidal magnetic field strength B and the ICRF power. The TDE estimations of RF-induced plasma potentials are consistent with previous results based on the probe measurements of poloidal phase velocity. The results suggest that effective ICRH heating with reduced impurity production is possible when the antenna/box system is designed so as to reduce the RF-induced image currents that flow in the grounded conducting antenna frame elements that surround the RF antenna current straps.« less

Fast numerical design of spatial-selective rf pulses in MRI using Krotov and quasi-Newton based optimal control methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinding, Mads S.; Maximov, Ivan I.; Tošner, Zdeněk; Nielsen, Niels Chr.

2012-08-01

The use of increasingly strong magnetic fields in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) improves sensitivity, susceptibility contrast, and spatial or spectral resolution for functional and localized spectroscopic imaging applications. However, along with these benefits come the challenges of increasing static field (B0) and rf field (B1) inhomogeneities induced by radial field susceptibility differences and poorer dielectric properties of objects in the scanner. Increasing fields also impose the need for rf irradiation at higher frequencies which may lead to elevated patient energy absorption, eventually posing a safety risk. These reasons have motivated the use of multidimensional rf pulses and parallel rf transmission, and their combination with tailoring of rf pulses for fast and low-power rf performance. For the latter application, analytical and approximate solutions are well-established in linear regimes, however, with increasing nonlinearities and constraints on the rf pulses, numerical iterative methods become attractive. Among such procedures, optimal control methods have recently demonstrated great potential. Here, we present a Krotov-based optimal control approach which as compared to earlier approaches provides very fast, monotonic convergence even without educated initial guesses. This is essential for in vivo MRI applications. The method is compared to a second-order gradient ascent method relying on the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) quasi-Newton method, and a hybrid scheme Krotov-BFGS is also introduced in this study. These optimal control approaches are demonstrated by the design of a 2D spatial selective rf pulse exciting the letters "JCP" in a water phantom.

Creating Space Plasma from the Ground

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-12

estimated a GW ERP of rf energy would produce an ionosphere half that from an overhead sun, assuming ~15% efficiency conversion of rf energy to...rf energy would produce an ionosphere half that from an overhead sun, assuming ~15% efficiency conversion of rf energy to accelerated electron energy...altitudes along the HAARP field line indicated); images of artificial optical emissions as viewed looking upwards along the magnetic field line from

Population Coding of Visual Space: Modeling

PubMed Central

Lehky, Sidney R.; Sereno, Anne B.

2011-01-01

We examine how the representation of space is affected by receptive field (RF) characteristics of the encoding population. Spatial responses were defined by overlapping Gaussian RFs. These responses were analyzed using multidimensional scaling to extract the representation of global space implicit in population activity. Spatial representations were based purely on firing rates, which were not labeled with RF characteristics (tuning curve peak location, for example), differentiating this approach from many other population coding models. Because responses were unlabeled, this model represents space using intrinsic coding, extracting relative positions amongst stimuli, rather than extrinsic coding where known RF characteristics provide a reference frame for extracting absolute positions. Two parameters were particularly important: RF diameter and RF dispersion, where dispersion indicates how broadly RF centers are spread out from the fovea. For large RFs, the model was able to form metrically accurate representations of physical space on low-dimensional manifolds embedded within the high-dimensional neural population response space, suggesting that in some cases the neural representation of space may be dimensionally isomorphic with 3D physical space. Smaller RF sizes degraded and distorted the spatial representation, with the smallest RF sizes (present in early visual areas) being unable to recover even a topologically consistent rendition of space on low-dimensional manifolds. Finally, although positional invariance of stimulus responses has long been associated with large RFs in object recognition models, we found RF dispersion rather than RF diameter to be the critical parameter. In fact, at a population level, the modeling suggests that higher ventral stream areas with highly restricted RF dispersion would be unable to achieve positionally-invariant representations beyond this narrow region around fixation. PMID:21344012

Dual optimization method of radiofrequency and quasistatic field simulations for reduction of eddy currents generated on 7T radiofrequency coil shielding.

PubMed

Zhao, Yujuan; Zhao, Tiejun; Raval, Shailesh B; Krishnamurthy, Narayanan; Zheng, Hai; Harris, Chad T; Handler, William B; Chronik, Blaine A; Ibrahim, Tamer S

2015-11-01

To optimize the design of radiofrequency (RF) shielding of transmit coils at 7T and reduce eddy currents generated on the RF shielding when imaging with rapid gradient waveforms. One set of a four-element, 2 × 2 Tic-Tac-Toe head coil structure was selected and constructed to study eddy currents on the RF coil shielding. The generated eddy currents were quantitatively studied in the time and frequency domains. The RF characteristics were studied using the finite difference time domain method. Five different kinds of RF shielding were tested on a 7T MRI scanner with phantoms and in vivo human subjects. The eddy current simulation method was verified by the measurement results. Eddy currents induced by solid/intact and simple-structured slotted RF shielding significantly distorted the gradient fields. Echo-planar images, B1+ maps, and S matrix measurements verified that the proposed slot pattern suppressed the eddy currents while maintaining the RF characteristics of the transmit coil. The presented dual-optimization method could be used to design RF shielding and reduce the gradient field-induced eddy currents while maintaining the RF characteristics of the transmit coil. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigation of radiofrequency plasma sources for space travel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charles, C.; Boswell, R. W.; Takahashi, K.

2012-12-01

Optimization of radiofrequency (RF) plasma sources for the development of space thrusters differs from other applications such as plasma processing of materials since power efficiency, propellant usage, particle acceleration or heating become driving parameters. The development of two RF (13.56 MHz) plasma sources, the high-pressure (˜1 Torr) capacitively coupled ‘pocket rocket’ plasma micro-thruster and the low-pressure (˜1 mTorr) inductively coupled helicon double layer thruster (HDLT), is discussed within the context of mature and emerging electric propulsion devices. The density gradient in low-pressure expanding RF plasmas creates an electric field that accelerates positive ions out of the plasma. Generally, the total potential drop is similar to that of a wall sheath allowing the plasma electrons to neutralize the ion beam. A high-pressure expansion with no applied magnetic field can result in large dissociation rates and/or a collimated beam of ions of small area and a flowing heated neutral beam (‘pocket rocket’). A low-pressure expansion dominated by a magnetic field can result in the formation of electric double layers which produce a very directed neutralized beam of ions of large area (HDLT).

Investigation of maximum local specific absorption rate in 7 T magnetic resonance with respect to load size by use of electromagnetic simulations.

PubMed

Tiberi, Gianluigi; Fontana, Nunzia; Costagli, Mauro; Stara, Riccardo; Biagi, Laura; Symms, Mark Roger; Monorchio, Agostino; Retico, Alessandra; Cosottini, Mirco; Tosetti, Michela

2015-07-01

Local specific absorption rate (SAR) evaluation in ultra high field (UHF) magnetic resonance (MR) systems is a major concern. In fact, at UHF, radiofrequency (RF) field inhomogeneity generates hot-spots that could cause localized tissue heating. Unfortunately, local SAR measurements are not available in present MR systems; thus, electromagnetic simulations must be performed for RF fields and SAR analysis. In this study, we used three-dimensional full-wave numerical electromagnetic simulations to investigate the dependence of local SAR at 7.0 T with respect to subject size in two different scenarios: surface coil loaded by adult and child calves and quadrature volume coil loaded by adult and child heads. In the surface coil scenario, maximum local SAR decreased with decreasing load size, provided that the RF magnetic fields for the different load sizes were scaled to achieve the same slice average value. On the contrary, in the volume coil scenario, maximum local SAR was up to 15% higher in children than in adults. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Technical Approach to the Evaluation of Radiofrequency Radiation Emissions from Mobile Telephony Base Stations

PubMed Central

Buckus, Raimondas; Strukčinskienė, Birute; Raistenskis, Juozas; Stukas, Rimantas; Šidlauskienė, Aurelija; Čerkauskienė, Rimantė; Isopescu, Dorina Nicolina; Stabryla, Jan; Cretescu, Igor

2017-01-01

During the last two decades, the number of macrocell mobile telephony base station antennas emitting radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in residential areas has increased significantly, and therefore much more attention is being paid to RF EMR and its effects on human health. Scientific field measurements of public exposure to RF EMR (specifically to radio frequency radiation) from macrocell mobile telephony base station antennas and RF electromagnetic field (EMF) intensity parameters in the environment are discussed in this article. The research methodology is applied according to the requirements of safety norms and Lithuanian Standards in English (LST EN). The article presents and analyses RF EMFs generated by mobile telephony base station antennas in areas accessible to the general public. Measurements of the RF electric field strength and RF EMF power density were conducted in the near- and far-fields of the mobile telephony base station antenna. Broadband and frequency-selective measurements were performed outside (on the roof and on the ground) and in a residential area. The tests performed on the roof in front of the mobile telephony base station antennas in the near-field revealed the presence of a dynamic energy interaction within the antenna electric field, which changes rapidly with distance. The RF EMF power density values on the ground at distances of 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 m from the base station are very low and are scattered within intervals of 0.002 to 0.05 μW/cm2. The results were compared with international exposure guidelines (ICNIRP). PMID:28257069

A Technical Approach to the Evaluation of Radiofrequency Radiation Emissions from Mobile Telephony Base Stations.

PubMed

Buckus, Raimondas; Strukčinskienė, Birute; Raistenskis, Juozas; Stukas, Rimantas; Šidlauskienė, Aurelija; Čerkauskienė, Rimantė; Isopescu, Dorina Nicolina; Stabryla, Jan; Cretescu, Igor

2017-03-01

During the last two decades, the number of macrocell mobile telephony base station antennas emitting radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in residential areas has increased significantly, and therefore much more attention is being paid to RF EMR and its effects on human health. Scientific field measurements of public exposure to RF EMR (specifically to radio frequency radiation) from macrocell mobile telephony base station antennas and RF electromagnetic field (EMF) intensity parameters in the environment are discussed in this article. The research methodology is applied according to the requirements of safety norms and Lithuanian Standards in English (LST EN). The article presents and analyses RF EMFs generated by mobile telephony base station antennas in areas accessible to the general public. Measurements of the RF electric field strength and RF EMF power density were conducted in the near- and far-fields of the mobile telephony base station antenna. Broadband and frequency-selective measurements were performed outside (on the roof and on the ground) and in a residential area. The tests performed on the roof in front of the mobile telephony base station antennas in the near-field revealed the presence of a dynamic energy interaction within the antenna electric field, which changes rapidly with distance. The RF EMF power density values on the ground at distances of 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 m from the base station are very low and are scattered within intervals of 0.002 to 0.05 μW/cm². The results were compared with international exposure guidelines (ICNIRP).

Wideband aperture array using RF channelizers and massively parallel digital 2D IIR filterbank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, Arindam; Madanayake, Arjuna; Gómez-García, Roberto; Engeberg, Erik D.

2014-05-01

Wideband receive-mode beamforming applications in wireless location, electronically-scanned antennas for radar, RF sensing, microwave imaging and wireless communications require digital aperture arrays that offer a relatively constant far-field beam over several octaves of bandwidth. Several beamforming schemes including the well-known true time-delay and the phased array beamformers have been realized using either finite impulse response (FIR) or fast Fourier transform (FFT) digital filter-sum based techniques. These beamforming algorithms offer the desired selectivity at the cost of a high computational complexity and frequency-dependant far-field array patterns. A novel approach to receiver beamforming is the use of massively parallel 2-D infinite impulse response (IIR) fan filterbanks for the synthesis of relatively frequency independent RF beams at an order of magnitude lower multiplier complexity compared to FFT or FIR filter based conventional algorithms. The 2-D IIR filterbanks demand fast digital processing that can support several octaves of RF bandwidth, fast analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for RF-to-bits type direct conversion of wideband antenna element signals. Fast digital implementation platforms that can realize high-precision recursive filter structures necessary for real-time beamforming, at RF radio bandwidths, are also desired. We propose a novel technique that combines a passive RF channelizer, multichannel ADC technology, and single-phase massively parallel 2-D IIR digital fan filterbanks, realized at low complexity using FPGA and/or ASIC technology. There exists native support for a larger bandwidth than the maximum clock frequency of the digital implementation technology. We also strive to achieve More-than-Moore throughput by processing a wideband RF signal having content with N-fold (B = N Fclk/2) bandwidth compared to the maximum clock frequency Fclk Hz of the digital VLSI platform under consideration. Such increase in bandwidth is achieved without use of polyphase signal processing or time-interleaved ADC methods. That is, all digital processors operate at the same Fclk clock frequency without phasing, while wideband operation is achieved by sub-sampling of narrower sub-bands at the the RF channelizer outputs.

Self-Biased 215MHz Magnetoelectric NEMS Resonator for Ultra-Sensitive DC Magnetic Field Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nan, Tianxiang; Hui, Yu; Rinaldi, Matteo; Sun, Nian X.

2013-06-01

High sensitivity magnetoelectric sensors with their electromechanical resonance frequencies < 200 kHz have been recently demonstrated using magnetostrictive/piezoelectric magnetoelectric heterostructures. In this work, we demonstrate a novel magnetoelectric nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) resonator with an electromechanical resonance frequency of 215 MHz based on an AlN/(FeGaB/Al2O3) × 10 magnetoelectric heterostructure for detecting DC magnetic fields. This magnetoelectric NEMS resonator showed a high quality factor of 735, and strong magnetoelectric coupling with a large voltage tunable sensitivity. The admittance of the magnetoelectric NEMS resonator was very sensitive to DC magnetic fields at its electromechanical resonance, which led to a new detection mechanism for ultra-sensitive self-biased RF NEMS magnetoelectric sensor with a low limit of detection of DC magnetic fields of ~300 picoTelsa. The magnetic/piezoelectric heterostructure based RF NEMS magnetoelectric sensor is compact, power efficient and readily integrated with CMOS technology, which represents a new class of ultra-sensitive magnetometers for DC and low frequency AC magnetic fields.

Local Multi-Channel RF Surface Coil versus Body RF Coil Transmission for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance at 3 Tesla: Which Configuration Is Winning the Game?

PubMed Central

Winter, Lukas; Dieringer, Matthias A.; Els, Antje; Oezerdem, Celal; Rieger, Jan; Kuehne, Andre; Cassara, Antonino M.; Pfeiffer, Harald; Wetterling, Friedrich; Niendorf, Thoralf

2016-01-01

Introduction The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using local four-channel RF coil transmission and benchmark it against large volume body RF coil excitation. Methods Electromagnetic field simulations are conducted to detail RF power deposition, transmission field uniformity and efficiency for local and body RF coil transmission. For both excitation regimes transmission field maps are acquired in a human torso phantom. For each transmission regime flip angle distributions and blood-myocardium contrast are examined in a volunteer study of 12 subjects. The feasibility of the local transceiver RF coil array for cardiac chamber quantification at 3 Tesla is demonstrated. Results Our simulations and experiments demonstrate that cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using four-channel surface RF coil transmission is competitive versus current clinical CMR practice of large volume body RF coil transmission. The efficiency advantage of the 4TX/4RX setup facilitates shorter repetition times governed by local SAR limits versus body RF coil transmission at whole-body SAR limit. No statistically significant difference was found for cardiac chamber quantification derived with body RF coil versus four-channel surface RF coil transmission. Our simulation also show that the body RF coil exceeds local SAR limits by a factor of ~2 when driven at maximum applicable input power to reach the whole-body SAR limit. Conclusion Pursuing local surface RF coil arrays for transmission in cardiac MR is a conceptually appealing alternative to body RF coil transmission, especially for patients with implants. PMID:27598923

Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating (ICRH) system used on the Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferguson, S.W.; Maxwell, T.M.; Antelman, D.R.

1985-11-11

Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating (ICRH) is part of the plasma heating system used on the TMX-U experiment. Radio frequency (RF) energy is injected into the TMX-U plasma at a frequency near the fundamental ion resonance (2 to 5 MHz). The RF fields impart high velocities to the ions in a direction perpendicular to the TMX-U magnetic field. Particle collision then converts this perpendicular heating to uniform plasma heating. This paper describes the various aspects of the ICRH system: antennas, power supplies, computer control, and data acquisition. 4 refs., 10 figs.

Photo, thermal and chemical degradation of riboflavin

PubMed Central

Kazi, Sadia Hafeez; Ahmed, Sofia; Anwar, Zubair; Ahmad, Iqbal

2014-01-01

Summary Riboflavin (RF), also known as vitamin B2, belongs to the class of water-soluble vitamins and is widely present in a variety of food products. It is sensitive to light and high temperature, and therefore, needs a consideration of these factors for its stability in food products and pharmaceutical preparations. A number of other factors have also been identified that affect the stability of RF. These factors include radiation source, its intensity and wavelength, pH, presence of oxygen, buffer concentration and ionic strength, solvent polarity and viscosity, and use of stabilizers and complexing agents. A detailed review of the literature in this field has been made and all those factors that affect the photo, thermal and chemical degradation of RF have been discussed. RF undergoes degradation through several mechanisms and an understanding of the mode of photo- and thermal degradation of RF may help in the stabilization of the vitamin. A general scheme for the photodegradation of RF is presented. PMID:25246959

Sources of Emittance in RF Photocathode Injectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dowell, David

2016-12-11

Advances in electron beam technology have been central to creating the current generation of x-ray free electron lasers and ultra-fast electron microscopes. These once exotic devices have become essential tools for basic research and applied science. One important beam technology for both is the electron source which, for many of these instruments, is the photocathode RF gun. The invention of the photocathode gun and the concepts of emittance compensation and beam matching in the presence of space charge and RF forces have made these high-quality beams possible. Achieving even brighter beams requires a taking a finer resolution view of themore » electron dynamics near the cathode during photoemission and the initial acceleration of the beam. In addition, the high brightness beam is more sensitive to degradation by the optical aberrations of the gun’s RF and magnetic lenses. This paper discusses these topics including the beam properties due to fundamental photoemission physics, space charge effects close to the cathode, and optical distortions introduced by the RF and solenoid fields. Analytic relations for these phenomena are derived and compared with numerical simulations.« less

Eight channel transmit array volume coil using on-coil radiofrequency current sources

PubMed Central

Kurpad, Krishna N.; Boskamp, Eddy B.

2014-01-01

Background At imaging frequencies associated with high-field MRI, the combined effects of increased load-coil interaction and shortened wavelength results in degradation of circular polarization and B1 field homogeneity in the imaging volume. Radio frequency (RF) shimming is known to mitigate the problem of B1 field inhomogeneity. Transmit arrays with well decoupled transmitting elements enable accurate B1 field pattern control using simple, non-iterative algorithms. Methods An eight channel transmit array was constructed. Each channel consisted of a transmitting element driven by a dedicated on-coil RF current source. The coil current distributions of characteristic transverse electromagnetic (TEM) coil resonant modes were non-iteratively set up on each transmitting element and 3T MRI images of a mineral oil phantom were obtained. Results B1 field patterns of several linear and quadrature TEM coil resonant modes that typically occur at different resonant frequencies were replicated at 128 MHz without having to retune the transmit array. The generated B1 field patterns agreed well with simulation in most cases. Conclusions Independent control of current amplitude and phase on each transmitting element was demonstrated. The transmit array with on-coil RF current sources enables B1 field shimming in a simple and predictable manner. PMID:24834418

Fabrication and radio frequency test of large-area MgB 2 films on niobium substrates

DOE PAGES

Ni, Zhimao; Guo, Xin; Welander, Paul B.; ...

2017-01-19

Magnesium diboride (MgB 2) is a promising candidate material for superconducting radio frequency (RF) cavities because of its higher transition temperature and critical field compared with niobium. To meet the demand of RF test devices, the fabrication of large-area MgB 2 films on metal substrates is needed. Here, in this work, high quality MgB 2 films with 50 mm diameter were fabricated on niobium by using an improved HPCVD system at Peking University, and RF tests were carried out at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The transition temperature is approximately 39.6 K and the RF surface resistance is about 120 μΩmore » at 4 K and 11.4 GHz. Finally, the fabrication processes, surface morphology, DC superconducting properties and RF tests of these large-area MgB 2 films are presented.« less

Fabrication and radio frequency test of large-area MgB 2 films on niobium substrates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ni, Zhimao; Guo, Xin; Welander, Paul B.

Magnesium diboride (MgB 2) is a promising candidate material for superconducting radio frequency (RF) cavities because of its higher transition temperature and critical field compared with niobium. To meet the demand of RF test devices, the fabrication of large-area MgB 2 films on metal substrates is needed. Here, in this work, high quality MgB 2 films with 50 mm diameter were fabricated on niobium by using an improved HPCVD system at Peking University, and RF tests were carried out at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The transition temperature is approximately 39.6 K and the RF surface resistance is about 120 μΩmore » at 4 K and 11.4 GHz. Finally, the fabrication processes, surface morphology, DC superconducting properties and RF tests of these large-area MgB 2 films are presented.« less

E-H mode transition of a high-power inductively coupled plasma torch at atmospheric pressure with a metallic confinement tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altenberend, Jochen; Chichignoud, Guy; Delannoy, Yves

2012-08-01

Inductively coupled plasma torches need high ignition voltages for the E-H mode transition and are therefore difficult to operate. In order to reduce the ignition voltage of an RF plasma torch with a metallic confinement tube the E-H mode transition was studied. A Tesla coil was used to create a spark discharge and the E-H mode transition of the plasma was then filmed using a high-speed camera. The electrical potential of the metallic confinement tube was measured using a high-voltage probe. It was found that an arc between the grounded injector and the metallic confinement tube is maintained by the electric field (E-mode). The transition to H-mode occurred at high magnetic fields when the arc formed a loop. The ignition voltage could be reduced by connecting the metallic confinement tube with a capacitor to the RF generator.

Formation of a quasi-hollow beam of high-energy heavy ions using a multicell resonance RF deflector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minaev, S. A.; Sitnikov, A. L.; Golubev, A. A.; Kulevoy, T. V.

2012-09-01

The generation of matter in an extreme state with precisely measurable parameters is of great interest for contemporary physics. One way of obtaining such a state is to irradiate the end of a hollow cylindrical shell at the center of which a test material is kept at a temperature of several Kelvin by an annular beam of high-energy heavy ions. Under the action of the beam, the shell starts explosively expanding both outwards and inwards, compressing the material to an extremely high pressure without subjecting it to direct heating. A method of producing a hollow cylindrical beam of high-energy heavy ions using a resonance rf deflector is described. The deflection of the beam in two transverse directions by means of an rf electric field allows it to rotate about the longitudinal axis and irradiate an annular domain on the end face of the target.

Use of a radio frequency shield during 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging: experimental evaluation.

PubMed

Favazza, Christopher P; King, Deirdre M; Edmonson, Heidi A; Felmlee, Joel P; Rossman, Phillip J; Hangiandreou, Nicholas J; Watson, Robert E; Gorny, Krzysztof R

2014-01-01

Radiofrequency (RF) shields have been recently developed for the purpose of shielding portions of the patient's body during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. We present an experimental evaluation of a commercially available RF shield in the MRI environment. All tests were performed on 1.5 T and 3.0 T clinical MRI scanners. The tests were repeated with and without the RF shield present in the bore, for comparison. Effects of the shield, placed within the scanner bore, on the RF fields generated by the scanner were measured directly using tuned pick-up coils. Attenuation, by as much as 35 dB, of RF field power was found inside the RF shield. These results were supported by temperature measurements of metallic leads placed inside the shield, in which no measurable RF heating was found. In addition, there was a small, simultaneous detectable increase (∼1 dB) of RF power just outside the edges of the shield. For these particular scanners, the autocalibrated RF power levels were reduced for scan locations prescribed just outside the edges of the shield, which corresponded with estimations based on the pick-up coil measurements. Additionally, no significant heating during MRI scanning was observed on the shield surface. The impact of the RF shield on the RF fields inside the magnet bore is likely to be dependent on the particular model of the RF shield or the MRI scanner. These results suggest that the RF shield could be a valuable tool for clinical MRI practices.

Use of a radio frequency shield during 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging: experimental evaluation

PubMed Central

Favazza, Christopher P; King, Deirdre M; Edmonson, Heidi A; Felmlee, Joel P; Rossman, Phillip J; Hangiandreou, Nicholas J; Watson, Robert E; Gorny, Krzysztof R

2014-01-01

Radiofrequency (RF) shields have been recently developed for the purpose of shielding portions of the patient’s body during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. We present an experimental evaluation of a commercially available RF shield in the MRI environment. All tests were performed on 1.5 T and 3.0 T clinical MRI scanners. The tests were repeated with and without the RF shield present in the bore, for comparison. Effects of the shield, placed within the scanner bore, on the RF fields generated by the scanner were measured directly using tuned pick-up coils. Attenuation, by as much as 35 dB, of RF field power was found inside the RF shield. These results were supported by temperature measurements of metallic leads placed inside the shield, in which no measurable RF heating was found. In addition, there was a small, simultaneous detectable increase (∼1 dB) of RF power just outside the edges of the shield. For these particular scanners, the autocalibrated RF power levels were reduced for scan locations prescribed just outside the edges of the shield, which corresponded with estimations based on the pick-up coil measurements. Additionally, no significant heating during MRI scanning was observed on the shield surface. The impact of the RF shield on the RF fields inside the magnet bore is likely to be dependent on the particular model of the RF shield or the MRI scanner. These results suggest that the RF shield could be a valuable tool for clinical MRI practices. PMID:25378957

Extended RF shimming: Sequence‐level parallel transmission optimization applied to steady‐state free precession MRI of the heart

PubMed Central

Price, Anthony N.; Padormo, Francesco; Hajnal, Joseph V.; Malik, Shaihan J.

2017-01-01

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at high field presents challenges because of the high specific absorption rate and significant transmit field (B 1 +) inhomogeneities. Parallel transmission MRI offers the ability to correct for both issues at the level of individual radiofrequency (RF) pulses, but must operate within strict hardware and safety constraints. The constraints are themselves affected by sequence parameters, such as the RF pulse duration and TR, meaning that an overall optimal operating point exists for a given sequence. This work seeks to obtain optimal performance by performing a ‘sequence‐level’ optimization in which pulse sequence parameters are included as part of an RF shimming calculation. The method is applied to balanced steady‐state free precession cardiac MRI with the objective of minimizing TR, hence reducing the imaging duration. Results are demonstrated using an eight‐channel parallel transmit system operating at 3 T, with an in vivo study carried out on seven male subjects of varying body mass index (BMI). Compared with single‐channel operation, a mean‐squared‐error shimming approach leads to reduced imaging durations of 32 ± 3% with simultaneous improvement in flip angle homogeneity of 32 ± 8% within the myocardium. PMID:28195684

Fast wave experiments in LAPD: RF sheaths, convective cells and density modifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.; van Compernolle, B.; Martin, M.; Gekelman, W.; Pribyl, P.; van Eester, D.; Crombe, K.; Perkins, R.; Lau, C.; Martin, E.; Caughman, J.; Tripathi, S. K. P.; Vincena, S.

2017-10-01

An overview is presented of recent work on ICRF physics at the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. The LAPD has typical plasma parameters ne 1012 -1013 cm-3, Te 1 - 10 eV and B 1000 G. A new high-power ( 150 kW) RF system and fast wave antenna have been developed for LAPD. The source runs at a frequency of 2.4 MHz, corresponding to 1 - 7fci , depending on plasma parameters. Evidence of rectified RF sheaths is seen in large increases ( 10Te) in the plasma potential on field lines connected to the antenna. The rectified potential scales linearly with antenna current. The rectified RF sheaths set up convective cells of local E × B flows, measured indirectly by potential measurements, and measured directly with Mach probes. At high antenna powers substantial modifications of the density profile were observed. The plasma density profile initially exhibits transient low frequency oscillations (10 kHz). The amplitude of the fast wave fields in the core plasma is modulated at the same low frequency, suggesting fast wave coupling is affected by the density rearrangement. Work performed at the Basic Plasma Science Facility, supported jointly by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

Extended RF shimming: Sequence-level parallel transmission optimization applied to steady-state free precession MRI of the heart.

PubMed

Beqiri, Arian; Price, Anthony N; Padormo, Francesco; Hajnal, Joseph V; Malik, Shaihan J

2017-06-01

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at high field presents challenges because of the high specific absorption rate and significant transmit field (B 1 + ) inhomogeneities. Parallel transmission MRI offers the ability to correct for both issues at the level of individual radiofrequency (RF) pulses, but must operate within strict hardware and safety constraints. The constraints are themselves affected by sequence parameters, such as the RF pulse duration and TR, meaning that an overall optimal operating point exists for a given sequence. This work seeks to obtain optimal performance by performing a 'sequence-level' optimization in which pulse sequence parameters are included as part of an RF shimming calculation. The method is applied to balanced steady-state free precession cardiac MRI with the objective of minimizing TR, hence reducing the imaging duration. Results are demonstrated using an eight-channel parallel transmit system operating at 3 T, with an in vivo study carried out on seven male subjects of varying body mass index (BMI). Compared with single-channel operation, a mean-squared-error shimming approach leads to reduced imaging durations of 32 ± 3% with simultaneous improvement in flip angle homogeneity of 32 ± 8% within the myocardium. © 2017 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Electric field metrology for SI traceability: Systematic measurement uncertainties in electromagnetically induced transparency in atomic vapor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holloway, Christopher L.; Simons, Matt T.; Gordon, Joshua A.; Dienstfrey, Andrew; Anderson, David A.; Raithel, Georg

2017-06-01

We investigate the relationship between the Rabi frequency (ΩRF, related to the applied electric field) and Autler-Townes (AT) splitting, when performing atom-based radio-frequency (RF) electric (E) field strength measurements using Rydberg states and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in an atomic vapor. The AT splitting satisfies, under certain conditions, a well-defined linear relationship with the applied RF field amplitude. The EIT/AT-based E-field measurement approach derived from these principles is currently being investigated by several groups around the world as a means to develop a new SI-traceable RF E-field measurement technique. We establish conditions under which the measured AT-splitting is an approximately linear function of the RF electric field. A quantitative description of systematic deviations from the linear relationship is key to exploiting EIT/AT-based atomic-vapor spectroscopy for SI-traceable field measurement. We show that the linear relationship is valid and can be used to determine the E-field strength, with minimal error, as long as the EIT linewidth is small compared to the AT-splitting. We also discuss interesting aspects of the thermal dependence (i.e., hot- versus cold-atom) of this EIT-AT technique. An analysis of the transition from cold- to hot-atom EIT in a Doppler-mismatched cascade system reveals a significant change of the dependence of the EIT linewidth on the optical Rabi frequencies and of the AT-splitting on ΩRF.

Rapid Radiofrequency Field Mapping In Vivo Using Single-Shot STEAM MRI

PubMed Central

Helms, Gunther; Finsterbusch, Jürgen; Weiskopf, Nikolaus; Dechent, Peter

2008-01-01

Higher field strengths entail less homogeneous RF fields. This may influence quantitative MRI and MRS. A method for rapidly mapping the RF field in the human head with minimal distortion was developed on the basis of a single-shot stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequence. The flip angle of the second RF pulse in the STEAM preparation was set to 60° and 100° instead of 90°, inducing a flip angle-dependent signal change. A quadratic approximation of this trigonometric signal dependence together with a calibration accounting for slice excitation-related bias allowed for directly determining the RF field from the two measurements only. RF maps down to the level of the medulla could be obtained in less than 1 min and registered to anatomical volumes by means of the T2-weighted STEAM images. Flip angles between 75% and 125% of the nominal value were measured in line with other methods. Magn Reson Med 60:739–743, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. PMID:18727090

Auxiliary coil controls temperature of RF induction heater

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1966-01-01

Auxiliary coil controls the temperature of an RF induction furnace that is powered by a relatively unstable RF generator. Manual or servoed adjustments of the relative position of the auxiliary coil, which is placed in close proximity to the RF coil, changes the looseness of the RF coil and hence the corresponding heating effect of its RF field.

High field gradient particle accelerator

DOEpatents

Nation, John A.; Greenwald, Shlomo

1989-01-01

A high electric field gradient electron accelerator utilizing short duration, microwave radiation, and capable of operating at high field gradients for high energy physics applications or at reduced electric field gradients for high average current intermediate energy accelerator applications. Particles are accelerated in a smooth bore, periodic undulating waveguide, wherein the period is so selected that the particles slip an integral number of cycles of the r.f. wave every period of the structure. This phase step of the particles produces substantially continuous acceleration in a traveling wave without transverse magnetic or other guide means for the particle.

Review of the Frontier Workshop and Q-slope results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gianluigi Ciovati

Over the last few years, significant progress has been made to produce field emission free niobium surfaces. Nowadays, the major limitation towards achieving the critical field in radio-frequency (rf) superconducting cavities made of bulk niobium of high purity is represented by the so-called ''high field Q-slope'' or ''Q-drop''. This phenomenon is characterized by a sharp decrease of the cavity quality factor, in absence of field emission, starting at a peak surface magnetic field of the order of 100 mT. It has been observed that these losses are usually reduced by a low-temperature ''in-situ'' baking, typically at 100-120 C for 24-48more » h. Several models have been proposed to explain the high field Q-slope and many experiments have been conducted in different laboratories to validate such models. A three-day workshop was held in Argonne in September 2004 to present and discuss experimental and theoretical results on the present limitations of superconducting rf cavities. In this paper, we will focus on the high field Q-slope by reviewing the results presented at the workshop along with other experimental data. In order to explain the Q-drop and the baking effect we will discuss an improved version of the oxygen diffusion model.« less

BLIPPED (BLIpped Pure Phase EncoDing) high resolution MRI with low amplitude gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Dan; Balcom, Bruce J.

2017-12-01

MRI image resolution is proportional to the maximum k-space value, i.e. the temporal integral of the magnetic field gradient. High resolution imaging usually requires high gradient amplitudes and/or long spatial encoding times. Special gradient hardware is often required for high amplitudes and fast switching. We propose a high resolution imaging sequence that employs low amplitude gradients. This method was inspired by the previously proposed PEPI (π Echo Planar Imaging) sequence, which replaced EPI gradient reversals with multiple RF refocusing pulses. It has been shown that when the refocusing RF pulse is of high quality, i.e. sufficiently close to 180°, the magnetization phase introduced by the spatial encoding magnetic field gradient can be preserved and transferred to the following echo signal without phase rewinding. This phase encoding scheme requires blipped gradients that are identical for each echo, with low and constant amplitude, providing opportunities for high resolution imaging. We now extend the sequence to 3D pure phase encoding with low amplitude gradients. The method is compared with the Hybrid-SESPI (Spin Echo Single Point Imaging) technique to demonstrate the advantages in terms of low gradient duty cycle, compensation of concomitant magnetic field effects and minimal echo spacing, which lead to superior image quality and high resolution. The 3D imaging method was then applied with a parallel plate resonator RF probe, achieving a nominal spatial resolution of 17 μm in one dimension in the 3D image, requiring a maximum gradient amplitude of only 5.8 Gauss/cm.

Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) Method and Probe for Generating RF Magnetic Fields in Different Directions to Distinguish NQR from Acoustic Ringing Induced in a Sample

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-08-01

77,719 TITLE OF THE INVENTION NUCLEAR QUADRUPOLE RESONANCE ( NQR ) METHOD AND PROBE FOR GENERATING RF MAGNETIC FIELDS IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS TO...DISTINGUISH NQR FROM ACOUSTIC RINGING INDUCED IN A SAMPLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a...nuclear quadrupole 15 resonance ( NQR ) method and probe for generating RF magnetic fields in different directions towards a sample. More specifically

A Model-Based Fast Protection System for High-Power RF Tube Amplifiers Used at the European XFEL Accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butkowski, Łukasz; Vogel, Vladimir; Schlarb, Holger; Szabatin, Jerzy

2017-06-01

The driving engine of the superconducting accelerator of the European X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) is a set of 27 radio frequency (RF) stations. Each of the underground RF stations consists of a multibeam horizontal klystron that can provide up to 10 MW of power at 1.3 GHz. Klystrons are sensitive devices with a limited lifetime and a high mean time between failures. In real operation, the lifetime of the tube can be significantly reduced because of failures. The special fast protection klystron lifetime management (KLM) system has been developed to minimize the influence of service conditions on the lifetime of klystrons. The main task of this system is to detect all events which can destroy the tube as quickly as possible, and switch off the driving RF signal or the high voltage. Detection of events is based on a comparison of the value of the real signal obtained at the system output with the value estimated on the basis of a high-power RF amplifier model and input signals. The KLM system has been realized in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and implemented in XFEL. Implementation is based on the standard low-level RF micro telecommunications computing architecture (MTCA.4 or xTCA). The main part of the paper focuses on an estimation of the klystron model and the implementation of KLM in FPGA. The results of the performance of the KLM system will also be presented.

Exploring channeling optimized radiofrequency energy: a review of radiofrequency history and applications in esthetic fields.

PubMed

Belenky, Inna; Margulis, Ariel; Elman, Monica; Bar-Yosef, Udi; Paun, Silviu D

2012-03-01

Because of its high efficiency and safety, radiofrequency (RF) energy is widely used in the dermatological field for heating biological tissue in various esthetic applications, including skin tightening, skin lifting, body contouring, and cellulite reduction. This paper reviews the literature on the use of nonablative RF energy in the esthetic field and its scientific background. The purpose of this article is to describe in detail the extensive use of medical devices based on RF technology, the development of these medical devices over the years, and recent developments and trends in RF technology. The authors conducted a systematic search of publications that address safety and efficacy issues, technical system specifications, and clinical techniques. Finally, the authors focused on their own clinical experiences with the use of patented Channeling Optimized RF Energy technique and mechanical massage. An in-vivo study was conducted in domestic pigs, with a thermal video camera. Twenty-seven female patients participated in a cellulite and body shaping study. The treatments were conducted according to a three-phase protocol. An additional 16 females participated in a skin tightening case study. All of the patients underwent three treatment sessions at 3-week intervals, each according to a protocol specific to the area being treated. The review of the literature on RF-based systems revealed that these systems are safe, with low risks for potential side effects, and effective for cellulite, body contouring, and skin tightening procedures. The in-vivo measurements confirmed the theory that the penetration depth of RF is an inverse function of its frequency, and using a vacuum mechanism makes an additional contribution to the RF energy penetration. The heating effect of RF was also found to increase blood circulation and to induce collagen remodeling. The results from the cellulite and body shaping treatments showed an overall average improvement of 55% in the appearance of cellulite, with an average circumferential reduction of 3.31 cm in the buttocks, 2.94 cm in the thighs, and 2.14 cm in the abdomen. The results from the skin tightening procedure showed moderate improvement of skin appearance in 50% and significant improvement in 31%. At the follow-up visits the results were found to be sustained without any significant side effects. Of all tissue heating techniques, RF-based technologies appear to be the most established and clinically proven. The design and specifications of the described vacuumassisted bipolar RF device fall within the range of the specifications currently prescribed for esthetic, nonablative RF systems.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mutic, S; Low, D; Chmielewski, T

Purpose: To describe the design and characteristics of a novel linac-based MRI guided radiation therapy system that addresses RF and magnetic field interference and that can be housed in conventional radiotherapy vaults. Methods: The MR-IGRT system will provide simultaneous MR imaging combined with both simple (3D) and complex (IMRT, SBRT, SRS) techniques. The system is a combination of a) double-donut split solenoidal superconducting 0.345T MRI; and b) a 90 cm isocenter ring-gantry mounted 6MV, flattening filter-free linac coupled with a stacked doubly-focused multileaf collimator with 4 mm resolution. A novel RF shielding and absorption technology was developed to isolate themore » beam generating RF emissions from the MR, while a novel magnetic shielding sleeve system was developed to place the magnetic field-sensitive components in low-magnetic field regions. The system design produces high spatial resolution radiation beams with state-of-the art radiation dose characteristics and simultaneous MR imaging. Results: Prototype testing with a spectrum analyzer has demonstrated complete elimination of linac RF inside the treatment room. The magnetic field inside of the magnetic shielding was well below the specification, allowing the linear accelerator to operate normally. A novel on-gantry shimming system maintained < 25 ppm magnetic field homogeneity over a 45 cm spherical field of view for all gantry angles. Conclusion: The system design demonstrates the feasibility coupling a state-of-the art linac system with a 0.345T MRI, enabling highly conformal radiation therapy with simultaneous MR image guidance. S. Mutic’s employer (Washington University) has grant with ViewRay; D. Low is former ViewRay scientific advisory board member (ended October 2015); T. Chmielewski, G. Fought, M. Hernandez, I. Kawrakow, A. Sharma, S. Shvartsman, J. Dempsey are employees of ViewRay with stock options (Dempsey has leadership role and Dempsey/Kawrakow have stock).« less

Poster - Thur Eve - 13: Quantifying specific absorption rate of shielded RF coils through electromagnetic simulations for 7-T MRI.

PubMed

Belliveau, J-G; Gilbert, K M; Abou-Khousa, M; Menon, R S

2012-07-01

Ultra-high field MRI has many advantages such as increasing spatial resolution and exploiting contrast never before seen in-vivo. This contrast has been shown to be beneficial for many applications such as monitoring early and late effect to radiation therapy and transient changes during disease to name a few. However, at higher field strengths the RF wave, needed to for transmitting and receiving signal, approaches that of the head. This leads to constructive and deconstructive interference and a non -uniform flip angle over the volume being imaged. A transmit or transceive RF surface coil arrays is currently a method of choice to overcome this problem; however, mutual inductance between elements poses a significant challenge for the designer. A method to decouple elements in such an array is by using circumferential shielding; however, the potential benefits and/or disadvantages have not been investigated. This abstract primarily focuses on understanding power deposition - measured through Specific Absorption Rate - in the sample using circumferentially shielded RF coils. Various geometries of circumferentially shielded coils are explored to determine the behaviour of shield width and its effect on required transmit power and power deposition to the sample. Our results indicate that there is an optimization on shield width depending on the imaging depth. Additionally, the circumferential shield focuses the field more than unshielded coils, meaning that slight SAR may even be lower for circumferential shielded RF coils in array. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Exposure system to study hypotheses of ELF and RF electromagnetic field interactions of mobile phones with the central nervous system.

PubMed

Murbach, Manuel; Christopoulou, Maria; Crespo-Valero, Pedro; Achermann, Peter; Kuster, Niels

2012-09-01

A novel exposure system for double-blind human electromagnetic provocation studies has been developed that satisfies the precision, control of fields and potential artifacts, and provides the flexibility to investigate the response of hypotheses-driven electromagnetic field exposure schemes on brain function, ranging from extremely low frequency (ELF) to radio frequency (RF) fields. The system can provide the same exposure of the lateral cerebral cortex at two different RF frequencies (900 and 2140 MHz) but with different exposure levels at subcortical structures, and also allows uniform ELF magnetic field exposure of the brain. The RF modulation and ELF signal are obtained by a freely programmable arbitrary signal generator allowing a wide range of worst-case exposure scenarios to be simulated, including those caused by wireless devices. The maximum achievable RF exposure is larger than 60 W/kg peak spatial specific absorption rate averaged over 10 g of tissue. The maximum ELF magnetic field exposure of the brain is 800 A/m at 50 Hz with a deviation from uniformity of 8% (SD). Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Radio-frequency measurements of UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in high magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsmadi, A. M.; Alyones, S.; Mielke, C. H.; McDonald, R. D.; Zapf, V.; Altarawneh, M. M.; Lacerda, A.; Chang, S.; Adak, S.; Kothapalli, K.; Nakotte, H.

2009-11-01

We performed radio-frequency (RF) skin-depth measurements of antiferromagnetic UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in magnetic fields up to 60 T and at temperatures between 1.4 to ~60 K. Magnetic fields are applied along different crystallographic directions and RF penetration-depth was measured using a tunnel-diode oscillator (TDO) circuit. The sample is coupled to the inductive element of a TDO resonant tank circuit, and the shift in the resonant frequency Δ f of the circuit is measured. The UNiX compounds exhibit field-induced magnetic transitions at low temperatures, and those transitions are accompanied by a drastic change in Δ f. The results of our skin-depth measurements were compared with previously published B- T phase diagrams for these three compounds.

Neutron resonance spin echo with longitudinal DC fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krautloher, Maximilian; Kindervater, Jonas; Keller, Thomas; Häußler, Wolfgang

2016-12-01

We report on the design, construction, and performance of a neutron resonance spin echo (NRSE) instrument employing radio frequency (RF) spin flippers combining RF fields with DC fields, the latter oriented parallel (longitudinal) to the neutron propagation direction (longitudinal NRSE (LNRSE)). The advantage of the longitudinal configuration is the inherent homogeneity of the effective magnetic path integrals. In the center of the RF coils, the sign of the spin precession phase is inverted by a π flip of the neutron spins, such that non-uniform spin precession at the boundaries of the RF flippers is canceled. The residual inhomogeneity can be reduced by Fresnel- or Pythagoras-coils as in the case of conventional spin echo instruments (neutron spin echo (NSE)). Due to the good intrinsic homogeneity of the B0 coils, the current densities required for the correction coils are at least a factor of three less than in conventional NSE. As the precision and the current density of the correction coils are the limiting factors for the resolution of both NSE and LNRSE, the latter has the intrinsic potential to surpass the energy resolution of present NSE instruments. Our prototype LNRSE spectrometer described here was implemented at the resonance spin echo for diverse applications (RESEDA) beamline at the MLZ in Garching, Germany. The DC fields are generated by B0 coils, based on resistive split-pair solenoids with an active shielding for low stray fields along the beam path. One pair of RF flippers at a distance of 2 m generates a field integral of ˜0.5 Tm. The LNRSE technique is a future alternative for high-resolution spectroscopy of quasi-elastic excitations. In addition, it also incorporates the MIEZE technique, which allows to achieve spin echo resolution for spin depolarizing samples and sample environments. Here we present the results of numerical optimization of the coil geometry and first data from the prototype instrument.

Mobile phone base station radiation does not affect neoplastic transformation in BALB/3T3 cells.

PubMed

Hirose, H; Suhara, T; Kaji, N; Sakuma, N; Sekijima, M; Nojima, T; Miyakoshi, J

2008-01-01

A large-scale in vitro study focusing on low-level radiofrequency (RF) fields from mobile radio base stations employing the International Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) cellular system was conducted to test the hypothesis that modulated RF fields affect malignant transformation or other cellular stress responses. Our group previously reported that DNA strand breaks were not induced in human cells exposed to 2.1425 GHz Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) radiation up to 800 mW/kg from mobile radio base stations employing the IMT-2000 cellular system. In the current study, BALB/3T3 cells were continuously exposed to 2.1425 GHz W-CDMA RF fields at specific absorption rates (SARs) of 80 and 800 mW/kg for 6 weeks and malignant cell transformation was assessed. In addition, 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA)-treated cells were exposed to RF fields in a similar fashion, to assess for effects on tumor promotion. Finally, the effect of RF fields on tumor co-promotion was assessed in BALB/3T3 cells initiated with MCA and co-exposed to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). At the end of the incubation period, transformation dishes were fixed, stained with Giemsa, and scored for morphologically transformed foci. No significant differences in transformation frequency were observed between the test groups exposed to RF signals and the sham-exposed negative controls in the non-, MCA-, or MCA plus TPA-treated cells. Our studies found no evidence to support the hypothesis that RF fields may affect malignant transformation. Our results suggest that exposure to low-level RF radiation of up to 800 mW/kg does not induce cell transformation, which causes tumor formation. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Insight into RF power requirements and B1 field homogeneity for human MRI via rigorous FDTD approach.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Tamer S; Tang, Lin

2007-06-01

To study the dependence of radiofrequency (RF) power deposition on B(0) field strength for different loads and excitation mechanisms. Studies were performed utilizing a finite difference time domain (FDTD) model that treats the transmit array and the load as a single system. Since it was possible to achieve homogenous excitations across the human head model by varying the amplitudes/phases of the voltages driving the transmit array, studies of the RF power/B(0) field strength (frequency) dependence were achievable under well-defined/fixed/homogenous RF excitation. Analysis illustrating the regime in which the RF power is dependent on the square of the operating frequency is presented. Detailed studies focusing on the RF power requirements as a function of number of excitation ports, driving mechanism, and orientations/positioning within the load are presented. With variable phase/amplitude excitation, as a function of frequency, the peak-then-decrease relation observed in the upper axial slices of brain with quadrature excitation becomes more evident in the lower slices as well. Additionally, homogeneity optimization targeted at minimizing the ratio of maximum/minimum B(1) (+) field intensity within the region of interest, typically results in increased RF power requirements (standard deviation was not considered in this study). Increasing the number of excitation ports, however, can result in significant RF power reduction. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Maximum powers of low-loss series-shunt FET RF switches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Z.; Hu, X.; Yang, J.; Simin, G.; Shur, M.; Gaska, R.

2009-02-01

Low-loss high-power single pole single throw (SPST) monolithic RF switch based on AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs) demonstrate the insertion loss and isolation of 0.15 dB and 45.9 dB at 0.5 GHz and 0.23 dB and 34.3 dB at 2 GHz. Maximum switching powers are estimated +47 dBm or higher. Factors determining the maximum switching powers are analyzed. Design principles to obtain equally high switching powers in the ON and OFF-states are developed.

Sucrose modulation of radiofrequency-induced heating rates and cell death.

PubMed

Pulikkathara, Merlyn; Mark, Colette; Kumar, Natasha; Zaske, Ana Maria; Serda, Rita E

2017-09-01

Applied radiofrequency (RF) energy induces hyperthermia in tissues, facilitating vascular perfusion This study explores the impact of RF radiation on the integrity of the luminal endothelium, and then predominately explores the impact of altering the conductivity of biologically-relevant solutions on RF-induced heating rates and cell death. The ability of cells to survive high sucrose (i.e. hyperosmotic conditions) to achieve lower conductivity as a mechanism for directing hyperthermia is evaluated. RF radiation was generated using a capacitively-coupled radiofrequency system operating at 13.56 MHz. Temperatures were recorded using a FLIR SC 6000 infrared camera. RF radiation reduced cell-to-cell connections among endothelial cells and altered cell morphology towards a more rounded appearance at temperatures reported to cause in vivo vessel deformation. Isotonic solutions containing high sucrose and low levels of NaCl displayed low conductivity and faster heating rates compared to high salt solutions. Heating rates were positively correlated with cell death. Addition of sucrose to serum similarly reduced conductivity and increased heating rates in a dose-dependent manner. Cellular proliferation was normal for cells grown in media supplemented with 125 mM sucrose for 24 hours or for cells grown in 750 mM sucrose for 10 minutes followed by a 24 h recovery period. Sucrose is known to form weak hydrogen bonds in fluids as opposed to ions, freeing water molecules to rotate in an oscillating field of electromagnetic radiation and contributing to heat induction. The ability of cells to survive temporal exposures to hyperosmotic (i.e. elevated sucrose) conditions creates an opportunity to use sucrose or other saccharides to selectively elevate heating in specific tissues upon exposure to a radiofrequency field.

Acoustic pressure waves induced in human heads by RF pulses from high-field MRI scanners.

PubMed

Lin, James C; Wang, Zhangwei

2010-04-01

The current evolution toward greater image resolution from magnetic resonance image (MRI) scanners has prompted the exploration of higher strength magnetic fields and use of higher levels of radio frequencies (RFs). Auditory perception of RF pulses by humans has been reported during MRI with head coils. It has shown that the mechanism of interaction for the auditory effect is caused by an RF pulse-induced thermoelastic pressure wave inside the head. We report a computational study of the intensity and frequency of thermoelastic pressure waves generated by RF pulses in the human head inside high-field MRI and clinical scanners. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) guides limit the local specific absorption rate (SAR) in the body-including the head-to 8 W kg(-1). We present results as functions of SAR and show that for a given SAR the peak acoustic pressures generated in the anatomic head model were essentially the same at 64, 300, and 400 MHz (1.5, 7.0, and 9.4 T). Pressures generated in the anatomic head are comparable to the threshold pressure of 20 mPa for sound perception by humans at the cochlea for 4 W kg(-1). Moreover, results indicate that the peak acoustic pressure in the brain is only 2 to 3 times the auditory threshold at the U.S. FDA guideline of 8 W kg(-1). Even at a high SAR of 20 W kg(-1), where the acoustic pressure in the brain could be more than 7 times the auditory threshold, the sound pressure levels would not be more than 17 db above threshold of perception at the cochlea.

Field-free junctions for surface electrode ion traps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordens, Robert; Schmied, R.; Blain, M. G.; Leibfried, D.; Wineland, D.

2015-05-01

Intersections between transport guides in a network of RF ion traps are a key ingredient to many implementations of scalable quantum information processing with trapped ions. Several junction architectures demonstrated so far are limited by varying radial secular frequencies, a reduced trap depth, or a non-vanishing RF field along the transport channel. We report on the design and progress in implementing a configurable microfabricated surface electrode Y-junction that employs switchable RF electrodes. An essentially RF-field-free pseudopotential guide between any two legs of the junction can be established by applying RF potential to a suitable pair of electrodes. The transport channel's height above the electrodes, its depth and radial curvature are constant to within 15%. Supported by IARPA, Sandia, NSA, ONR, and the NIST Quantum Information Program.

Enhanced modulation rates via field modulation in spin torque nano-oscillators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Purbawati, A.; Garcia-Sanchez, F.; Buda-Prejbeanu, L. D.

Spin Transfer Nano-Oscillators (STNOs) are promising candidates for telecommunications applications due to their frequency tuning capabilities via either a dc current or an applied field. This frequency tuning is of interest for Frequency Shift Keying concepts to be used in wireless communication schemes or in read head applications. For these technological applications, one important parameter is the characterization of the maximum achievable rate at which an STNO can respond to a modulating signal, such as current or field. Previous studies of in-plane magnetized STNOs on frequency modulation via an rf current revealed that the maximum achievable rate is limited bymore » the amplitude relaxation rate Γ{sub p}, which gives the time scale over which amplitude fluctuations are damped out. This might be a limitation for applications. Here, we demonstrate via numerical simulation that application of an additional rf field is an alternative way for modulation of the in-plane magnetized STNO configuration, which has the advantage that frequency modulation is not limited by the amplitude relaxation rate, so that higher modulation rates above GHz are achievable. This occurs when the modulating rf field is oriented along the easy axis (longitudinal rf field). Tilting the direction of the modulating rf field in-plane and perpendicularly with respect to the easy axis (transverse rf field), the modulation is again limited by the amplitude relaxation rate similar to the response observed in current modulation.« less

Far-Field RF Sheaths due to Shear Alfvén Waves in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Michael; van Compernolle, Bart; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Pat; Carter, Troy; D'Ippolito, Daniel A.; Myra, James R.

2013-10-01

Ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) is an important tool in current fusion experiments and will be an essential heating component in ITER. ICRH could be limited by deleterious effects due to the formation of radio frequency (RF) sheaths in the near-field (at the antenna) and in the far-field (e.g. in the divertor region). Far-field sheaths are thought to be caused by the direct launch of or mode conversion to a shear Alfvén wave with an electric field component parallel to the background magnetic field at the wall. In this experiment a limiter plate was inserted into a cylindrical plasma in the LAPD (ne ~ 1010-11 cm-3, Te ~ 5 eV, B0 = 1.2 kG) and RF sheaths were created by directly launching the shear Alfven wave. Plasma potential measurements were made with an emissive probe. DC plasma potential rectification was observed along field lines connected to the plate, serving as an indirect measure of RF sheath formation. 2-D maps of plasma properties and rectified plasma potential will be presented. This research is part of an ongoing campaign to study the formation and structure of RF sheaths.

Nonlinear optical modulation in a plasmonic Bi:YIG Mach-Zehnder interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firby, C. J.; Elezzabi, A. Y.

2017-02-01

In this work, we propose a magnetoplasmonic modulator for nonlinear radio-frequency (RF) modulation of an integrated optical signal. The modulator consists of a plasmonic Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), constructed of the ferrimagnetic garnet, bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi:YIG). The transverse component of the Bi:YIG magnetization induces a nonreciprocal phase shift (NRPS) onto the guided optical mode, which can be actively modulated through external magnetic fields. In an MZI, the modulated phase shift in turn modulates the output optical intensity. Due to the highly nonlinear evolution of the Bi:YIG magnetization, we show that the spectrum of the output modulated intensity signal can contain harmonics of the driving RF field, frequency splitting around the driving frequency, down-conversion, or mixing of multiple RF signals. This device provides a unique mechanism of simultaneously generating a number of modulation frequencies within a single device.

Raman Scattering in the Magnetized Semiconductor Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jankauskas, Zigmantas; Kvedaras, Vygaudas; Balevičius, Saulius

2005-04-01

Radio frequency (RF) magnetoplasmic waves known as helicons will propagate in solid-state plasmas when a strong magnetic field is applied. In our device the helicons were excited by RFs (the range 100-2000 MHz) much higher than the helicon generation frequency (the main peak at 20 MHz). The excitation of helicons in this case may be described by the effect similar to the Combination Scattering (Raman effect) when a part of the high RF wave energy that passes through the active material is absorbed and re-emitted by the magnetized solid-state plasma. It is expedient to call this experimental device a Helicon Maser (HRM) and the higher frequency e/m field - a pumping field. In full analogy with the usual Raman maser (or laser) the magnetized semiconductor sample plays the role of active material and the connecting cable - the role of high quality external resonator.

Raman Scattering in the Magnetized Semiconductor Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jankauskas, Zigmantas; Kvedaras, Vygaudas; Balevičius, Saulius

Radio frequency (RF) magnetoplasmic waves known as helicons will propagate in solid-state plasmas when a strong magnetic field is applied. In our device the helicons were excited by RFs (the range 100-2000 MHz) much higher than the helicon generation frequency (the main peak at 20 MHz). The excitation of helicons in this case may be described by the effect similar to the Combination Scattering (Raman effect) when a part of the high RF wave energy that passes through the active material is absorbed and re-emitted by the magnetized solid-state plasma. It is expedient to call this experimental device a Helicon Maser (HRM) and the higher frequency e/m field - a pumping field. In full analogy with the usual Raman maser (or laser) the magnetized semiconductor sample plays the role of active material and the connecting cable - the role of high quality external resonator.

Tuner design and RF test of a four-rod RFQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, QuanFeng; Zhu, Kun; Guo, ZhiYu; Kang, MingLei; Gao, ShuLi; Lu, YuanRong; Chen, JiaEr

2011-12-01

A mini-vane four-rod radio frequency quadruple (RFQ) accelerator has been built for neutron imaging. The RFQ will operate at 201.5 MHz, and its length is 2.7 m. The original electric field distribution along the electrodes is not flat. The resonant frequency needs to be tuned to the operating value. And the frequency needs to be compensated for temperature change during high power RF test and beam test. As tuning such a RFQ is difficult, plate tuners and stick tuners are designed. This paper will present the tuners design, the tuning procedure, and the RF properties of the RFQ.

Apparatus and process for passivating an SRF cavity

DOEpatents

Myneni, Ganapati Rao; Wallace, John P

2014-12-02

An apparatus and process for the production of a niobium cavity exhibiting high quality factors at high gradients is provided. The apparatus comprises a first chamber positioned within a second chamber, an RF generator and vacuum pumping systems. The process comprises placing the niobium cavity in a first chamber of the apparatus; thermally treating the cavity by high temperature in the first chamber while maintaining high vacuum in the first and second chambers; and applying a passivating thin film layer to a surface of the cavity in the presence of a gaseous mixture and an RF field. Further a niobium cavity exhibiting high quality factors at high gradients produced by the method of the invention is provided.

Radiofrequency heating pathways for gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Collins, C B; McCoy, R S; Ackerson, B J; Collins, G J; Ackerson, C J

2014-08-07

This feature article reviews the thermal dissipation of nanoscopic gold under radiofrequency (RF) irradiation. It also presents previously unpublished data addressing obscure aspects of this phenomenon. While applications in biology motivated initial investigation of RF heating of gold nanoparticles, recent controversy concerning whether thermal effects can be attributed to nanoscopic gold highlight the need to understand the involved mechanism or mechanisms of heating. Both the nature of the particle and the nature of the RF field influence heating. Aspects of nanoparticle chemistry which may affect thermal dissipation include the hydrodynamic diameter of the particle, the oxidation state and related magnetism of the core, and the chemical nature of the ligand shell. Aspects of RF which may affect thermal dissipation include power, frequency and antenna designs that emphasize relative strength of magnetic or electric fields. These nanoparticle and RF properties are analysed in the context of three heating mechanisms proposed to explain gold nanoparticle heating in an RF field. This article also makes a critical analysis of the existing literature in the context of the nanoparticle preparations, RF structure, and suggested mechanisms in previously reported experiments.

Random-Forest Classification of High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images and Ndsm Over Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, X. F.; Lin, X. G.

2017-09-01

As an intermediate step between raw remote sensing data and digital urban maps, remote sensing data classification has been a challenging and long-standing research problem in the community of remote sensing. In this work, an effective classification method is proposed for classifying high-resolution remote sensing data over urban areas. Starting from high resolution multi-spectral images and 3D geometry data, our method proceeds in three main stages: feature extraction, classification, and classified result refinement. First, we extract color, vegetation index and texture features from the multi-spectral image and compute the height, elevation texture and differential morphological profile (DMP) features from the 3D geometry data. Then in the classification stage, multiple random forest (RF) classifiers are trained separately, then combined to form a RF ensemble to estimate each sample's category probabilities. Finally the probabilities along with the feature importance indicator outputted by RF ensemble are used to construct a fully connected conditional random field (FCCRF) graph model, by which the classification results are refined through mean-field based statistical inference. Experiments on the ISPRS Semantic Labeling Contest dataset show that our proposed 3-stage method achieves 86.9% overall accuracy on the test data.

rf breakdown tests of mm-wave metallic accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon; ...

2016-01-06

In this study, we explore the physics and frequency-scaling of vacuum rf breakdowns at sub-THz frequencies. We present the experimental results of rf tests performed in metallic mm-wave accelerating structures. These experiments were carried out at the facility for advanced accelerator experimental tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultrarelativistic electron beam. We compared the performances of metal structures made with copper and stainless steel. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode, propagating in the structures at the speed of light, varies from 115 to 140 GHz. The traveling wavemore » structures are 0.1 m long and composed of 125 coupled cavities each. We determined the peak electric field and pulse length where the structures were not damaged by rf breakdowns. We calculated the electric and magnetic field correlated with the rf breakdowns using the FACET bunch parameters. The wakefields were calculated by a frequency domain method using periodic eigensolutions. Such a method takes into account wall losses and is applicable to a large variety of geometries. The maximum achieved accelerating gradient is 0.3 GV/m with a peak surface electric field of 1.5 GV/m and a pulse length of about 2.4 ns.« less

Electric field determination in the plasma-antenna boundary of a lower-hybrid wave launcher in Tore Supra through dynamic Stark-effect spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Martin, Elijah H.; Goniche, M.; Klepper, C. Christopher; ...

2015-04-22

Interaction of radio-frequency (RF) waves with the plasma in the near-field of a high-power wave launcher is now seen to be important, both in understanding the channeling of these waves through the plasma boundary and in avoiding power losses in the edge. In a recent Letter a direct non-intrusive measurement of a near antenna RF electric field in the range of lower hybrid (LH) frequencies (more » $$E_{LH}$$) was announced (Phys. Rev. Lett., 110:215005, 2013). The measurement was achieved through the fitting of Balmer series deuterium spectral lines utilizing a time dependent (dynamic) Stark effect model. In this article, the processing of the spectral data is discussed in detail and applied to a larger range of measurements and the accuracy and limitations of the experimental technique is investigated. We find through an analysis of numerous Tore Supra pulses that good quantitative agreement exists between the measured and full-wave modeled $$E_{LH}$$ when the launched power exceeds 0.5MW. For low power the measurement becomes formidable utilizing the implemented passive spectroscopic technique because the spectral noise overwhelms the effect of the RF electric field on the line profile. Additionally, effects of the ponderomotive force are suspected at sufficiently high power.« less

A diamond-based scanning probe spin sensor operating at low temperature in ultra-high vacuum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaefer-Nolte, E.; Wrachtrup, J.; 3rd Institute of Physics and Research Center SCoPE, University Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart

2014-01-15

We present the design and performance of an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) low temperature scanning probe microscope employing the nitrogen-vacancy color center in diamond as an ultrasensitive magnetic field sensor. Using this center as an atomic-size scanning probe has enabled imaging of nanoscale magnetic fields and single spins under ambient conditions. In this article we describe an experimental setup to operate this sensor in a cryogenic UHV environment. This will extend the applicability to a variety of molecular systems due to the enhanced target spin lifetimes at low temperature and the controlled sample preparation under UHV conditions. The instrument combines amore » tuning-fork based atomic force microscope (AFM) with a high numeric aperture confocal microscope and the facilities for application of radio-frequency (RF) fields for spin manipulation. We verify a sample temperature of <50 K even for strong laser and RF excitation and demonstrate magnetic resonance imaging with a magnetic AFM tip.« less

History and Technology Developments of Radio Frequency (RF) Systems for Particle Accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassiri, A.; Chase, B.; Craievich, P.; Fabris, A.; Frischholz, H.; Jacob, J.; Jensen, E.; Jensen, M.; Kustom, R.; Pasquinelli, R.

2016-04-01

This article attempts to give a historical account and review of technological developments and innovations in radio frequency (RF) systems for particle accelerators. The evolution from electrostatic field to the use of RF voltage suggested by R. Wideröe made it possible to overcome the shortcomings of electrostatic accelerators, which limited the maximum achievable electric field due to voltage breakdown. After an introduction, we will provide reviews of technological developments of RF systems for particle accelerators.

Multiparametric imaging with heterogeneous radiofrequency fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cloos, Martijn A.; Knoll, Florian; Zhao, Tiejun; Block, Kai T.; Bruno, Mary; Wiggins, Graham C.; Sodickson, Daniel K.

2016-08-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an unrivalled medical diagnostic technique able to map tissue anatomy and physiology non-invasively. MRI measurements are meticulously engineered to control experimental conditions across the sample. However, residual radiofrequency (RF) field inhomogeneities are often unavoidable, leading to artefacts that degrade the diagnostic and scientific value of the images. Here we show that, paradoxically, these artefacts can be eliminated by deliberately interweaving freely varying heterogeneous RF fields into a magnetic resonance fingerprinting data-acquisition process. Observations made based on simulations are experimentally confirmed at 7 Tesla (T), and the clinical implications of this new paradigm are illustrated with in vivo measurements near an orthopaedic implant at 3T. These results show that it is possible to perform quantitative multiparametric imaging with heterogeneous RF fields, and to liberate MRI from the traditional struggle for control over the RF field uniformity.

Pressurized rf cavities in ionizing beams

DOE PAGES

Freemire, B.; Tollestrup, A.  V.; Yonehara, K.; ...

2016-06-20

A muon collider or Higgs factory requires significant reduction of the six dimensional emittance of the beam prior to acceleration. One method to accomplish this involves building a cooling channel using high pressure gas filled radio frequency cavities. The performance of such a cavity when subjected to an intense particle beam must be investigated before this technology can be validated. To this end, a high pressure gas filled radio frequency (rf) test cell was built and placed in a 400 MeV beam line from the Fermilab linac to study the plasma evolution and its effect on the cavity. Hydrogen, deuterium, helium and nitrogen gases were studied. Additionally, sulfur hexafluoride and dry air were used as dopants to aid in the removal of plasma electrons. Measurements were made using a variety of beam intensities, gas pressures, dopant concentrations, and cavity rf electric fields, both with and without a 3 T external solenoidal magnetic field. In conclusion, energy dissipation per electron-ion pair, electron-ion recombination rates, ion-ion recombination rates, and electron attachment times to SFmore » $$_6$$ and O$$_2$$ were measured.« less

Improved Drain Current Saturation and Voltage Gain in Graphene–on–Silicon Field Effect Transistors

PubMed Central

Song, Seung Min; Bong, Jae Hoon; Hwang, Wan Sik; Cho, Byung Jin

2016-01-01

Graphene devices for radio frequency (RF) applications are of great interest due to their excellent carrier mobility and saturation velocity. However, the insufficient current saturation in graphene field effect transistors (FETs) is a barrier preventing enhancements of the maximum oscillation frequency and voltage gain, both of which should be improved for RF transistors. Achieving a high output resistance is therefore a crucial step for graphene to be utilized in RF applications. In the present study, we report high output resistances and voltage gains in graphene-on-silicon (GoS) FETs. This is achieved by utilizing bare silicon as a supporting substrate without an insulating layer under the graphene. The GoSFETs exhibit a maximum output resistance of 2.5 MΩ∙μm, maximum intrinsic voltage gain of 28 dB, and maximum voltage gain of 9 dB. This method opens a new route to overcome the limitations of conventional graphene-on-insulator (GoI) FETs and subsequently brings graphene electronics closer to practical usage. PMID:27142861

Radio-frequency power-assisted performance improvement of a magnetohydrodynamic power generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, Tomoyuki; Okuno, Yoshihiro; Yamasaki, Hiroyuki

2005-12-01

We describe a radio-frequency (rf) electromagnetic-field-assisted magnetohydrodynamic power generation experiment, where an inductively coupled rf field (13.56MHz, 5.2kW) is continuously supplied to the disk generator. The rf power assists the precise plasma ignition, by which the otherwise irregular plasma behavior was stabilized. The rf heating suppresses the ionization instability in the plasma behavior and homogenizes the nonuniformity of the plasma structures. The power-generating performance is significantly improved with the aid of the rf power under wide seeding conditions: insufficient, optimum, and excessive seed fractions. The increment of the enthalpy extraction ratio of around 2% is significantly greater than the fraction of the net rf power, that is, 0.16%, to the thermal input.

Exploration of very high gradient cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eremeev, Grigory

2011-07-01

Several of the 9-cell ILC cavities processed at Jlab within ongoing ILC R&D program have shown interesting behavior at high fields, such as mode mixing and sudden field emission turn-on during quench. Equipped with thermometry and oscillating superleak transducer (OST) system for quench detection, we couple our RF measurements with local dissipation measurements. In this contribution we report on our findings with high gradient SRF cavities.

Plasma sweeper. [Patents

DOEpatents

Motley, R.W.; Glanz, J.

1982-10-25

A device is described for coupling RF power (a plasma sweeper) from RF power introducing means to a plasma having a magnetic field associated therewith comprises at least one electrode positioned near the plasma and near the RF power introducing means. Means are described for generating a static electric field at the electrode directed into the plasma and having a component substantially perpendicular to the plasma magnetic field such that a non-zero vector cross-product of the electric and magnetic fields exerts a force on the plasma causing the plasma to drift.

H- Ion Sources for High Intensity Proton Drivers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Rolland Paul; Dudnikov, Vadim

2015-02-20

Existing RF Surface Plasma Sources (SPS) for accelerators have specific efficiencies for H + and H - ion generation around 3 to 5 mA/cm 2 per kW, where about 50 kW of RF power is typically needed for 50 mA beam current production. The Saddle Antenna (SA) SPS described here was developed to improve H- ion production efficiency, reliability and availability for pulsed operation as used in the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source . At low RF power, the efficiency of positive ion generation in the plasma has been improved to 200 mA/cm 2 per kW of RF power at 13.56more » MHz. Initial cesiation of the SPS was performed by heating cesium chromate cartridges by discharge as was done in the very first versions of the SPS. A small oven to decompose cesium compounds and alloys was developed and tested. After cesiation, the current of negative ions to the collector was increased from 1 mA to 10 mA with RF power 1.5 kW in the plasma (6 mm diameter emission aperture) and up to 30 mA with 4 kW RF power in the plasma and 250 Gauss longitudinal magnetic field. The ratio of electron current to negative ion current was improved from 30 to 2. Stable generation of H- beam without intensity degradation was demonstrated in the aluminum nitride (AlN) discharge chamber for 32 days at high discharge power in an RF SPS with an external antenna. Some modifications were made to improve the cooling and cesiation stability. The extracted collector current can be increased significantly by optimizing the longitudinal magnetic field in the discharge chamber. While this project demonstrated the advantages of the pulsed version of the SA RF SPS as an upgrade to the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source, it led to a possibility for upgrades to CW machines like the many cyclotrons used for commercial applications. Four appendices contain important details of the work carried out under this grant.« less

Slice-selective RF pulses for in vivo B1+ inhomogeneity mitigation at 7 tesla using parallel RF excitation with a 16-element coil.

PubMed

Setsompop, Kawin; Alagappan, Vijayanand; Gagoski, Borjan; Witzel, Thomas; Polimeni, Jonathan; Potthast, Andreas; Hebrank, Franz; Fontius, Ulrich; Schmitt, Franz; Wald, Lawrence L; Adalsteinsson, Elfar

2008-12-01

Slice-selective RF waveforms that mitigate severe B1+ inhomogeneity at 7 Tesla using parallel excitation were designed and validated in a water phantom and human studies on six subjects using a 16-element degenerate stripline array coil driven with a butler matrix to utilize the eight most favorable birdcage modes. The parallel RF waveform design applied magnitude least-squares (MLS) criteria with an optimized k-space excitation trajectory to significantly improve profile uniformity compared to conventional least-squares (LS) designs. Parallel excitation RF pulses designed to excite a uniform in-plane flip angle (FA) with slice selection in the z-direction were demonstrated and compared with conventional sinc-pulse excitation and RF shimming. In all cases, the parallel RF excitation significantly mitigated the effects of inhomogeneous B1+ on the excitation FA. The optimized parallel RF pulses for human B1+ mitigation were only 67% longer than a conventional sinc-based excitation, but significantly outperformed RF shimming. For example the standard deviations (SDs) of the in-plane FA (averaged over six human studies) were 16.7% for conventional sinc excitation, 13.3% for RF shimming, and 7.6% for parallel excitation. This work demonstrates that excitations with parallel RF systems can provide slice selection with spatially uniform FAs at high field strengths with only a small pulse-duration penalty. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Detection of NMR signals with a radio-frequency atomic magnetometer.

PubMed

Savukov, I M; Seltzer, S J; Romalis, M V

2007-04-01

We demonstrate detection of proton NMR signals with a radio-frequency (rf) atomic magnetometer tuned to the NMR frequency of 62 kHz. High-frequency operation of the atomic magnetometer makes it relatively insensitive to ambient magnetic field noise. We obtain magnetic field sensitivity of 7 fT/Hz1/2 using only a thin aluminum shield. We also derive an expression for the fundamental sensitivity limit of a surface inductive pick-up coil as a function of frequency and find that an atomic rf magnetometer is intrinsically more sensitive than a coil of comparable size for frequencies below about 50 MHz.

Computational Benefits Using an Advanced Concatenation Scheme Based on Reduced Order Models for RF Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heller, Johann; Flisgen, Thomas; van Rienen, Ursula

The computation of electromagnetic fields and parameters derived thereof for lossless radio frequency (RF) structures filled with isotropic media is an important task for the design and operation of particle accelerators. Unfortunately, these computations are often highly demanding with regard to computational effort. The entire computational demand of the problem can be reduced using decomposition schemes in order to solve the field problems on standard workstations. This paper presents one of the first detailed comparisons between the recently proposed state-space concatenation approach (SSC) and a direct computation for an accelerator cavity with coupler-elements that break the rotational symmetry.

Results of adaptive feedforward on GTA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ziomek, C.D.; Denney, P.M.; Regan, A.H.

1993-01-01

This paper presents the results of the adaptive feedforward system in use on the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA). The adaptive feedforward system was shown to correct repetitive, high-frequency errors in the amplitude and phase of the RF field of the pulsed accelerator. The adaptive feedforward system was designed as an augmentation to the RF field feedback control system and was able to extend the closed-loop bandwidth and disturbance rejection by a factor of ten. Within a second implementation, the adaptive feedforward hardware was implemented in place of the feedback control system and was shown to negate both beam transients andmore » phase droop in the klystron amplifier.« less

Results of adaptive feedforward on GTA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ziomek, C.D.; Denney, P.M.; Regan, A.H.

1993-06-01

This paper presents the results of the adaptive feedforward system in use on the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA). The adaptive feedforward system was shown to correct repetitive, high-frequency errors in the amplitude and phase of the RF field of the pulsed accelerator. The adaptive feedforward system was designed as an augmentation to the RF field feedback control system and was able to extend the closed-loop bandwidth and disturbance rejection by a factor of ten. Within a second implementation, the adaptive feedforward hardware was implemented in place of the feedback control system and was shown to negate both beam transients andmore » phase droop in the klystron amplifier.« less

A pilot study of the efficacy of the POLARGEN® ultrahigh-frequency electric field (40.68 MHz) radiofrequency device in the treatment of facial contouring.

PubMed

Kim, Miri; Lim, Jihong; Bae, Jung Min; Park, Hyun Jeong

2017-11-01

Various radiofrequency (RF) devices are used to treat skin laxity and face contouring, but few studies have examined ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) electric field (40.68 MHz) RF devices. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a UHF electric field (40.68 MHz) RF device for skin tightening and face contouring. Ten patients each underwent four sessions of UHF electric field RF device treatment at 2-week intervals. Clinical improvement was evaluated with the patient satisfaction score using a six-point scale, and clinical photographs taken at every visit and 2 months after the RF treatment were assessed. Skin biopsies were obtained from one patient before the first treatment and immediately after the last treatment. Adverse reactions were recorded at every follow-up visit. All patients were women with a mean age of 51.7 ± 7.2 years. The mean satisfaction score was 4.5 ± 0.9 immediately after the last treatment session. Cheek, jawline, and neck enhancement and tightening were apparent in all patients. Side effects were minimal, and there were no burns or major complications. The UHF electric field RF device was effective for skin tightening and facial contouring, without significant adverse reactions.

A flexible super-capacitive solid-state power supply for miniature implantable medical devices.

PubMed

Meng, Chuizhou; Gall, Oren Z; Irazoqui, Pedro P

2013-12-01

We present a high-energy local power supply based on a flexible and solid-state supercapacitor for miniature wireless implantable medical devices. Wireless radio-frequency (RF) powering recharges the supercapacitor through an antenna with an RF rectifier. A power management circuit for the super-capacitive system includes a boost converter to increase the breakdown voltage required for powering device circuits, and a parallel conventional capacitor as an intermediate power source to deliver current spikes during high current transients (e.g., wireless data transmission). The supercapacitor has an extremely high area capacitance of ~1.3 mF/mm(2), and is in the novel form of a 100 μm-thick thin film with the merit of mechanical flexibility and a tailorable size down to 1 mm(2) to meet various clinical dimension requirements. We experimentally demonstrate that after fully recharging the capacitor with an external RF powering source, the supercapacitor-based local power supply runs a full system for electromyogram (EMG) recording that consumes ~670 μW with wireless-data-transmission functionality for a period of ~1 s in the absence of additional RF powering. Since the quality of wireless powering for implantable devices is sensitive to the position of those devices within the RF electromagnetic field, this high-energy local power supply plays a crucial role in providing continuous and reliable power for medical device operations.

An 8-channel transceiver 7-channel receive RF coil setup for high SNR ultrahigh-field MRI of the shoulder at 7T.

PubMed

Rietsch, Stefan H G; Pfaffenrot, Viktor; Bitz, Andreas K; Orzada, Stephan; Brunheim, Sascha; Lazik-Palm, Andrea; Theysohn, Jens M; Ladd, Mark E; Quick, Harald H; Kraff, Oliver

2017-12-01

In this work, we present an 8-channel transceiver (Tx/Rx) 7-channel receive (Rx) radiofrequency (RF) coil setup for 7 T ultrahigh-field MR imaging of the shoulder. A C-shaped 8-channel Tx/Rx coil was combined with an anatomically close-fitting 7-channel Rx-only coil. The safety and performance parameters of this coil setup were evaluated on the bench and in phantom experiments. The 7 T MR imaging performance of the shoulder RF coil setup was evaluated in in vivo measurements using a 3D DESS, a 2D PD-weighted TSE sequence, and safety supervision based on virtual observation points. Distinct SNR gain and acceleration capabilities provided by the additional 7-channel Rx-only coil were demonstrated in phantom and in vivo measurements. The power efficiency indicated good performance of each channel and a maximum B 1 + of 19 μT if the hardware RF power limits of the MR system were exploited. MR imaging of the shoulder was demonstrated with clinically excellent image quality and submillimeter spatial resolution. The presented 8-channel transceiver 7-channel receive RF coil setup was successfully applied for in vivo 7 T MRI of the shoulder providing a clear SNR gain vs the transceiver array without the additional receive array. Homogeneous images across the shoulder region were obtained using 8-channel subject-specific phase-only RF shimming. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Heart rate variability affected by radiofrequency electromagnetic field in adolescent students.

PubMed

Misek, Jakub; Belyaev, Igor; Jakusova, Viera; Tonhajzerova, Ingrid; Barabas, Jan; Jakus, Jan

2018-05-01

This study examines the possible effect of radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The effect of RF EMF on ANS activity was studied by measuring heart rate variability (HRV) during ortho-clinostatic test (i.e., transition from lying to standing and back) in 46 healthy grammar school students. A 1788 MHz pulsed wave with intensity of 54 ± 1.6 V/m was applied intermittently for 18 min in each trial. Maximum specific absorption rate (SAR 10 ) value was determined to 0.405 W/kg. We also measured the respiration rate and estimated a subjective perception of EMF exposure. RF exposure decreased heart rate of subjects in a lying position, while no such change was seen in standing students. After exposure while lying, a rise in high frequency band of HRV and root Mean Square of the Successive Differences was observed, which indicated an increase in parasympathetic nerve activity. Tympanic temperature and skin temperature were measured showing no heating under RF exposure. No RF effect on respiration rate was observed. None of the tested subjects were able to distinguish real exposure from sham exposure when queried at the end of the trial. In conclusion, short-term RF EMF exposure of students in a lying position during the ortho-clinostatic test affected ANS with significant increase in parasympathetic nerve activity compared to sham exposed group. Bioelectromagnetics. 39:277-288, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Measured performance of the GTA rf systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Denney, P.M.; Jachim, S.P.

1993-06-01

This paper describes the performance of the RF systems on the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA). The RF system architecture is briefly described. Among the RF performance results presented are RF field flatness and stability, amplitude and phase control resolution, and control system bandwidth and stability. The rejection by the RF systems of beam-induced disturbances, such as transients and noise, are analyzed. The observed responses are also compared to computer-based simulations of the RF systems for validation.

Measured performance of the GTA rf systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Denney, P.M.; Jachim, S.P.

1993-01-01

This paper describes the performance of the RF systems on the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA). The RF system architecture is briefly described. Among the RF performance results presented are RF field flatness and stability, amplitude and phase control resolution, and control system bandwidth and stability. The rejection by the RF systems of beam-induced disturbances, such as transients and noise, are analyzed. The observed responses are also compared to computer-based simulations of the RF systems for validation.

A broadband gyrotron backward-wave oscillator with tapered interaction structure and magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, G. D.; Chang, P. C.; Chiang, W. Y.

2015-11-15

The gyro-monotron and gyrotron backward-wave oscillator (gyro-BWO) are the two oscillator versions of gyrotrons. While serving different functions, they are also radically different in the RF field formation mechanisms. The gyro-monotron RF field profile is essentially fixed by the resonant interaction structure, while the gyro-BWO possesses an extra degree of freedom in that the axial RF field profile is self-determined by the beam-wave interaction in a waveguide structure. The present study examines ways to utilize the latter feature for bandwidth broadening with a tapered magnetic field, while also employing a tapered waveguide to enhance the interaction efficiency. We begin withmore » a mode competition analysis, which suggests the theoretical feasibility of broadband frequency tuning in single-mode operation. It is then shown in theory that, by controlling the RF field profile with an up- or down-tapered magnetic field, the gyro-BWO is capable of efficient operation with a much improved tunable bandwidth.« less

[Development of RF coil of permanent magnet mini-magnetic resonance imager and mouse imaging experiments].

PubMed

Hou, Shulian; Xie, Huantong; Chen, Wei; Wang, Guangxin; Zhao, Qiang; Li, Shiyu

2014-10-01

In the development of radio frequency (RF) coils for better quality of the mini-type permanent magnetic resonance imager for using in the small animal imaging, the solenoid RF coil has a special advantage for permanent magnetic system based on analyses of various types.of RF coils. However, it is not satisfied for imaging if the RF coils are directly used. By theoretical analyses of the magnetic field properties produced from the solenoid coil, the research direction was determined by careful studies to raise further the uniformity of the magnetic field coil, receiving coil sensitivity for signals and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The method had certain advantages and avoided some shortcomings of the other different coil types, such as, birdcage coil, saddle shaped coil and phased array coil by using the alloy materials (from our own patent). The RF coils were designed, developed and made for keeled applicable to permanent magnet-type magnetic resonance imager, multi-coil combination-type, single-channel overall RF receiving coil, and applied for a patent. Mounted on three instruments (25 mm aperture, with main magnetic field strength of 0.5 T or 1.5 T, and 50 mm aperture, with main magnetic field strength of 0.48 T), we performed experiments with mice, rats, and nude mice bearing tumors. The experimental results indicated that the RF receiving coil was fully applicable to the permanent magnet-type imaging system.

The electromagnetic environment of Magnetic Resonance Imaging systems. Occupational exposure assessment reveals RF harmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gourzoulidis, G.; Karabetsos, E.; Skamnakis, N.; Kappas, C.; Theodorou, K.; Tsougos, I.; Maris, T. G.

2015-09-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems played a crucial role in the postponement of the former occupational electromagnetic fields (EMF) European Directive (2004/40/EC) and in the formation of the latest exposure limits adopted in the new one (2013/35/EU). Moreover, the complex MRI environment will be finally excluded from the implementation of the new occupational limits, leading to an increased demand for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) surveillance. The gradient function of MRI systems and the application of the RF excitation frequency result in low and high frequency exposures, respectively. This electromagnetic field exposure, in combination with the increased static magnetic field exposure, makes the MRI environment a unique case of combined EMF exposure. The electromagnetic field levels in close proximity of different MRI systems have been assessed at various frequencies. Quality Assurance (QA) & safety issues were also faced. Preliminary results show initial compliance with the forthcoming limits in each different frequency band, but also revealed peculiar RF harmonic components, of no safety concern, to the whole range detected (20-1000MHz). Further work is needed in order to clarify their origin and characteristics.

An Rf Focused Interdigital Ion Accelerating Structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swenson, D.A.

2003-08-26

An Rf Focused Interdigital (RFI) ion accelerating structure will be described. It represents an effective combination of the Wideroee (or interdigital) linac structure, used for many low frequency, heavy ion applications, and the rf electric quadrupole focusing used in the RFQ and RFD linac structures. As in the RFD linac structure, rf focusing is introduced into the RFI linac structure by configuring the drift tubes as two independent pieces operating at different electrical potentials as determined by the rf fields of the linac structure. Each piece (or electrode) of the RFI drift tube supports two fingers pointed inwards towards themore » opposite end of the drift tube forming a four-finger geometry that produces an rf quadrupole field along the axis of the linac for focusing the beam. However, because of the differences in the rf field configuration along the axis, the scheme for introducing rf focusing into the interdigital linac structure is quite different from that adopted for the RFD linac structure. The RFI linac structure promises to have significant size, efficiency, performance, and cost advantages over existing linac structures for the acceleration of low energy ion beams of all masses (light to heavy). These advantages will be reviewed. A 'cold model' of this new linac structure has been fabricated and the results of rf cavity measurements on this cold model will be presented.« less

High field gradient particle accelerator

DOEpatents

Nation, J.A.; Greenwald, S.

1989-05-30

A high electric field gradient electron accelerator utilizing short duration, microwave radiation, and capable of operating at high field gradients for high energy physics applications or at reduced electric field gradients for high average current intermediate energy accelerator applications is disclosed. Particles are accelerated in a smooth bore, periodic undulating waveguide, wherein the period is so selected that the particles slip an integral number of cycles of the r.f. wave every period of the structure. This phase step of the particles produces substantially continuous acceleration in a traveling wave without transverse magnetic or other guide means for the particle. 10 figs.

Radio-frequency measurements of UNiX compounds (X= Al, Ga, Ge) in high magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mielke, Charles H; Mcdonald, David R; Zapf, Vivien

2009-01-01

We performed radio-frequency (RF) skin-depth measurements of antiferromagnetic UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in magnetic fields up to 60 T and at temperatures between 1.4 to {approx}60 K. Magnetic fields are applied along different crystallographic directions and RF penetration-depth was measured using a tunnel-diode oscillator (TDO) circuit. The sample is coupled to the inductive element of a TDO resonant tank circuit, and the shift in the resonant frequency {Delta}f of the circuit is measured. The UNiX compounds exhibit field-induced magnetic transitions at low temperatures, and those transitions are accompanied by a drastic change in {Delta}f. The results of our skin-depthmore » measurements were compared with previously published B-T phase diagrams for these three compounds.« less

Fundamental cavity impedance and longitudinal coupled-bunch instabilities at the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baudrenghien, P.; Mastoridis, T.

2017-01-01

The interaction between beam dynamics and the radio frequency (rf) station in circular colliders is complex and can lead to longitudinal coupled-bunch instabilities at high beam currents. The excitation of the cavity higher order modes is traditionally damped using passive devices. But the wakefield developed at the cavity fundamental frequency falls in the frequency range of the rf power system and can, in theory, be compensated by modulating the generator drive. Such a regulation is the responsibility of the low-level rf (llrf) system that measures the cavity field (or beam current) and generates the rf power drive. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) rf was designed for the nominal LHC parameter of 0.55 A DC beam current. At 7 TeV the synchrotron radiation damping time is 13 hours. Damping of the instability growth rates due to the cavity fundamental (400.789 MHz) can only come from the synchrotron tune spread (Landau damping) and will be very small (time constant in the order of 0.1 s). In this work, the ability of the present llrf compensation to prevent coupled-bunch instabilities with the planned high luminosity LHC (HiLumi LHC) doubling of the beam current to 1.1 A DC is investigated. The paper conclusions are based on the measured performances of the present llrf system. Models of the rf and llrf systems were developed at the LHC start-up. Following comparisons with measurements, the system was parametrized using these models. The parametric model then provides a more realistic estimation of the instability growth rates than an ideal model of the rf blocks. With this modeling approach, the key rf settings can be varied around their set value allowing for a sensitivity analysis (growth rate sensitivity to rf and llrf parameters). Finally, preliminary measurements from the LHC at 0.44 A DC are presented to support the conclusions of this work.

[Investigation of sleep disorders in the vicinity of high frequency transmitters].

PubMed

Leitgeb, N; Schröttner, J; Cech, R; Kerbl, R

2004-08-01

To investigate the potential impact of RF electromagnetic fields of transmitters on the sleep quality of nearby residents, a new study design is presented. In a double-blind crossover field study the effect of on-site shielding, rather than of additional exposure, is investigated. For improved sleep quality differentiation the polysomnographic parameters are expanded by additional parameters. The feasibility study showed that checking the raw data and correcting the software-generated results by visual reading of the polysomnographic recordings is essential. Long-term RF measurement showed that exposure may vary considerably throughout the night, as well as from one night to the next. This variation may be greater than the GSM contribution itself. Mostly, the contributions of USW radio frequency fields dominated over GSM. Thus, continuous broadband RF recording is required for reliable interpretation of the results, in particular with regard to the potential role of mobile telephony emissions. Results show that simple sleep monitoring systems based on single-channel EEG analysis without acces to original biosignals are not adequate for sleep studies.

The magnetic orientation of the Antarctic amphipod Gondogeneia antarctica is cancelled by very weak radiofrequency fields.

PubMed

Tomanova, K; Vacha, M

2016-06-01

Studies on weak man-made radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields affecting animal magnetoreception aim for a better understanding of the reception mechanism and also point to a new phenomenon having possible consequences in ecology and environmental protection. RF impacts on magnetic compasses have recently been demonstrated in migratory birds and other vertebrates. We set out to investigate the effect of RF on the magnetic orientation of the Antarctic krill species Gondogeneia antarctica, a small marine crustacean widespread along the Antarctic littoral line. Here, we show that upon release, G. antarctica (held under laboratory conditions) escaped in the magnetically seaward direction along the magnetic sea-land axis (y-axis) of the home beach. However, the animals were disoriented after being exposed to RF. Orientation was lost not only in an RF field with a magnetic flux density of 20 nT, as expected according to the literature, but even under the 2 nT originally intended as a control. Our results extend recent findings of the extraordinary sensitivity of animal magnetoreception to weak RF fields in marine invertebrates. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Radio frequency sheaths in an oblique magnetic field

DOE PAGES

Myra, James R.; D'Ippolito, Daniel A.

2015-06-01

The physics of radio-frequency (rf) sheaths near a conducting surface is studied for plasmas immersed in a magnetic field that makes an oblique angle θ with the surface. A set of one-dimensional equations is developed that describe the dynamics of the time-dependent magnetic presheath and non-neutral Debye sheath. The model employs Maxwell-Boltzmann electrons, and the magnetization and mobility of the ions is determined by the magnetic field strength, and wave frequency, respectively. The angle, θ assumed to be large enough to insure an electron-poor sheath, is otherwise arbitrary. Concentrating on the ion-cyclotron range of frequencies, the equations are solved numericallymore » to obtain the rectified (dc) voltage, the rf voltage across the sheath and the rf current flowing through the sheath. As an application of this model, the sheath voltage-current relation is used to obtain the rf sheath impedance, which in turn gives an rf sheath boundary condition for the electric field at the sheath-plasma interface that can be used in rf wave codes. In general the impedance has both resistive and capacitive contributions, and generalizes previous sheath boundary condition models. The resistive part contributes to parasitic power dissipation at the wall.« less

Performance of high power S-band klystrons focused with permanent magnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, S.; Shidara, T.; Saito, Y.; Hanaki, H.; Nakao, K.; Homma, H.; Anami, S.; Tanaka, J.

1987-02-01

Performance of high power S-band klystrons focused with permanent magnet is presented. The axial magnetic field distribution and the transverse magnetic field play an important role in the tube performance. Effects of the reversal field in the collector and the cathode-anode region are discussed precisely. It is also shown that the tube efficiency is strongly affected with the residual transverse magnetic field. The allowable transverse field is less than 0.3 percent of the longitudinal field in the entire RF interaction region of the klystron.

Least squares reconstruction of non-linear RF phase encoded MR data.

PubMed

Salajeghe, Somaie; Babyn, Paul; Sharp, Jonathan C; Sarty, Gordon E

2016-09-01

The numerical feasibility of reconstructing MRI signals generated by RF coils that produce B1 fields with a non-linearly varying spatial phase is explored. A global linear spatial phase variation of B1 is difficult to produce from current confined to RF coils. Here we use regularized least squares inversion, in place of the usual Fourier transform, to reconstruct signals generated in B1 fields with non-linear phase variation. RF encoded signals were simulated for three RF coil configurations: ideal linear, parallel conductors and, circular coil pairs. The simulated signals were reconstructed by Fourier transform and by regularized least squares. The Fourier reconstruction of simulated RF encoded signals from the parallel conductor coil set showed minor distortions over the reconstruction of signals from the ideal linear coil set but the Fourier reconstruction of signals from the circular coil set produced severe geometric distortion. Least squares inversion in all cases produced reconstruction errors comparable to the Fourier reconstruction of the simulated signal from the ideal linear coil set. MRI signals encoded in B1 fields with non-linearly varying spatial phase may be accurately reconstructed using regularized least squares thus pointing the way to the use of simple RF coil designs for RF encoded MRI. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Domain Engineered Magnetoelectric Thin Films for High Sensitivity Resonant Magnetic Field Sensors

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

synthesis and texture analysis Sol-gel deposition and RF sputtering process was developed for deposition of PZT on Pt/Ti/Si02/Si (hereafter...well textured (i.e. with preferred crystalline orientation). To texture and obtain crack-free thick PZT RF films, we employed pre- treated substrates...and post-deposition annealing. One pre-treatment was the use of seed layer of textured PZT sol-gel thin film of thickness 65-85nm [1]. • Oean

New Generation of Superconducting Solenoids for Heavy-Ion Linac Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostroumov, P. N.; Kim, S. H.; Lessner, E. S.; Shepard, K. W.; Laxdal, R. E.

2002-01-01

The beam dynamics of superconducting (SC) heavy-ion linacs operating in the velocity range below 0.4c require a compact accelerating-focusing lattice. The use of SC solenoids together with SC RF resonators within a common cryostat can solve the real-estate problem. The solenoids must have low fringe fields to avoid magnetic-flux capture in the SC RF resonators. Also, incorporating dipole steering coils together with the SC solenoids in one magnet assembly can increase the compactness of the linac lattice. R&D work has been carried out to determine the feasibility of combining the three elements of high solenoid field, low fringe field, and integral dipole field, into one compact package. A 9-Tesla magnet has been initially designed and will be prototyped, with the goal of eventually developing 14-Tesla solenoids of similar design. The most important design issues are: (1) to minimize stray field in the RF cavity region using SC bucking coils and (2) to achieve adequate mechanical stability of the transverse dipole windings in the presence of forces produced by the solenoid/bucking coil assembly. The assembly, including terminals, switches, and protection circuit, are designed to fit inside a 25-cm diameter helium reservoir. The results of the preliminary design of the solenoid, including numerical simulations of the beam dynamics, are reported.

Fast and robust estimation of spectro-temporal receptive fields using stochastic approximations.

PubMed

Meyer, Arne F; Diepenbrock, Jan-Philipp; Ohl, Frank W; Anemüller, Jörn

2015-05-15

The receptive field (RF) represents the signal preferences of sensory neurons and is the primary analysis method for understanding sensory coding. While it is essential to estimate a neuron's RF, finding numerical solutions to increasingly complex RF models can become computationally intensive, in particular for high-dimensional stimuli or when many neurons are involved. Here we propose an optimization scheme based on stochastic approximations that facilitate this task. The basic idea is to derive solutions on a random subset rather than computing the full solution on the available data set. To test this, we applied different optimization schemes based on stochastic gradient descent (SGD) to both the generalized linear model (GLM) and a recently developed classification-based RF estimation approach. Using simulated and recorded responses, we demonstrate that RF parameter optimization based on state-of-the-art SGD algorithms produces robust estimates of the spectro-temporal receptive field (STRF). Results on recordings from the auditory midbrain demonstrate that stochastic approximations preserve both predictive power and tuning properties of STRFs. A correlation of 0.93 with the STRF derived from the full solution may be obtained in less than 10% of the full solution's estimation time. We also present an on-line algorithm that allows simultaneous monitoring of STRF properties of more than 30 neurons on a single computer. The proposed approach may not only prove helpful for large-scale recordings but also provides a more comprehensive characterization of neural tuning in experiments than standard tuning curves. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Demountable damped cavity for HOM-damping in ILC superconducting accelerating cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konomi, T.; Yasuda, F.; Furuta, F.; Saito, K.

2014-01-01

We have designed a new higher-order-mode (HOM) damper called a demountable damped cavity (DDC) as part of the R&D efforts for the superconducting cavity of the International Linear Collider (ILC). The DDC has two design concepts. The first is an axially symmetrical layout to obtain high damping efficiency. The DDC has a coaxial structure along the beam axis to realize strong coupling with HOMs. HOMs are damped by an RF absorber at the end of the coaxial waveguide and the accelerating mode is reflected by a choke filter mounted at the entrance of the coaxial waveguide. The second design concept is a demountable structure to facilitate cleaning, in order to suppress the Q-slope problem in a high field. A single-cell cavity with the DDC was fabricated to test four performance parameters. The first was frequency matching between the accelerating cavity and the choke filter. Since the bandwidth of the resonance frequency in a superconducting cavity is very narrow, there is a possibility that the accelerating field will leak to the RF absorber because of thermal shrinkage. The design bandwidth of the choke filter is 25 kHz. It was demonstrated that frequency matching adjusted at room temperature could be successfully maintained at 2 K. The second parameter was the performance of the demountable structure. At the joint, the magnetic field is 1/6 of the maximum field in the accelerating cavity. Ultimately, the accelerating field reached 19 MV/m and Q0 was 1.5×1010 with a knife-edge shape. The third parameter was field emission and multipacting. Although the choke structure has numerous parallel surfaces that are susceptible to the multipacting problem, it was found that neither field emission nor multipacting presented problems in both an experiment and simulation. The final parameter was the Q values of the HOM. The RF absorber adopted in the system is a Ni-Zn ferrite type. The RF absorber shape was designed based on the measurement data of permittivity and permeability at 77 K. The Q values of the HOM in the DDC are 10-100 times lower than those of a TESLA-type HOM coupler.

Estimating radiofrequency power deposition in body NMR imaging.

PubMed

Bottomley, P A; Redington, R W; Edelstein, W A; Schenck, J F

1985-08-01

Simple theoretical estimates of the average, maximum, and spatial variation of the radiofrequency power deposition (specific absorption rate) during hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance imaging are deduced for homogeneous spheres and for cylinders of biological tissue with a uniformly penetrating linear rf field directed axially and transverse to the cylindrical axis. These are all simple scalar multiples of the expression for the cylinder in an axial field published earlier (Med. Phys. 8, 510 (1981]. Exact solutions for the power deposition in the cylinder with axial (Phys. Med. Biol. 23, 630 (1978] and transversely directed rf field are also presented, and the spatial variation of power deposition in head and body models is examined. In the exact models, the specific absorption rates decrease rapidly and monotonically with decreasing radius despite local increases in rf field amplitude. Conversion factors are provided for calculating the power deposited by Gaussian and sinc-modulated rf pulses used for slice selection in NMR imaging, relative to rectangular profiled pulses. Theoretical estimates are compared with direct measurements of the total power deposited in the bodies of nine adult males by a 63-MHz body-imaging system with transversely directed field, taking account of cable and NMR coil losses. The results for the average power deposition agree within about 20% for the exact model of the cylinder with axial field, when applied to the exposed torso volume enclosed by the rf coil. The average values predicted by the simple spherical and cylindrical models with axial fields, the exact cylindrical model with transverse field, and the simple truncated cylinder model with transverse field were about two to three times that measured, while the simple model consisting of an infinitely long cylinder with transverse field gave results about six times that measured. The surface power deposition measured by observing the incremental power as a function of external torso radius was comparable to the average value. This is consistent with the presence of a variable thickness peripheral adipose layer which does not substantially increase surface power deposition with increasing torso radius. The absence of highly localized intensity artifacts in 63-MHz body images does not suggest anomalously intense power deposition at localized internal sites, although peak power is difficult to measure.

New ion trap for atomic frequency standard applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prestage, J. D.; Dick, G. J.; Maleki, L.

1989-01-01

A novel linear ion trap that permits storage of a large number of ions with reduced susceptibility to the second-order Doppler effect caused by the radio frequency (RF) confining fields has been designed and built. This new trap should store about 20 times the number of ions a conventional RF trap stores with no corresponding increase in second-order Doppler shift from the confining field. In addition, the sensitivity of this shift to trapping parameters, i.e., RF voltage, RF frequency, and trap size, is greatly reduced.

Observation of helicon wave with m = 0 antenna in a weakly magnetized inductively coupled plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellingboe, Bert; Sirse, Nishant; Moloney, Rachel; McCarthy, John

2015-09-01

Bounded whistler wave, called ``helicon wave,'' is known to produce high-density plasmas and has been exploited as a high density plasma source for many applications, including electric propulsion for spacecraft. In a helicon plasma source, an antenna wrapped around the magnetized plasma column launches a low frequency wave, ωce/2 >ωhelicon >ωce/100, in the plasma which is responsible for maintaining high density plasma. Several antenna designs have been proposed in order to match efficiently the wave modes. In our experiment, helicon wave mode is observed using an m = 0 antenna. A floating B dot probe, compensated to the capacitively coupled E field, is employed to measure axial-wave-field-profiles (z, r, and θ components) in the plasma at multiple radial positions as a function of rf power and pressure. The Bθ component of the rf-field is observed to be unaffected as the wave propagates in the axial direction. Power coupling between the antenna and the plasma column is identified and agrees with the E, H, and wave coupling regimes previously seen in M =1 antenna systems. That is, the Bz component of the rf-field is observed at low plasma density as the Bz component from the antenna penetrates the plasma. The Bz component becomes very small at medium density due to shielding at the centre of the plasma column; however, with increasing density, a sudden ``jump'' occurs in the Bz component above which a standing wave under the antenna with a propagating wave away from the antenna are observed.

Direct measurement of density oscillation induced by a radio-frequency wave.

PubMed

Yamada, T; Ejiri, A; Shimada, Y; Oosako, T; Tsujimura, J; Takase, Y; Kasahara, H

2007-08-01

An O-mode reflectometer at a frequency of 25.85 GHz was applied to plasmas heated by the high harmonic fast wave (21 MHz) in the TST-2 spherical tokamak. An oscillation in the phase of the reflected microwave in the rf range was observed directly for the first time. In TST-2, the rf (250 kW) induced density oscillation depends mainly on the poloidal rf electric field, which is estimated to be about 0.2 kV/m rms by the reflectometer measurement. Sideband peaks separated in frequency by ion cyclotron harmonics from 21 MHz, and peaks at ion cyclotron harmonics which are suggested to be quasimodes generated by parametric decay, were detected.

Generation of X-rays and neutrons with a RF-discharge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneider, R. T.

1982-01-01

An experimental study concerning disk shaped plasma structures was performed. Such disk-shaped structures can be obtained using an rf discharge in hydrogen. The applied frequency was 1-2 Mhz. In case of operation in deuterium it was found that the discharge emits neutrons and X-rays, although the applied voltage is only 2 kV. This phenomenon was explained by assuming formation of plasma cavitons which are surrounded by high electric fields. The condition for formation of these cavitons is that the applied rf frequency is equal to the plasma frequency. The ions trapped in these resonance structures acquire sufficient energy that they can undergo fusion reactions with the ions in the surrounding gas.

Impact of one's own mobile phone in stand-by mode on personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure.

PubMed

Urbinello, Damiano; Röösli, Martin

2013-01-01

When moving around, mobile phones in stand-by mode periodically send data about their positions. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) measurements are affected by such location updates. Exposure from a mobile phone handset (uplink) was measured during commuting by using a randomized cross-over study with three different scenarios: disabled mobile phone (reference), an activated dual-band phone and a quad-band phone. In the reference scenario, uplink exposure was highest during train rides (1.19 mW/m(2)) and lowest during car rides in rural areas (0.001 mW/m(2)). In public transports, the impact of one's own mobile phone on personal RF-EMF measurements was not observable because of high background uplink radiation from other people's mobile phone. In a car, uplink exposure with an activated phone was orders of magnitude higher compared with the reference scenario. This study demonstrates that personal RF-EMF exposure is affected by one's own mobile phone in stand-by mode because of its regular location update. Further dosimetric studies should quantify the contribution of location updates to the total RF-EMF exposure in order to clarify whether the duration of mobile phone use, the most common exposure surrogate in the epidemiological RF-EMF research, is actually an adequate exposure proxy.

Measurement of the high-field Q-drop in a high-purity large-grain niobium cavity for different oxidation processes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ciovati, Gianluigi; Kneisel, Peter; gurevich, alex

The most challenging issue for understanding the performance of superconducting radio-frequency (rf) cavities made of high-purity (residual resistivity ratio > 200) niobium is due to a sharp degradation (“Q-drop”) of the cavity quality factor Q0(Bp) as the peak surface magnetic field (Bp) exceeds about 90 mT, in the absence of field emission. In addition, a low-temperature (100 – 140 C) “in-situ” baking of the cavity was found to be beneficial in reducing the Q-drop. In this contribution, we present the results from a series of rf tests at 1.7 K and 2.0 K on a single-cell cavity made of high-puritymore » large (with area of the order of few cm2) grain niobium which underwent various oxidation processes, after initial buffered chemical polishing, such as anodization, baking in pure oxygen atmosphere and baking in air up to 180 °C, with the objective of clearly identifying the role of oxygen and the oxide layer on the Q-drop. During each rf test a temperature mapping system allows measuring the local temperature rise of the cavity outer surface due to rf losses, which gives information about the losses location, their field dependence and space distribution. The results confirmed that the depth affected by baking is about 20 – 30 nm from the surface and showed that the Q-drop did not re-appear in a previously baked cavity by further baking at 120 °C in pure oxygen atmosphere or in air up to 180 °C. These treatments increased the oxide thickness and oxygen concentration, measured on niobium samples which were processed with the cavity and were analyzed with Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS). Nevertheless, the performance of the cavity after air baking at 180 °C degraded significantly and the temperature maps showed high losses, uniformly distributed on the surface, which could be completely recovered only by a post-purification treatment at 1250 °C. A statistic of the position of the “hot-spots” on the cavity surface showed that grain-boundaries are not the preferred location. An interesting correlation was found between the Q-drop onset, the quench field and the low-field energy gap, which supports the hypothesis of thermo-magnetic instability governing the Q-drop and the baking effect.« less

Radiofrequency exposure in the Neonatal Medium Care Unit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Calvente, I.

The aims of this study were to characterize electromagnetic fields of radiofrequency (RF-EMF) levels generated in a Neonatal Medium Care Unit and to analyze RF-EMF levels inside unit’s incubators. Spot and long-term measurements were made with a dosimeter. The spot measurement mean was 1.51±0.48 V/m. Higher values were found in the proximity to the window and to the incubator evaluated. Mean field strength for the entire period of 17 h was 0.81 (±0.07) V/m and the maximum value was 1.58 V/m for long-term RF-EMF measurements in the incubator. Values found during the night period were higher than those found duringmore » the day period. It is important to consider RF-EMF exposure levels in neonatal care units, due to some evidence of adverse health effects found in children and adults. Characterization of RF-EMF exposure may be important to further investigate the mechanisms and underlying effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on infant health. A prudent avoidance strategy should be adopted because newborns are at a vulnerable stage of development and the actual impact of EMF on premature infants is unknown. - Highlights: • The increasing use of RF-EMF suggests an urgent need for more research in this field. • Health consequences of RF-EMF exposure on infants are not well known. • Description of RF-EMF exposure is vital in further study mechanisms on infant health. • Considering newborns vulnerability, it is wise to adopt a prudent avoidance strategy.« less

Experimental Measurements of the Dynamic Electric Field Topology Associated with Magnetized RF Sheaths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, E. H.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Shannon, S. C.; Klepper, C. C.; Isler, R. C.

2013-10-01

A major challenge facing magnetic fusion devices and the success of ITER is the design and implementation of reliable ICRH systems. The primary issue facing ICRH is the parasitic near-field which leads to an increased heat flux, sputtering, and arcing of the antenna/faraday screen. In order to aid the theoretical development of near-field physics and thus propel the design process experimental measurements are highly desired. In this work we have developed a diagnostic based on passive emission spectroscopy capable of measuring time periodic electric fields utilizing a generalized dynamic Stark effect model and a novel spectral line profile fitting package. The diagnostic was implemented on a small scale laboratory experiment designed to simulate the edge environment associated with ICRF antenna/faraday screen. The spatially and temporally resolved electric field associated with magnetized RF sheaths will be presented for two field configurations: magnetic field parallel to electric field and magnetic field perpendicular to electric field, both hydrogen and helium discharges where investigated. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LCC, for the US DOE under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Reproduction of Meloidogyne chitwoodi on Popcorn Cultivars

PubMed Central

Cardwell, D. M.; Ingham, R. E.

1997-01-01

Popcorn cultivars were evaluated in field and greenhouse tests for resistance to the Columbia root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne chitwoodi, as potential resistant crops in potato rotations. A nematode reproductive factor (Rf) was calculated for each cultivar. Reproductive factor values also were compared on a relative basis as percentages of the Rf on a susceptible field corn standard, Pioneer 3578. Popcorn cultivars W206 and Robust 33-77 consistently supported low population densities of M. chitwoodi in repeated tests. However, WOC 9508 had the greatest resistance in any of the field tests, with an Rf value of 0.04. Cultivars with a mean field and greenhouse Rf value less than 50% of the value for Pioneer 3578 were WOC 9508 (8%), WOC 9554 (13%), W206 (15%), WOX 9512 (23%), Robust 33-77 (30%), Robust 20-70 (38%), WOC 9510 (41%), and WOC 9504 (42%). If these cultivars were used in rotation, M. chitwoodi population densities at the end of the popcorn season would be between 58% and 92% less than if Pioneer 3578 were grown. In greenhouse tests, WOX 9511, WOX 9528, WOC 9556, and WOX 9531 also had low Rf values (7-46% that of Pioneer 3578), but field testing of these cultivars is needed. PMID:19274265

Consideration of the effects of intense tissue heating on the RF electromagnetic fields during MRI: simulations for MRgFUS in the hip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xuegang Xin, Sherman; Gu, Shiyong; Carluccio, Giuseppe; Collins, Christopher M.

2015-01-01

Due to the strong dependence of tissue electrical properties on temperature, it is important to consider the potential effects of intense tissue heating on the RF electromagnetic fields during MRI, as can occur in MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery. In principle, changes of the RF electromagnetic fields could affect both efficacy of RF pulses, and the MRI-induced RF heating (SAR) pattern. In this study, the equilibrium temperature distribution in a whole-body model with 2 mm resolution before and during intense tissue heating up to 60 °C at the target region was calculated. Temperature-dependent electric properties of tissues were assigned to the model to establish a temperature-dependent electromagnetic whole-body model in a 3T MRI system. The results showed maximum changes in conductivity, permittivity, ≤ft|\\mathbf{B}1+\\right|, and SAR of about 25%, 6%, 2%, and 20%, respectively. Though the B1 field and SAR distributions are both temperature-dependent, the potential harm to patients due to higher SARs is expected to be minimal and the effects on the B1 field distribution should have minimal effect on images from basic MRI sequences.

Initial Simulations of RF Waves in Hot Plasmas Using the FullWave Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Liangji; Svidzinski, Vladimir; Spencer, Andrew; Kim, Jin-Soo

2017-10-01

FullWave is a simulation tool that models RF fields in hot inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas. The wave equations with linearized hot plasma dielectric response are solved in configuration space on adaptive cloud of computational points. The nonlocal hot plasma dielectric response is formulated by calculating the plasma conductivity kernel based on the solution of the linearized Vlasov equation in inhomogeneous magnetic field. In an rf field, the hot plasma dielectric response is limited to the distance of a few particles' Larmor radii, near the magnetic field line passing through the test point. The localization of the hot plasma dielectric response results in a sparse matrix of the problem thus significantly reduces the size of the problem and makes the simulations faster. We will present the initial results of modeling of rf waves using the Fullwave code, including calculation of nonlocal conductivity kernel in 2D Tokamak geometry; the interpolation of conductivity kernel from test points to adaptive cloud of computational points; and the results of self-consistent simulations of 2D rf fields using calculated hot plasma conductivity kernel in a tokamak plasma with reduced parameters. Work supported by the US DOE ``SBIR program.

Experimental Study of RF Sheaths due to Shear Alfv'en Waves in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Michael; van Compernolle, Bart; Carter, Troy; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Patrick; D'Ippolito, Daniel A.; Myra, James R.

2012-10-01

Ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating is an important tool in current fusion experiments and will be an essential part of the heating power in ITER. A current limitation of ICRF heating is impurity generation through the formation of radiofrequency (RF) sheaths, both near-field (at the antenna) and far-field (e.g. in the divertor region). Far-field sheaths are thought to be generated through the direct launch of or mode conversion to shear Alfv'en waves. Shear Alfv'en waves have an electric field component parallel to the background magnetic field near the wall that drives an RF sheath.footnotetextD. A. D'Ippolito and J. R. Myra, Phys. Plasmas 19, 034504 (2012) In this study we directly launch the shear Alfv'en wave and measure the plasma potential oscillations and DC potential in the bulk plasma of the LAPD using emissive and Langmuir probes. Measured changes in the DC plasma potential can serve as an indirect measurement of the formation of an RF sheath because of rectification. These measurements will be useful in guiding future experiments to measure the plasma potential profile inside RF sheaths as part of an ongoing campaign.

RF induced energy for partially implanted catheters: a computational study

PubMed Central

Lucano, Elena; Liberti, Micaela; Lloyd, Tom; Apollonio, Francesca; Wedan, Steve; Kainz, Wolfgang; Angelone, Leonardo M.

2018-01-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a radiological imaging technique widely used in clinical practice. MRI has been proposed to guide the catheters for interventional procedures, such as cardiac ablation. However, there are risks associated with this procedure, such as RF-induced heating of tissue near the catheters. The aim of this study is to develop a quantitative RF-safety method for patients with partially implanted leads at 64 MHz. RF-induced heating is related to the electric field incident along the catheter, which in turns depends on several variables, including the position of the RF feeding sources and the orientation of the polarization, which are however often unknown. This study evaluates the electric field profile along the lead trajectory using simulations with an anatomical human model landmarked at the heart. The energy absorbed in the volume near the tip of ageneric partially implanted lead was computed for all source positions and field orientation. The results showed that varying source positions and field orientation may result in changes of up to 18% for the E-field magnitude and up to 60% for the 10g-averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) in the volume surrounding the tip of the lead. PMID:28268553

USAF Summer Research Program - 1993 Summer Research Extension Program Final Reports, Volume 1A, Armstrong Laboratory

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-11-01

5 lb. Chad H. Joshi and Rich F. Schiferl , "Design and Fabrication of High Temperature Superconducting Field Coils for a Demonstration DC Motor", IEEE...C.H. Joshi, and R.F. Schiferl , IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, Volume 3, No. 1, March 1993, pp. 373-376. 108. 0. Tsukamoto, Y. Tanaka...November , 1989, Tsukuba, Japan, ed. by T. Ishiguro, and K. Kajimnura, (Springer-Verlag, Tokyo, 1990), 1055-1058. 110. J.D. Edick, R.F. Schiferl , and

Imaging Electric Properties of Biological Tissues by RF Field Mapping in MRI

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaotong; Zhu, Shanan; He, Bin

2010-01-01

The electric properties (EPs) of biological tissue, i.e., the electric conductivity and permittivity, can provide important information in the diagnosis of various diseases. The EPs also play an important role in specific absorption rate (SAR) calculation, a major concern in high-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), as well as in non-medical areas such as wireless-telecommunications. The high-field MRI system is accompanied by significant wave propagation effects, and the radio frequency (RF) radiation is dependent on the EPs of biological tissue. Based on the measurement of the active transverse magnetic component of the applied RF field (known as B1-mapping technique), we propose a dual-excitation algorithm, which uses two sets of measured B1 data to noninvasively reconstruct the electric properties of biological tissues. The Finite Element Method (FEM) was utilized in three-dimensional (3D) modeling and B1 field calculation. A series of computer simulations were conducted to evaluate the feasibility and performance of the proposed method on a 3D head model within a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) coil and a birdcage (BC) coil. Using a TEM coil, when noise free, the reconstructed EP distribution of tissues in the brain has relative errors of 12% ∼ 28% and correlated coefficients of greater than 0.91. Compared with other B1-mapping based reconstruction algorithms, our approach provides superior performance without the need for iterative computations. The present simulation results suggest that good reconstruction of electric properties from B1 mapping can be achieved. PMID:20129847

Spectral properties of rf emission from high Tc films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jung, G.; Konopka, J.; Vitale, S.

1990-09-15

Spectral properties of rf radiation from intrinsic Josephson junctions in high {Tc} Y-Ba-Cu-O thin film have been measured in the frequency range up to 1.5 GHz. Narrow emission lines with the 3 dB bandwidth of the order of 20 MHz were detected indicating that Josephson clusters radiate coherently. Synchronization conditions are determined by dc current and external magnetic field bias. Frequency locking of radiation to external resonant circuit was also observed. Spectral line narrowing due to resonant lock was distinguished from the coherence-induced narrowing by different tuning properties of the emission line. Noncoherent Josephson radiation manifests itself as a broadbandmore » background noise increase. A pronounced 1/{ital f}-like tail sensitive to dc bias and magnetic field was observed in a low frequency part of the spectrum.« less

Theory and Practice in ICRF Antennas for Long Pulse Operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colas, L.; Faudot, E.; Brémond, S.; Heuraux, S.; Mitteau, R.; Chantant, M.; Goniche, M.; Basiuk, V.; Bosia, G.; Tore Supra Team

2005-09-01

Long plasma discharges on the Tore Supra (TS) tokamak were extended in 2004 towards higher powers and plasma densities by combined Lower Hybrid (LH) and Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) waves. RF pulses of 20s×8MW and 60s×4MW were produced. TS is equipped with 3 ICRF antennas, whose front faces are ready for CW operation. This paper reports on their behaviour over high power long pulses, as observed with infrared (IR) thermography and calorimetric measurements. Edge parasitic losses, although modest, are concentrated on a small surface and can raise surface temperatures close to operational limits. A complex hot spot pattern was revealed with at least 3 physical processes involved : convected power, electron acceleration in the LH near field, and a RF-specific phenomenon compatible with RF sheaths. LH coupling was also perturbed in the antenna shadow. This was attributed to RF-induced DC E×B0 convection. This motivated sheath modelling in two directions. First, the 2D topology of RF potentials was investigated in relation with the RF current distribution over the antenna, via a Green's function formalism and full-wave calculation using the ICANT code. In front of phased arrays of straps, convective cells were interpreted using the RF current profiles of strip line theory. Another class of convective cells, specific to antenna box corners, was evidenced for the first time. Within 1D sheath models assuming independent flux tubes, RF and rectified DC potentials are proportional. 2D fluid models couple nearby flux tubes via transverse polarisation currents. Unexpectedly this does not necessarily smooth RF potential maps. Peak DC potentials can even be enhanced. The experience gained on TS and the numerical tools are valuable for designing steady state high power antennas for next step devices. General rules to reduce RF potentials as well as concrete design options are discussed.

Theory and Practice in ICRF Antennas for Long Pulse Operation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colas, L.; Bremond, S.; Mitteau, R.

2005-09-26

Long plasma discharges on the Tore Supra (TS) tokamak were extended in 2004 towards higher powers and plasma densities by combined Lower Hybrid (LH) and Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) waves. RF pulses of 20sx8MW and 60sx4MW were produced. TS is equipped with 3 ICRF antennas, whose front faces are ready for CW operation. This paper reports on their behaviour over high power long pulses, as observed with infrared (IR) thermography and calorimetric measurements. Edge parasitic losses, although modest, are concentrated on a small surface and can raise surface temperatures close to operational limits. A complex hot spot patternmore » was revealed with at least 3 physical processes involved : convected power, electron acceleration in the LH near field, and a RF-specific phenomenon compatible with RF sheaths. LH coupling was also perturbed in the antenna shadow. This was attributed to RF-induced DC ExB0 convection. This motivated sheath modelling in two directions. First, the 2D topology of RF potentials was investigated in relation with the RF current distribution over the antenna, via a Green's function formalism and full-wave calculation using the ICANT code. In front of phased arrays of straps, convective cells were interpreted using the RF current profiles of strip line theory. Another class of convective cells, specific to antenna box corners, was evidenced for the first time. Within 1D sheath models assuming independent flux tubes, RF and rectified DC potentials are proportional. 2D fluid models couple nearby flux tubes via transverse polarisation currents. Unexpectedly this does not necessarily smooth RF potential maps. Peak DC potentials can even be enhanced. The experience gained on TS and the numerical tools are valuable for designing steady state high power antennas for next step devices. General rules to reduce RF potentials as well as concrete design options are discussed.« less

Apparatus and method of dissociating ions in a multipole ion guide

DOEpatents

Webb, Ian K.; Tang, Keqi; Smith, Richard D.; Ibrahim, Yehia M.; Anderson, Gordon A.

2014-07-08

A method of dissociating ions in a multipole ion guide is disclosed. A stream of charged ions is supplied to the ion guide. A main RF field is applied to the ion guide to confine the ions through the ion guide. An excitation RF field is applied to one pair of rods of the ion guide. The ions undergo dissociation when the applied excitation RF field is resonant with a secular frequency of the ions. The multipole ion guide is, but not limited to, a quadrupole, a hexapole, and an octopole.

Resonance properties of the biological objects in the RF field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cocherova, E.; Kupec, P.; Stofanik, V.

2011-12-01

Irradiation of people with electromagnetic fields emitted from miscellaneous devices working in the radio-frequency (RF) range may have influence, for example may affect brain processes. The question of health impact of RF electromagnetic fields on population is still not closed. This article is devoted to an investigation of resonance phenomena of RF field absorption in the models of whole human body and body parts (a head) of different size and shape. The values of specific absorption rate (SAR) are evaluated for models of the different shapes: spherical, cylindrical, realistic shape and for different size of the model, that represents the case of new-born, child and adult person. In the RF frequency region, absorption depends nonlinearly on frequency. Under certain conditions (E-polarization), absorption reaches maximum at frequency, that is called "resonance frequency". The whole body absorption and the resonance frequency depends on many further parameters, that are not comprehensively clarified. The simulation results showed the dependence of the whole-body average SAR and resonance frequency on the body dimensions, as well as the influence of the body shape.

International policy and advisory response regarding children's exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF).

PubMed

Redmayne, Mary

2016-01-01

Radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure regulations/guidelines generally only consider acute effects, and not chronic, low exposures. Concerns for children's exposure are warranted due to the amazingly rapid uptake of many wireless devices by increasingly younger children. This review of policy and advice regarding children's RF-EMF exposure draws material from a wide variety of sources focusing on the current situation. This is not a systematic review, but aims to provide a representative cross-section of policy and advisory responses within set boundaries. There are a wide variety of approaches which I have categorized and tabulated ranging from ICNIRP/IEEE guidelines and "no extra precautions needed" to precautionary or scientific much lower maxima and extensive advice to minimize RF-EMF exposure, ban advertising/sale to children, and add exposure information to packaging. Precautionary standards use what I term an exclusion principle. The wide range of policy approaches can be confusing for parents/carers of children. Some consensus among advisory organizations would be helpful acknowledging that, despite extensive research, the highly complex nature of both RF-EMF and the human body, and frequent technological updates, means simple assurance of long-term safety cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, minimum exposure of children to RF-EMF is recommended. This does not indicate need for alarm, but mirrors routine health-and-safety precautions. Simple steps are suggested. ICNIRP guidelines need to urgently publish how the head, torso, and limbs' exposure limits were calculated and what safety margin was applied since this exposure, especially to the abdomen, is now dominant in many children.

Spectral turning bands for efficient Gaussian random fields generation on GPUs and accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunger, L.; Cosenza, B.; Kimeswenger, S.; Fahringer, T.

2015-11-01

A random field (RF) is a set of correlated random variables associated with different spatial locations. RF generation algorithms are of crucial importance for many scientific areas, such as astrophysics, geostatistics, computer graphics, and many others. Current approaches commonly make use of 3D fast Fourier transform (FFT), which does not scale well for RF bigger than the available memory; they are also limited to regular rectilinear meshes. We introduce random field generation with the turning band method (RAFT), an RF generation algorithm based on the turning band method that is optimized for massively parallel hardware such as GPUs and accelerators. Our algorithm replaces the 3D FFT with a lower-order, one-dimensional FFT followed by a projection step and is further optimized with loop unrolling and blocking. RAFT can easily generate RF on non-regular (non-uniform) meshes and efficiently produce fields with mesh sizes bigger than the available device memory by using a streaming, out-of-core approach. Our algorithm generates RF with the correct statistical behavior and is tested on a variety of modern hardware, such as NVIDIA Tesla, AMD FirePro and Intel Phi. RAFT is faster than the traditional methods on regular meshes and has been successfully applied to two real case scenarios: planetary nebulae and cosmological simulations.

Beam ion acceleration by ICRH in JET discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budny, R. V.; Gorelenkova, M.; Bertelli, N.; JET Collaboration

2015-11-01

The ion Monte-Carlo orbit integrator NUBEAM, used in TRANSP has been enhanced to include an ``RF-kick'' operator to simulate the interaction of RF fields and fast ions. The RF quasi-linear operator (localized in space) uses a second R-Z orbit integrator. We apply this to analysis of recent JET discharges using ICRH with the ITER-like first wall. An example of results for a high performance Hybrid discharge for which standard TRANSP analysis simulated the DD neutron emission rate below measurements, re-analysis using the RF-kick operator results in increased beam parallel and perpendicular energy densities (~=40% and 15% respectively), and increased beam-thermal neutron emission (~= 35%), making the total rate closer to the measurement. Checks of the numerics, comparisons with measurements, and ITER implications will be presented. Supported in part by the US DoE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by EUROfusion No 633053.

Review of new shapes for higher gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, R. L.

2006-07-01

High-gradient superconducting RF (SRF) cavities are needed for energy frontier superconducting accelerators. Progress has been made over the past decades and the accelerating gradient Eacc has been increased from a few MV/m to ∼42 MV/m in SRF niobium cavities. The corresponding peak RF magnetic field Hpk on the niobium cavity surface is approaching the intrinsic RF critical magnetic field Hcrit,RF, a hard physical limit at which superconductivity breaks down. Pushing the gradient envelope further by adopting new cavity shapes with a lower ratio of Hpk/ Eacc has been recently proposed. For a reduced Hpk/ Eacc, a higher ultimate Eacc is sustained when Hpk finally strikes Hcrit,RF. The new cavity geometry include the re-entrant shape conceived at Cornell University and the so-called “Low-loss” shape proposed by a DESY/JLAB/KEK collaboration. Experimental work is being pursued at Cornell, KEK and JLAB. Results of single-cell cavities are encouraging. A record gradient of 47 MV/m was first demonstrated in a 1.3 GHz re-entrant niobium cavity at Cornell University. At the time of writing, a new record of 52 MV/m has been realized with another 1.3 GHz re-entrant cavity, designed and built at Cornell and processed and tested at KEK. Single-cell low-loss cavities have reached equally high gradients in the range of 45-51 MV/m at KEK and JLAB. Owing to their higher gradient potential and the encouraging single-cell cavity results, the new cavity shapes are becoming attractive for their possible use in the international linear collider (ILC). Experimental work on multi-cell niobium cavities of new shapes is currently under active exploration.

Meta-metallic coils and resonators: Methods for high Q-value resonant geometries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mett, R. R.; Department of Physics and Chemistry, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202; Sidabras, J. W.

A novel method of decreasing ohmic losses and increasing Q-value in metallic resonators at high frequencies is presented. The method overcomes the skin-depth limitation of rf current flow cross section. The method uses layers of conductive foil of thickness less than a skin depth and capacitive gaps between layers. The capacitive gaps can substantially equalize the rf current flowing in each layer, resulting in a total cross-sectional dimension for rf current flow many times larger than a skin depth. Analytic theory and finite-element simulations indicate that, for a variety of structures, the Q-value enhancement over a single thick conductor approachesmore » the ratio of total conductor thickness to skin depth if the total number of layers is greater than one-third the square of the ratio of total conductor thickness to skin depth. The layer number requirement is due to counter-currents in each foil layer caused by the surrounding rf magnetic fields. We call structures that exhibit this type of Q-enhancement “meta-metallic.” In addition, end effects due to rf magnetic fields wrapping around the ends of the foils can substantially reduce the Q-value for some classes of structures. Foil structures with Q-values that are substantially influenced by such end effects are discussed as are five classes of structures that are not. We focus particularly on 400 MHz, which is the resonant frequency of protons at 9.4 T. Simulations at 400 MHz are shown with comparison to measurements on fabricated structures. The methods and geometries described here are general for magnetic resonance and can be used at frequencies much higher than 400 MHz.« less

Meta-metallic coils and resonators: Methods for high Q-value resonant geometries

PubMed Central

Mett, R. R.; Hyde, J. S.

2016-01-01

A novel method of decreasing ohmic losses and increasing Q-value in metallic resonators at high frequencies is presented. The method overcomes the skin-depth limitation of rf current flow cross section. The method uses layers of conductive foil of thickness less than a skin depth and capacitive gaps between layers. The capacitive gaps can substantially equalize the rf current flowing in each layer, resulting in a total cross-sectional dimension for rf current flow many times larger than a skin depth. Analytic theory and finite-element simulations indicate that, for a variety of structures, the Q-value enhancement over a single thick conductor approaches the ratio of total conductor thickness to skin depth if the total number of layers is greater than one-third the square of the ratio of total conductor thickness to skin depth. The layer number requirement is due to counter-currents in each foil layer caused by the surrounding rf magnetic fields. We call structures that exhibit this type of Q-enhancement “meta-metallic.” In addition, end effects due to rf magnetic fields wrapping around the ends of the foils can substantially reduce the Q-value for some classes of structures. Foil structures with Q-values that are substantially influenced by such end effects are discussed as are five classes of structures that are not. We focus particularly on 400 MHz, which is the resonant frequency of protons at 9.4 T. Simulations at 400 MHz are shown with comparison to measurements on fabricated structures. The methods and geometries described here are general for magnetic resonance and can be used at frequencies much higher than 400 MHz. PMID:27587143

Development of Elite BPH-Resistant Wide-Spectrum Restorer Lines for Three and Two Line Hybrid Rice.

PubMed

Fan, Fengfeng; Li, Nengwu; Chen, Yunping; Liu, Xingdan; Sun, Heng; Wang, Jie; He, Guangcun; Zhu, Yingguo; Li, Shaoqing

2017-01-01

Hybrid rice has contributed significantly to the world food security. Breeding of elite high-yield, strong-resistant broad-spectrum restorer line is an important strategy for hybrid rice in commercial breeding programs. Here, we developed three elite brown planthopper (BPH)-resistant wide-spectrum restorer lines by pyramiding big-panicle gene Gn8.1 , BPH-resistant genes Bph6 and Bph9 , fertility restorer genes Rf3, Rf4, Rf5 , and Rf6 through molecular marker assisted selection. Resistance analysis revealed that the newly developed restorer lines showed stronger BPH-resistance than any of the single-gene donor parent Luoyang-6 and Luoyang-9. Moreover, the three new restorer lines had broad spectrum recovery capabilities for Honglian CMS, Wild abortive CMS and two-line GMS sterile lines, and higher grain yields than that of the recurrent parent 9,311 under nature field conditions. Importantly, the hybrid crosses also showed good performance for grain yield and BPH-resistance. Thus, the development of elite BPH-resistant wide-spectrum restorer lines has a promising future for breeding of broad spectrum BPH-resistant high-yield varieties.

Coupled oscillations of vortex cores confined in a ferromagnetic elliptical disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hata, Hiroshi; Goto, Minori; Yamaguchi, Akinobu; Sato, Tomonori; Nakatani, Yoshinobu; Nozaki, Yukio

2014-09-01

By solving the Thiele equation with simultaneous application of a radio-frequency (rf) magnetic field (hrf) and an rf spin current (jsp), the dynamic susceptibility of exchange-coupled vortices in response to hrf and jsp was obtained. It was found that the four eigenmodes expected for two vortices trapped in a magnetic elliptical disk were coupled to different components of hrf and jsp. As a consequence, orthogonal hrf and jsp (which are simultaneously generated by the application of an rf current to an elliptical disk) can excite two modes with different eigenfrequencies. This result suggests that a fieldlike nonadiabatic torque caused by an rf spin current can be spectroscopically distinguished from the one caused by the rf magnetic field.

Effective arrangement of separated transmit-only/receive-only RF coil for improvement of B1 homogeneity at 7 Tesla

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Im, Geun Ho; Seo, Jeong-Hoon; Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Heo, Phil; Chung, Julius Juhyun; Jang, Moon-Sun; Lee, Jung Hee; Kim, Jae-Hun; Kim, Sun I.

2014-09-01

This article presents an effective arrangement with shifted transmit (Tx)-only and receive (Rx)-only (TORO) radiofrequency (RF) coils in a single-channel surface coil for improving the magnetic flux ( B 1) homogeneity in an ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The proposed new methodology for the coil arrangement using the shifted TORO RF coils was demonstrated for coils with 50-mm, 100-mm, and 150-mm-square surfaces and the results were compared to those for general Tx/Rx surface coils with the same dimensions. The computational analysis indicated that a homogeneous B1 field was achieved when the Rx-only coil was shifted in the two-dimensional xy-plane away from the Tx-only coils. Because the proposed coil configuration provides a unique opportunity for increasing the B 1 homogeneity, this feature is likely to increase the feasibility via new coil arrangements of UHF surface design and fabrication.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Forno, Massimo Dal; Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Trieste; Craievich, Paolo

The front-end injection systems of the FERMI@Elettra linac produce high brightness electron beams that define the performance of the Free Electron Laser. The photoinjector mainly consists of the radiofrequency (rf) gun and of two S-band rf structures which accelerate the beam. Accelerating structures endowed with a single feed coupler cause deflection and degradation of the electron beam properties, due to the asymmetry of the electromagnetic field. In this paper, a new type of single feed structure with movable short-circuit is proposed. It has the advantage of having only one waveguide input, but we propose a novel design where the dipolarmore » component is reduced. Moreover, the racetrack geometry allows to reduce the quadrupolar component. This paper presents the microwave design and the analysis of the particle motion inside the linac. A prototype has been machined at the Elettra facility to verify the new coupler design and the rf field has been measured by adopting the bead-pull method. The results are here presented, showing good agreement with the expectations.« less

Magnetic Resonance Based Electrical Properties Tomography: A Review

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaotong; Liu, Jiaen

2014-01-01

Frequency-dependent electrical properties (EPs; conductivity and permittivity) of biological tissues provide important diagnostic information (e.g. tumor characterization), and also play an important role in quantifying radiofrequency (RF) coil induced Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) which is a major safety concern in high- and ultrahigh-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) applications. Cross-sectional imaging of EPs has been pursued for decades. Recently introduced Electrical Properties Tomography (EPT) approaches utilize the measurable RF magnetic field induced by the RF coil in an MRI system to quantitatively reconstruct the EP distribution in vivo and non-invasively with a spatial resolution of a few millimeters or less. This paper reviews the Electrical Properties Tomography approach from its basic theory in electromagnetism to the state of the art research outcomes. Emphasizing on the imaging reconstruction methods rather than experimentation techniques, we review the developed imaging algorithms, validation results in physical phantoms and biological tissues, as well as their applications in in vivo tumor detection and subject-specific SAR prediction. Challenges for future research are also discussed. PMID:24803104

9.4T Human MRI: Preliminary Results

PubMed Central

Vaughan, Thomas; DelaBarre, Lance; Snyder, Carl; Tian, Jinfeng; Akgun, Can; Shrivastava, Devashish; Liu, Wanzahn; Olson, Chris; Adriany, Gregor; Strupp, John; Andersen, Peter; Gopinath, Anand; van de Moortele, Pierre-Francois; Garwood, Michael; Ugurbil, Kamil

2014-01-01

This work reports the preliminary results of the first human images at the new high-field benchmark of 9.4T. A 65-cm-diameter bore magnet was used together with an asymmetric 40-cm-diameter head gradient and shim set. A multichannel transmission line (transverse electromagnetic (TEM)) head coil was driven by a programmable parallel transceiver to control the relative phase and magnitude of each channel independently. These new RF field control methods facilitated compensation for RF artifacts attributed to destructive interference patterns, in order to achieve homogeneous 9.4T head images or localize anatomic targets. Prior to FDA investigational device exemptions (IDEs) and internal review board (IRB)-approved human studies, preliminary RF safety studies were performed on porcine models. These data are reported together with exit interview results from the first 44 human volunteers. Although several points for improvement are discussed, the preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of safe and successful human imaging at 9.4T. PMID:17075852

Computational Investigation of Helical Traveling Wave Tube Transverse RF Field Forces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kory, Carol L.; Dayton, James A.

1998-01-01

In a previous study using a fully three-dimensional (3D) helical slow-wave circuit cold- test model it was found, contrary to classical helical circuit analyses, that transverse FF electric fields have significant amplitudes compared with the longitudinal component. The RF fields obtained using this helical cold-test model have been scaled to correspond to those of an actual TWT. At the output of the tube, RF field forces reach 61%, 26% and 132% for radial, azimuthal and longitudinal components, respectively, compared to radial space charge forces indicating the importance of considering them in the design of electron beam focusing.

Plasma sweeper to control the coupling of RF power to a magnetically confined plasma

DOEpatents

Motley, Robert W.; Glanz, James

1985-01-01

A device for coupling RF power (a plasma sweeper) from a phased waveguide array for introducing RF power to a plasma having a magnetic field associated therewith comprises at least one electrode positioned near the plasma and near the phased waveguide array; and a potential source coupled to the electrode for generating a static electric field at the electrode directed into the plasma and having a component substantially perpendicular to the plasma magnetic field such that a non-zero vector cross-product of the electric and magnetic fields exerts a force on the plasma causing the plasma to drift.

Radio frequency focused interdigital linear accelerator

DOEpatents

Swenson, Donald A.; Starling, W. Joel

2006-08-29

An interdigital (Wideroe) linear accelerator employing drift tubes, and associated support stems that couple to both the longitudinal and support stem electromagnetic fields of the linac, creating rf quadrupole fields along the axis of the linac to provide transverse focusing for the particle beam. Each drift tube comprises two separate electrodes operating at different electrical potentials as determined by cavity rf fields. Each electrode supports two fingers, pointing towards the opposite end of the drift tube, forming a four-finger geometry that produces an rf quadrupole field distribution along its axis. The fundamental periodicity of the structure is equal to one half of the particle wavelength .beta..lamda., where .beta. is the particle velocity in units of the velocity of light and .lamda. is the free space wavelength of the rf. Particles are accelerated in the gaps between drift tubes. The particle beam is focused in regions inside the drift tubes.

Radio Frequency Plasma Discharge Lamps for Use as Stable Calibration Light Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McAndrew, Brendan; Cooper, John; Arecchi, Angelo; McKee, Greg; Durell, Christopher

2012-01-01

Stable high radiance in visible and near-ultraviolet wavelengths is desirable for radiometric calibration sources. In this work, newly available electrodeless radio-frequency (RF) driven plasma light sources were combined with research grade, low-noise power supplies and coupled to an integrating sphere to produce a uniform radiance source. The stock light sources consist of a 28 VDC power supply, RF driver, and a resonant RF cavity. The RF cavity includes a small bulb with a fill gas that is ionized by the electric field and emits light. This assembly is known as the emitter. The RF driver supplies a source of RF energy to the emitter. In commercial form, embedded electronics within the RF driver perform a continual optimization routine to maximize energy transfer to the emitter. This optimization routine continually varies the light output sinusoidally by approximately 2% over a several-second period. Modifying to eliminate this optimization eliminates the sinusoidal variation but allows the output to slowly drift over time. This drift can be minimized by allowing sufficient warm-up time to achieve thermal equilibrium. It was also found that supplying the RF driver with a low-noise source of DC electrical power improves the stability of the lamp output. Finally, coupling the light into an integrating sphere reduces the effect of spatial fluctuations, and decreases noise at the output port of the sphere.

Converging Resonance Cones in the LAPTAG plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Cami; Ha, Chris; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Patrick; Agmon, Nathan; Wise, Joe; Baker, Bob

2013-10-01

The LAPTAG laboratory is a high school outreach effort that has a 1.5m long 50 cm diameter magnetized plasma device. The plasma is produced by an ICP source (1X109 < n < 5X1011 cm-3) and has computer controlled data acquisition. Ring antennas are used to produce converging resonance cones. The experiment was performed in the quiescent plasma afterglow. The electrostatic cones were produced by rf applied to the rings (80 < f < 120 MHz), where fRF < f

Analysis of a high brightness photo electron beam with self field and wake field effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parsa, Z.

High brightness sources are the basic ingredients in the new accelerator developments such as Free-Electron Laser experiments. The effects of the interactions between the highly charged particles and the fields in the accelerating structure, e.g. R.F., Space charge and Wake fields can be detrimental to the beam and the experiments. We present and discuss the formulation used, some simulation and results for the Brookhaven National Laboratory high brightness beam that illustrates effects of the accelerating field, space charge forces (e.g. due to self field of the bunch), and the wake field (e.g. arising from the interaction of the cavity surfacemore » and the self field of the bunch).« less

Mobile phones, radiofrequency fields, and health effects in children--epidemiological studies.

PubMed

Feychting, Maria

2011-12-01

In 2004, when WHO organized a workshop on children's sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, very few studies on radiofrequency fields were available. With the recent increase in mobile phone use among children and adolescents, WHO has identified studies on health effects in this age-group as a high priority research area. There are no empirical data supporting the notion that children and adolescents are more susceptible to RF exposure, but the number of studies is still relatively small. There are a few cross-sectional studies on well-being, cognitive effects and behavioral problems, and some cohort studies, mainly of maternal use of mobile phones during pregnancy. Cancer outcomes have been studied in relation to environmental RF exposure, e.g. from transmitters, and only one study on mobile phone use in children and adolescents and brain tumor risk has been published. Several methodological limitations need to be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings of the epidemiological studies. The cross-sectional design does not allow determination of the temporal sequence of exposure and outcome, and for several outcomes there is a large potential for reversed causality, i.e. that the outcome causes an increased RF exposure rather than the opposite. Biases such as recall errors in self-reported mobile phone use, lack of confounding control, e.g. of other aspects of mobile phone use than RF fields, trained behaviors, and pubertal development, makes causal interpretations impossible. Future studies need to include prospectively collected exposure information, incident outcomes, and proper confounding control. Monitoring of brain tumor incidence trends is strongly recommended. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tuner of a Second Harmonic Cavity of the Fermilab Booster

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Terechkine, I.; Duel, K.; Madrak, R.

2015-05-17

Introducing a second harmonic cavity in the accelerating system of the Fermilab Booster promises significant reduc-tion of the particle beam loss during the injection, transi-tion, and extraction stages. To follow the changing energy of the beam during acceleration cycles, the cavity is equipped with a tuner that employs perpendicularly biased AL800 garnet material as the frequency tuning media. The required tuning range of the cavity is from 75.73 MHz at injection to 105.64 MHz at extraction. This large range ne-cessitates the use of a relatively low bias magnetic field at injection, which could lead to high RF loss power densitymore » in the garnet, or a strong bias magnetic field at extraction, which could result in high power consumption in the tuner’s bias magnet. The required 15 Hz repetition rate of the device and high sensitivity of the local RF power loss to the level of the magnetic field added to the challenges of the bias system design. In this report, the main features of a proposed prototype of the second harmonic cavity tuner are presented.« less

Local and global thermoregulatory responses to MRI electromagnetic fields: Biological effects and safety aspects of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, C.J.

1991-01-01

During magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures, a subject is exposed to three novel environmental stimuli which have drawn attention over the past decade as potential health hazards: (1) a relatively intense static magnetic field; (2) a time-varying magnetic field, and (3) a radiofrequency (RF) field. Thermoregulation is one of many physiological systems that can be affected by MRI, specifically by the RF radiation absorbed by the subject during MRI. While there is some sparse, albeit controversial data on the possible effects of static magnetic fields on thermoregulation, the major concern regarding potential health hazards of the MRI-induced thermal effects centersmore » on the RF radiation absorbed by a subject during a scan. The purpose of the paper is to review the studies that have impacted on understanding the thermoregulatory effects of MRI with special emphasis on the problems of selecting appropriate animal models for assessing the potential risk of RF radiation exposure during MRI.« less

Responsive feeding and child undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Bentley, Margaret E; Wasser, Heather M; Creed-Kanashiro, Hilary M

2011-03-01

Growth faltering and nutritional deficiencies continue to be highly prevalent in infants and young children (IYC) living in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries. There is increasing recognition that feeding behaviors and styles, particularly responsive feeding (RF), could influence acceptance of food and dietary intake and thus the growth of IYC. This paper presents the evolution of RF research and the strength of the evidence for RF on child undernutrition in LAMI countries. Multiple approaches were used to identify studies, including keyword searches in many databases, hand searches of retrieved articles, and consultation with experts in the field. Articles were included if they contained a RF exposure and child undernutrition outcome. In total, we identified 21 studies: 15 on child growth, 4 on dietary intake, 3 on disease, and 8 on eating behaviors. Most studies were conducted among children <36 mo of age and were published in the last 10 y. Cross-study comparisons were difficult due to multiple definitions of RF. One-half of the studies were observational with cross-sectional designs and few interventions were designed to isolate the effect of RF on child undernutrition. Overall, few studies have demonstrated a positive association between RF and child undernutrition, although there is promising evidence that positive caregiver verbalizations during feeding increase child acceptance of food. Recommendations for future research include consensus on the definition and measurement of RF, longitudinal studies that begin early in infancy, and randomized controlled trials that isolate the effect of RF on child undernutrition.

A z-gradient array for simultaneous multi-slice excitation with a single-band RF pulse.

PubMed

Ertan, Koray; Taraghinia, Soheil; Sadeghi, Alireza; Atalar, Ergin

2018-07-01

Multi-slice radiofrequency (RF) pulses have higher specific absorption rates, more peak RF power, and longer pulse durations than single-slice RF pulses. Gradient field design techniques using a z-gradient array are investigated for exciting multiple slices with a single-band RF pulse. Two different field design methods are formulated to solve for the required current values of the gradient array elements for the given slice locations. The method requirements are specified, optimization problems are formulated for the minimum current norm and an analytical solution is provided. A 9-channel z-gradient coil array driven by independent, custom-designed gradient amplifiers is used to validate the theory. Performance measures such as normalized slice thickness error, gradient strength per unit norm current, power dissipation, and maximum amplitude of the magnetic field are provided for various slice locations and numbers of slices. Two and 3 slices are excited by a single-band RF pulse in simulations and phantom experiments. The possibility of multi-slice excitation with a single-band RF pulse using a z-gradient array is validated in simulations and phantom experiments. Magn Reson Med 80:400-412, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Surface plasma source with saddle antenna radio frequency plasma generator.

PubMed

Dudnikov, V; Johnson, R P; Murray, S; Pennisi, T; Piller, C; Santana, M; Stockli, M; Welton, R

2012-02-01

A prototype RF H(-) surface plasma source (SPS) with saddle (SA) RF antenna is developed which will provide better power efficiency for high pulsed and average current, higher brightness with longer lifetime and higher reliability. Several versions of new plasma generators with small AlN discharge chambers and different antennas and magnetic field configurations were tested in the plasma source test stand. A prototype SA SPS was installed in the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) ion source test stand with a larger, normal-sized SNS AlN chamber that achieved unanalyzed peak currents of up to 67 mA with an apparent efficiency up to 1.6 mA∕kW. Control experiments with H(-) beam produced by SNS SPS with internal and external antennas were conducted. A new version of the RF triggering plasma gun has been designed. A saddle antenna SPS with water cooling is fabricated for high duty factor testing.

A high power, high density helicon discharge for the plasma wakefield accelerator experiment AWAKE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buttenschön, B.; Fahrenkamp, N.; Grulke, O.

2018-07-01

A plasma cell prototype for the plasma wakefield accelerator experiment AWAKE based on a helicon discharge is presented. In the 1 m long prototype module a multiple antenna helicon discharge with an rf power density of 100 MW m‑3 is established. Based on the helicon dispersion relation, a linear scaling of plasma density with magnetic field is observed for rf frequencies above the lower hybrid frequency, ω LH ≤ 0.8ω rf. Density profiles are highest on the device axis and show shallow radial gradients, thus providing a relatively constant plasma density in the center over a radial range of Δr ≈ 10 mm with less than 10% variation. Peak plasma densities up to 7 × 1020 m‑3 are transiently achieved with a reproducibility that is sufficient for AWAKE. The results are in good agreement with power balance calculations.

A novel injection-locked amplitude-modulated magnetron at 1497 MHz

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Neubauer, Michael; Wang, Haipeng

2015-12-15

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) uses low efficiency klystrons in the CEBAF machine. In the older portion they operate at 30% efficiency with a tube mean time between failure (MTBF) of five to six years. A highly efficient source (>55-60%) must provide a high degree of backwards compatibility, both in size and voltage requirements, to replace the klystron presently used at JLab, while providing energy savings. Muons, Inc. is developing a highly reliable, highly efficient RF source based upon a novel injection-locked amplitude modulated (AM) magnetron with a lower total cost of ownership, >80% efficiency, and MTBF of sixmore » to seven years. The design of the RF source is based upon a single injection-locked magnetron system at 8 kW capable of operating up to 13 kW, using the magnetron magnetic field to achieve the AM required for backwards compatibility to compensate for microphonics and beam loads. A novel injection-locked 1497 MHz 8 kW AM magnetron with a trim magnetic coil was designed and its operation numerically simulated during the Phase I project. The low-level RF system to control the trim field and magnetron anode voltage was designed and modeled for operation at the modulation frequencies of the microphonics. A plan for constructing a prototype magnetron and control system was developed.« less

Space Shuttle and Space Station Radio Frequency (RF) Exposure Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwu, Shian U.; Loh, Yin-Chung; Sham, Catherine C.; Kroll, Quin D.

2005-01-01

This paper outlines the modeling techniques and important parameters to define a rigorous but practical procedure that can verify the compliance of RF exposure to the NASA standards for astronauts and electronic equipment. The electromagnetic modeling techniques are applied to analyze RF exposure in Space Shuttle and Space Station environments with reasonable computing time and resources. The modeling techniques are capable of taking into account the field interactions with Space Shuttle and Space Station structures. The obtained results illustrate the multipath effects due to the presence of the space vehicle structures. It's necessary to include the field interactions with the space vehicle in the analysis for an accurate assessment of the RF exposure. Based on the obtained results, the RF keep out zones are identified for appropriate operational scenarios, flight rules and necessary RF transmitter constraints to ensure a safe operating environment and mission success.

Spatial Power Combining Amplifier for Ground and Flight Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velazco, J. E.; Taylor, M.

2016-11-01

Vacuum-tube amplifiers such as klystrons and traveling-wave tubes are the workhorses of high-power microwave radiation generation. At JPL, vacuum tubes are extensively used in ground and flight missions for radar and communications. Vacuum tubes use electron beams as the source of energy to achieve microwave power amplification. Such electron beams operate at high kinetic energies and thus require high voltages to function. In addition, vacuum tubes use compact cavity and waveguide structures that hold very intense radio frequency (RF) fields inside. As the operational frequency is increased, the dimensions of these RF structures become increasingly smaller. As power levels and operational frequencies are increased, the highly intense RF fields inside of the tubes' structures tend to arc and create RF breakdown. In the case of very high-power klystrons, electron interception - also known as body current - can produce thermal runaway of the cavities that could lead to the destruction of the tube. The high voltages needed to power vacuum tubes tend to require complicated and cumbersome power supplies. Consequently, although vacuum tubes provide unmatched high-power microwaves, they tend to arc, suffer from thermal issues, and require failure-prone high-voltage power supplies. In this article, we present a new concept for generating high-power microwaves that we refer to as the Spatial Power Combining Amplifier (SPCA). The SPCA is very compact, requires simpler, lower-voltage power supplies, and uses a unique power-combining scheme wherein power from solid-state amplifiers is coherently combined. It is a two-port amplifier and can be used inline as any conventional two-port amplifier. It can deliver its output power to a coaxial line, a waveguide, a feed, or to any microwave load. A key feature of this new scheme is the use of higher-order-mode microwave structures to spatially divide and combine power. Such higher-order-mode structures have considerably larger cross-sections than comparable klystrons and traveling-wave tube counterparts and thus avoid RF breakdown and thermal issues common to vacuum tubes. We present a basic description of the SPCA mechanism and initial results of an S-band (2.4 GHz) 100-W, 45-dB gain SPCA prototype. We also discuss future X-band (8.4 GHz), Ka-band (32 GHz), and W-band (94 GHz) SPCA designs for both radar and communications applications.

RF Exposure Analysis for Multiple Wi-Fi Devices In Enclosed Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwu, Shian U.; Rhodes, Bryan A.; deSilva, B. Kanishka; Sham, Catherine C.; Keiser, James R.

2013-01-01

Wi-Fi devices operated inside a metallic enclosure have been investigation in the recent years. A motivation for this study is to investigate wave propagation inside an enclosed environment such as elevator, car, aircraft, and spacecraft. There are performances and safety concerned that when the RF transmitters are used in the metallic enclosed environments. In this paper, the field distributions inside a confined room were investigated with multiple portable Wi-Fi devices. Computer simulations were performed using the rigorous computational electromagnetics (CEM). The method of moments (MoM) was used to model the mutual coupling among antennas. The geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) was applied for the multiple reflections off the ground and walls. The prediction of the field distribution inside such environment is useful for the planning and deployment of a wireless radio and sensor system. Factors that affect the field strengths and distributions of radio waves in confined space were analyzed. The results could be used to evaluate the RF exposure safety in confined environment. By comparing the field distributions for various scenarios, it was observed that the Wi-Fi device counts, spacing and relative locations in the room are important factors in such environments. The RF Keep Out Zone (KOZ), where the electric field strengths exceed the permissible RF exposure limit, could be used to assess the RF human exposure compliance. As shown in this study, it s possible to maximize or minimize field intensity in specific area by arranging the Wi-Fi devices as a function of the relative location and spacing in a calculated manner.

Radiofrequency Electric Field Heating of Conductive Media: Understanding Aqueous and Nanoparticle Heating Mechanisms and a Method for Heating Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lara, Nadia Chantal

Use of radiofrequency (RF) electric fields coupled with nanoparticles to enhance non-invasive hyperthermia in cancer cells and tumors sparked debate over the RF heating mechanisms of nanoparticles and the role of salts in heating. Under RF field exposure at 13.56 MHz, aqueous systems including electrolyte solutions, buffers, and blood, were shown to heat according to bulk material properties, regardless of composition. This universal aqueous heating behavior extended to suspensions of nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles, full-length and ultra-short single-walled carbon nanotubes, and water-soluble fullerene derivatives. These suspensions displayed the same RF heating properties as saline solutions of the same conductivity, indicating that these nanoparticles themselves do not contribute to RF heating by any unique mechanism; rather, they modulate bulk conductivity, which in turn affects bulk RF heating. At 13.56 MHz, peak heating for an aqueous system occurs at a conductivity of 0.06 S/m, beyond which increases in conductivity result in reduced heating rates. Biologically relevant materials, such as blood, intra- and extracellular fluids, and most human tissues, exceed this peak heating conductivity, precluding the use of conductive materials for RF heating rate enhancement. Instead, kosmotropic or water-structuring materials, including sugars, glycols, zwitterionic molecules, and a water-soluble fullerene derivative, when added to blood or phosphate buffered saline reduced the bulk conductivity of these materials and enhanced their heating rates accordingly. A dielectric heating rate model taking into account the geometry of the sample under RF exposure was used to explain the experimental RF heating behavior of aqueous solutions and semi-aqueous materials, which generated distinct RF heating curves due to differences in bulk dielectric and physical properties.

RF study and 3-D simulations of a side-coupling thermionic RF-gun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimjaem, S.; Kusoljariyakul, K.; Thongbai, C.

2014-02-01

A thermionic RF-gun for generating ultra-short electron bunches was optimized, developed and used as a source at a linac-based THz radiation research laboratory of the Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The RF-gun is a π/2-mode standing wave structure, which consists of two S-band accelerating cells and a side-coupling cavity. The 2856 MHz RF wave is supplied from an S-band klystron to the gun through the waveguide input-port at the cylindrical wall of the second cell. A fraction of the RF power is coupled from the second cell to the first one via a side-coupling cavity. Both the waveguide input-port and the side-coupling cavity lead to an asymmetric geometry of the gun. RF properties and electromagnetic field distributions inside the RF-gun were studied and numerically simulated by using computer codes SUPERFISH 7.19 and CST Microwave Studio 2012©. RF characterizations and tunings of the RF-gun were performed to ensure the reliability of the gun operation. The results from 3D simulations and measurements are compared and discussed in this paper. The influence of asymmetric field distributions inside the RF-gun on the electron beam properties was investigated via 3D beam dynamics simulations. A change in the coupling-plane of the side-coupling cavity is suggested to improve the gun performance.

7-T magnetic resonance imaging of the inner ear's anatomy by using dual four-element radiofrequency coil arrays and the VIBE sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Heo, Phil; Kim, Young-Bo; Han, Gyu-Cheol

2015-02-01

An ultra-high-field magnetic resonance (MR) scanner and a specially-optimized radiofrequency (RF) coil and sequence protocol are required to obtain high-resolution images of the inner ear that can noninvasively confirm pathologic diagnoses. In phantom studies, the MR signal distribution of the gradient echo MR images generated by using a customized RF coil was compared with that of a commercial volume coil. The MR signal intensity of the customized RF coil decreases rapidly from near the RF coil plane toward the exterior of the phantom. However, the signal sensitivity of this coil is superior on both sides of the phantom, corresponding to the petrous pyramid. In in-vivo 7-T MR imaging, a customized RF coil and a volumetric-interpolated breath-hold examination imaging sequence are employed for visualization of the inner ear's structure. The entire membranous portion of the cochlear and the three semicircular canals, including the ductus reunions, oval window, and round window with associated nervous tissue, were clearly depicted with sufficient spatial coverage for adequate inspection of the surrounding anatomy. Developments from a new perspective to inner ear imaging using the 7-T modality could lead to further improved image sensitivity and, thus, enable ultra-structural MR imaging.

Flexible diodes for radio frequency (RF) electronics: a materials perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semple, James; Georgiadou, Dimitra G.; Wyatt-Moon, Gwenhivir; Gelinck, Gerwin; Anthopoulos, Thomas D.

2017-12-01

Over the last decade, there has been increasing interest in transferring the research advances in radiofrequency (RF) rectifiers, the quintessential element of the chip in the RF identification (RFID) tags, obtained on rigid substrates onto plastic (flexible) substrates. The growing demand for flexible RFID tags, wireless communications applications and wireless energy harvesting systems that can be produced at a low-cost is a key driver for this technology push. In this topical review, we summarise recent progress and status of flexible RF diodes and rectifying circuits, with specific focus on materials and device processing aspects. To this end, different families of materials (e.g. flexible silicon, metal oxides, organic and carbon nanomaterials), manufacturing processes (e.g. vacuum and solution processing) and device architectures (diodes and transistors) are compared. Although emphasis is placed on performance, functionality, mechanical flexibility and operating stability, the various bottlenecks associated with each technology are also addressed. Finally, we present our outlook on the commercialisation potential and on the positioning of each material class in the RF electronics landscape based on the findings summarised herein. It is beyond doubt that the field of flexible high and ultra-high frequency rectifiers and electronics as a whole will continue to be an active area of research over the coming years.

Mapping B(1)-induced eddy current effects near metallic structures in MR images: a comparison of simulation and experiment.

PubMed

Vashaee, S; Goora, F; Britton, M M; Newling, B; Balcom, B J

2015-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the presence of metallic structures is very common in medical and non-medical fields. Metallic structures cause MRI image distortions by three mechanisms: (1) static field distortion through magnetic susceptibility mismatch, (2) eddy currents induced by switched magnetic field gradients and (3) radio frequency (RF) induced eddy currents. Single point ramped imaging with T1 enhancement (SPRITE) MRI measurements are largely immune to susceptibility and gradient induced eddy current artifacts. As a result, one can isolate the effects of metal objects on the RF field. The RF field affects both the excitation and detection of the magnetic resonance (MR) signal. This is challenging with conventional MRI methods, which cannot readily separate the three effects. RF induced MRI artifacts were investigated experimentally at 2.4 T by analyzing image distortions surrounding two geometrically identical metallic strips of aluminum and lead. The strips were immersed in agar gel doped with contrast agent and imaged employing the conical SPRITE sequence. B1 mapping with pure phase encode SPRITE was employed to measure the B1 field around the strips of metal. The strip geometry was chosen to mimic metal electrodes employed in electrochemistry studies. Simulations are employed to investigate the RF field induced eddy currents in the two metallic strips. The RF simulation results are in good agreement with experimental results. Experimental and simulation results show that the metal has a pronounced effect on the B1 distribution and B1 amplitude in the surrounding space. The electrical conductivity of the metal has a minimal effect. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of portable exposimeters to monitor radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure in the everyday environment.

PubMed

Sagar, Sanjay; Struchen, Benjamin; Finta, Viktoria; Eeftens, Marloes; Röösli, Martin

2016-10-01

Spatial and temporal distribution of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) levels in the environment is highly heterogeneous. It is thus not entirely clear how to monitor spatial variability and temporal trends of RF-EMF exposure levels in the environment in a representative and efficient manner. The aim of this study was to test a monitoring protocol for RF-EMF measurements in public areas using portable devices. Using the ExpoM-RF devices mounted on a backpack, we have conducted RF-EMF measurements by walking through 51 different outdoor microenvironments from 20 different municipalities in Switzerland: 5 different city centers, 5 central residential areas, 5 non-central residential areas, 15 rural residential areas, 15 rural centers and 6 industrial areas. Measurements in public transport (buses, trains, trams) were collected when traveling between the areas. Measurements were conducted between 25th March and 11th July 2014. In order to evaluate spatial representativity within one microenvironment, we measured two crossing paths of about 1km in length in each microenvironment. To evaluate repeatability, measurements in each microenvironment were repeated after two to four months on the same paths. Mean RF-EMF exposure (sum of 15 main frequency bands between 87.5 and 5,875MHz) was 0.53V/m in industrial zones, 0.47V/m in city centers, 0.32V/m in central residential areas, 0.25V/m non-central residential areas, 0.23V/m in rural centers and rural residential areas, 0.69V/m in trams, 0.46V/m in trains and 0.39V/m in buses. Major exposure contribution at outdoor locations was from mobile phone base stations (>80% for all outdoor areas with respect to the power density scale). Temporal correlation between first and second measurement of each area was high: 0.89 for total RF-EMF, 0.90 for all five mobile phone downlink bands combined, 0.51 for all five uplink bands combined and 0.79 for broadcasting. Spearman correlation between arithmetic mean values of the first path compared to arithmetic mean of the second path within the same microenvironment was 0.75 for total RF-EMF, 0.76 for all five mobile phone downlink bands combined, 0.55 for all five uplink bands combined and 0.85 for broadcasting (FM and DVB-T). This study demonstrates that microenvironmental surveys using a portable device yields highly repeatable measurements, which allows monitoring time trends of RF-EMF exposure over an extended time period of several years and to compare exposure levels between different types of microenvironments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear Dynamics of Vortices in Different Types of Grain Boundaries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sheikhzada, Ahmad

As a major component of linear particle accelerators, superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) resonator cavities are required to operate with lowest energy dissipation and highest accelerating gradient. SRF cavities are made of polycrystalline materials in which grain boundaries can limit maximum RF currents and produce additional power dissipation sources due to local penetration of Josephson vortices. The essential physics of vortex penetration and mechanisms of dissipation of vortices driven by strong RF currents along networks of grain boundaries and their contribution to the residual surface resistance have not been well understood. To evaluate how GBs can limit the performance of SRF materials,more » particularly Nb and Nb3Sn, we performed extensive numerical simulations of nonlinear dynamics of Josephson vortices in grain boundaries under strong dc and RF fields. The RF power due to penetration of vortices both in weakly-coupled and strongly-coupled grain boundaries was calculated as functions of the RF field and frequency. The result of this calculation manifested a quadratic dependence of power to field amplitude at strong RF currents, an illustration of resistive behavior of grain boundaries. Our calculations also showed that the surface resistance is a complicated function of field controlled by penetration and annihilation of vortices and antivortices in strong RF fields which ultimately saturates to normal resistivity of grain boundary. We found that Cherenkov radiation of rapidly moving vortices in grain boundaries can produce a new instability causing generation of expanding vortex-antivortex pair which ultimately drives the entire GB in a resistive state. This effect is more pronounced in polycrystalline thin film and multilayer coating structures in which it can cause significant increase in power dissipation and results in hysteresis effects in I-V characteristics, particularly at low temperatures.« less

Exploring the effect of Al2O3 ALD coating on a high gradient ILC single-cell cavity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grigory Eremeev, Anne-Marie Valente, Andy Wu, Diefeng Gu

2012-07-01

Encouraged by work at Argonne National Lab, we investigated atomic layer deposition technique (ALD) for high gradient superconducting RF cavities at JLab with an ALD coating system of Old Dominion University located on the JLab site. The goal of this study was to look into the possibility of coating a dielectric layer on top of RF niobium surface at a lower temperature of 120 C as compared to ANL coatings at 200 C to preserve niobium pentoxide on niobium surface. The initial coatings showed complete, but non-uniform coatings of the surface with several areas exhibiting discoloration, which was probably duemore » to the temperature variation across the cavity surface. The initial coating showed a high RF losses, which were improved after discolored areas on the beam tubes were removed with HF rinse of the beam tubes only. The best result was 2 109 low field Q0 and Eacc = 18 MV/m limited by available power.« less

Differential Pro-Inflammatory Responses of Astrocytes and Microglia Involve STAT3 Activation in Response to 1800 MHz Radiofrequency Fields

PubMed Central

Lu, Yonghui; He, Mindi; Zhang, Yang; Xu, Shangcheng; Zhang, Lei; He, Yue; Chen, Chunhai; Liu, Chuan; Pi, Huifeng; Yu, Zhengping; Zhou, Zhou

2014-01-01

Microglia and astrocytes play important role in maintaining the homeostasis of central nervous system (CNS). Several CNS impacts have been postulated to be associated with radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields exposure. Given the important role of inflammation in neural physiopathologic processes, we investigated the pro-inflammatory responses of microglia and astrocytes and the involved mechanism in response to RF fields. Microglial N9 and astroglial C8-D1A cells were exposed to 1800 MHz RF for different time with or without pretreatment with STAT3 inhibitor. Microglia and astrocytes were activated by RF exposure indicated by up-regulated CD11b and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). However, RF exposure induced differential pro-inflammatory responses in astrocytes and microglia, characterized by different expression and release profiles of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, PGE2, nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2). Moreover, the RF exposure activated STAT3 in microglia but not in astrocytes. Furthermore, the STAT3 inhibitor Stattic ameliorated the RF-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in microglia but not in astrocytes. Our results demonstrated that RF exposure differentially induced pro-inflammatory responses in microglia and astrocytes, which involved differential activation of STAT3 in microglia and astrocytes. Our data provide novel insights into the potential mechanisms of the reported CNS impacts associated with mobile phone use and present STAT3 as a promising target to protect humans against increasing RF exposure. PMID:25275372

Differential pro-inflammatory responses of astrocytes and microglia involve STAT3 activation in response to 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields.

PubMed

Lu, Yonghui; He, Mindi; Zhang, Yang; Xu, Shangcheng; Zhang, Lei; He, Yue; Chen, Chunhai; Liu, Chuan; Pi, Huifeng; Yu, Zhengping; Zhou, Zhou

2014-01-01

Microglia and astrocytes play important role in maintaining the homeostasis of central nervous system (CNS). Several CNS impacts have been postulated to be associated with radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields exposure. Given the important role of inflammation in neural physiopathologic processes, we investigated the pro-inflammatory responses of microglia and astrocytes and the involved mechanism in response to RF fields. Microglial N9 and astroglial C8-D1A cells were exposed to 1800 MHz RF for different time with or without pretreatment with STAT3 inhibitor. Microglia and astrocytes were activated by RF exposure indicated by up-regulated CD11b and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). However, RF exposure induced differential pro-inflammatory responses in astrocytes and microglia, characterized by different expression and release profiles of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, PGE2, nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2). Moreover, the RF exposure activated STAT3 in microglia but not in astrocytes. Furthermore, the STAT3 inhibitor Stattic ameliorated the RF-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in microglia but not in astrocytes. Our results demonstrated that RF exposure differentially induced pro-inflammatory responses in microglia and astrocytes, which involved differential activation of STAT3 in microglia and astrocytes. Our data provide novel insights into the potential mechanisms of the reported CNS impacts associated with mobile phone use and present STAT3 as a promising target to protect humans against increasing RF exposure.

Laboratory Observation of a Plasma-Flow-State Transition from Diverging to Stretching a Magnetic Nozzle.

PubMed

Takahashi, Kazunori; Ando, Akira

2017-06-02

An axial magnetic field induced by a plasma flow in a divergent magnetic nozzle is measured when injecting the plasma flow from a radio frequency (rf) plasma source located upstream of the nozzle. The source is operated with a pulsed rf power of 5 kW, and the high density plasma flow is sustained only for the initial ∼100  μsec of the discharge. The measurement shows a decrease in the axial magnetic field near the source exit, whereas an increase in the field is detected at the downstream side of the magnetic nozzle. These results demonstrate a spatial transition of the plasma-flow state from diverging to stretching the magnetic nozzle, where the importance of both the Alfvén and ion Mach numbers is shown.

An Asymmetric Birdcage Coil for Small-animal MR Imaging at 7T

PubMed Central

Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Han, Sang-Doc; Seo, Jeung-Hoon; Heo, Phil; Yoo, Dongkyeom; Im, Geun Ho; Lee, Jung Hee

2017-01-01

The birdcage (BC) coil is currently being utilized for uniform radiofrequency (RF) transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) or Tx-only configuration in many magnetic resonance (MR) imaging applications, but insufficient magnetic flux (|B1|) density and their non-uniform distribution still exists in high-field (HF) environments. We demonstrate that the asymmetric birdcage (ABC) transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) volume coil, which is a modified standard birdcage (SBC) coil with the end ring split into two halves, is suitable for improving the |B1| sensitivity in 7T small-animal MR imaging. Cylindrical SBC and ABC coils with 35 mm diameter were constructed and bench tested for mouse body MR imaging at 300 MHz using a 7T scanner. To assess the ABC coil performance, computational electromagnetic (EM) simulation and 7T MR experiment were performed by using a cylindrical phantom and in vivo mouse body and quantitatively compared with the SBC coil in terms of |B1| distribution, RF transmit (|B1+|) field, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The bench measurements of the two BC coils are similar, yielding a quality value (Q-value) of 74.42 for the SBC coil and 77.06 for the ABC coil. The computational calculation results clearly show that the proposed ABC coil offers superior |B1| field and |B1+| field sensitivity in the central axial slice compared with the SBC coil. There was also high SNR and uniformly distributed flip angle (FA) under the loaded condition of mouse body in the 7T experiment. Although ABC geometry allows a further increase in the |B1| field and |B1+| field sensitivity in only the central axial slice, the geometrical modification of the SBC coil can make a high performance RF coil feasible in the central axial slice and also make target imaging possible in the diagonal direction. PMID:27725573

Novel exposure units for at-home personalized testing of electromagnetic sensibility.

PubMed

Huss, Anke; Murbach, Manuel; van Moorselaar, Imke; Kuster, Niels; van Strien, Rob; Kromhout, Hans; Vermeulen, Roel; Slottje, Pauline

2016-01-01

Previous experimental studies on electromagnetic hypersensitivity have been criticized regarding inflexibility of choice of exposure and of study locations. We developed and tested novel portable exposure units that can generate different output levels of various extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF; 50 Hz field plus harmonics) and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). Testing was done with a group of healthy volunteers (n = 25 for 5 ELF-MF and n = 25 for 5 RF-EMF signals) to assess if units were indeed able to produce double-blind exposure conditions. Results substantiated that double-blind conditions were met; on average participants scored 50.6% of conditions correct on the ELF-MF, and 50.0% on the RF-EMF unit, which corresponds to guessing probability. No cues as to exposure conditions were reported. We aim to use these units in a future experiment with subjects who wish to test their personal hypothesis of being able to sense or experience when being exposed to EMF. The new units allow for a high degree of flexibility regarding choice of applied electromagnetic signal, output power level and location (at home or another environment of subjects' choosing). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Influence of implants on human body during MRI examinations: fundamental experiment using metal balls].

PubMed

Muranaka, Hiroyuki; Nakamura, Osamu; Usui, Shuji; Ueda, Yoshitake; Morikawa, Kaoru

2005-07-20

It is increasingly the case that patients who have implants feel pain during high-field MRI examinations. A probable reason for the pain is the generation by irradiation of RF pulses and changing of the magnetic field gradient. As a fundamental study on the effect of implants on the human body under MRI procedures, temperature measurements were obtained from metal balls incorporated into gel-filled phantoms by using two kinds of measuring instruments, a copper-constantan thermocouple and a fluorescence fiber thermometer. At first we pursued a correlation between a copper-constantan thermocouple (absolute measurement) and fluoroptic thermometer and confirmed the precision and stability of the fluoroptic thermometer under MRI procedures. When a stainless steel ball with or without a loop antenna was used, only in the former case did the temperature rise during RF pulse irradiation. There was no significant difference between the magnetic field gradient ON and OFF. Furthermore, differences in metal (steel, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, copper) and size (5, 10, 20 mmPhi) were affected according to the increase of temperature. In conclusion, both RF pulse irradiation and a loop antenna are necessary for heat generation on the surface of metals.

Contrast Enhancement in TOF cerebral angiography at 7 T using Saturation and MT pulses under SAR constraints: impact of VERSE and sparse pulses

PubMed Central

Schmitter, Sebastian; Bock, Michael; Johst, Sören; Auerbach, Edward J.; Uğurbil, Kâmil; Van de Moortele, Pierre-François

2011-01-01

Cerebral 3D time of flight (TOF) angiography significantly benefits from ultra high fields, mainly due to higher SNR and to longer T1 relaxation time of static brain tissues, however, SAR significantly increases with B0. Thus, additional RF pulses commonly used at lower field strengths to improve TOF contrast such as saturation of venous signal and improved background suppression by magnetization transfer typically cannot be used at higher fields. In this work we aimed at reducing SAR for each RF pulse category in a TOF sequence. We use the VERSE principle for the slab selective TOF excitation as well as the venous saturation RF pulses. Additionally, MT pulses are implemented by sparsely applying the pulses only during acquisition of the central k-space lines to limit their SAR contribution. Image quality, angiographic contrast and SAR reduction were investigated as a function of VERSE parameters and of the total number of MT pulses applied. Based on these results, a TOF protocol was generated that increases the angiographic contrast by more than 50% and reduces subcutaneous fat signal while keeping the resulting SAR within regulatory limits. PMID:22139829

The direct injection of intense ion beams from a high field electron cyclotron resonance ion source into a radio frequency quadrupole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, G.; Becker, R.; Hamm, R. W.; Baskaran, R.; Kanjilal, D.; Roy, A.

2014-02-01

The ion current achievable from high intensity ECR sources for highly charged ions is limited by the high space charge. This makes classical extraction systems for the transport and subsequent matching to a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator less efficient. The direct plasma injection (DPI) method developed originally for the laser ion source avoids these problems and uses the combined focusing of the gap between the ion source and the RFQ vanes (or rods) and the focusing of the rf fields from the RFQ penetrating into this gap. For high performance ECR sources that use superconducting solenoids, the stray magnetic field of the source in addition to the DPI scheme provides focusing against the space charge blow-up of the beam. A combined extraction/matching system has been designed for a high performance ECR ion source injecting into an RFQ, allowing a total beam current of 10 mA from the ion source for the production of highly charged 238U40+ (1.33 mA) to be injected at an ion source voltage of 60 kV. In this design, the features of IGUN have been used to take into account the rf-focusing of an RFQ channel (without modulation), the electrostatic field between ion source extraction and the RFQ vanes, the magnetic stray field of the ECR superconducting solenoid, and the defocusing space charge of an ion beam. The stray magnetic field is shown to be critical in the case of a matched beam.

The direct injection of intense ion beams from a high field electron cyclotron resonance ion source into a radio frequency quadrupole.

PubMed

Rodrigues, G; Becker, R; Hamm, R W; Baskaran, R; Kanjilal, D; Roy, A

2014-02-01

The ion current achievable from high intensity ECR sources for highly charged ions is limited by the high space charge. This makes classical extraction systems for the transport and subsequent matching to a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator less efficient. The direct plasma injection (DPI) method developed originally for the laser ion source avoids these problems and uses the combined focusing of the gap between the ion source and the RFQ vanes (or rods) and the focusing of the rf fields from the RFQ penetrating into this gap. For high performance ECR sources that use superconducting solenoids, the stray magnetic field of the source in addition to the DPI scheme provides focusing against the space charge blow-up of the beam. A combined extraction/matching system has been designed for a high performance ECR ion source injecting into an RFQ, allowing a total beam current of 10 mA from the ion source for the production of highly charged (238)U(40+) (1.33 mA) to be injected at an ion source voltage of 60 kV. In this design, the features of IGUN have been used to take into account the rf-focusing of an RFQ channel (without modulation), the electrostatic field between ion source extraction and the RFQ vanes, the magnetic stray field of the ECR superconducting solenoid, and the defocusing space charge of an ion beam. The stray magnetic field is shown to be critical in the case of a matched beam.

Electron cyclotron resonance heating by magnetic filter field in a negative hydrogen ion source.

PubMed

Kim, June Young; Cho, Won-Hwi; Dang, Jeong-Jeung; Chung, Kyoung-Jae; Hwang, Y S

2016-02-01

The influence of magnetic filter field on plasma properties in the heating region has been investigated in a planar-type inductively coupled radio-frequency (RF) H(-) ion source. Besides filtering high energy electrons near the extraction region, the magnetic filter field is clearly observed to increase the electron temperature in the heating region at low pressure discharge. With increasing the operating pressure, enhancement of electron temperature in the heating region is reduced. The possibility of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) heating in the heating region due to stray magnetic field generated by a filter magnet located at the extraction region is examined. It is found that ECR heating by RF wave field in the discharge region, where the strength of an axial magnetic field is approximately ∼4.8 G, can effectively heat low energy electrons. Depletion of low energy electrons in the electron energy distribution function measured at the heating region supports the occurrence of ECR heating. The present study suggests that addition of axial magnetic field as small as several G by an external electromagnet or permanent magnets can greatly increase the generation of highly ro-vibrationally excited hydrogen molecules in the heating region, thus improving the performance of H(-) ion generation in volume-produced negative hydrogen ion sources.

Effect of transverse nonuniformity of the rf field on the efficiency of microwave sources driven by linear electron beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nusinovich, G.S.; Sinitsyn, O.V.

This paper contains a simple analytical theory that allows one to evaluate the effect of transverse nonuniformity of the rf field on the interaction efficiency in various microwave sources driven by linear electron beams. The theory is, first, applied to the systems where the beams of cylindrical symmetry interact with rf fields of microwave circuits having Cartesian geometry. Also, various kinds of microwave devices driven by sheet electron beams (orotrons, clinotrons) are considered. The theory can be used for evaluating the efficiency of novel sources of coherent terahertz radiation.

RF Design of the LCLS Gun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Limborg-Deprey, C

Final dimensions for the LCLS RF gun are described. This gun, referred to as the LCLS gun, is a modified version of the UCLA/BNL/SLAC 1.6 cell S-Band RF gun [1], referred to as the prototype gun. The changes include a larger mode separation (15 MHz for the LCLS gun vs. 3.5 MHz for the prototype gun), a larger radius at the iris between the 2 cells, a reduced surface field on the curvature of the iris between the two cells, Z power coupling, increased cooling channels for operation at 120 Hz, dual rf feed, deformation tuning of the full cell,more » and field probes in both cells. Temporal shaping of the klystron pulse, to reduce the average power dissipated in the gun, has also been adopted. By increasing the mode separation, the amplitude of the 0-mode electric field on the cathode decreases from 10% of the peak on axis field for the prototype gun to less than 3% for the LCLS gun for the steady state fields. Beam performance is improved as shown by the PARMELA simulations. The gun should be designed to accept a future load lock system. Modifications follow the recommendations of our RF review committee [2]. Files and reference documents are compiled in Section IV.« less

Hemisphere-Dependent Attentional Modulation of Human Parietal Visual Field Representations

PubMed Central

Silver, Michael A.

2015-01-01

Posterior parietal cortex contains several areas defined by topographically organized maps of the contralateral visual field. However, recent studies suggest that ipsilateral stimuli can elicit larger responses in the right than left hemisphere within these areas, depending on task demands. Here we determined the effects of spatial attention on the set of visual field locations (the population receptive field [pRF]) that evoked a response for each voxel in human topographic parietal cortex. A two-dimensional Gaussian was used to model the pRF in each voxel, and we measured the effects of attention on not only the center (preferred visual field location) but also the size (visual field extent) of the pRF. In both hemispheres, larger pRFs were associated with attending to the mapping stimulus compared with attending to a central fixation point. In the left hemisphere, attending to the stimulus also resulted in more peripheral preferred locations of contralateral representations, compared with attending fixation. These effects of attention on both pRF size and preferred location preserved contralateral representations in the left hemisphere. In contrast, attentional modulation of pRF size but not preferred location significantly increased representation of the ipsilateral (right) visual hemifield in right parietal cortex. Thus, attention effects in topographic parietal cortex exhibit hemispheric asymmetries similar to those seen in hemispatial neglect. Our findings suggest potential mechanisms underlying the behavioral deficits associated with this disorder. PMID:25589746

Differential receptive field organizations give rise to nearly identical neural correlations across three parallel sensory maps in weakly electric fish

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Understanding how neural populations encode sensory information thereby leading to perception and behavior (i.e., the neural code) remains an important problem in neuroscience. When investigating the neural code, one must take into account the fact that neural activities are not independent but are actually correlated with one another. Such correlations are seen ubiquitously and have a strong impact on neural coding. Here we investigated how differences in the antagonistic center-surround receptive field (RF) organization across three parallel sensory maps influence correlations between the activities of electrosensory pyramidal neurons. Using a model based on known anatomical differences in receptive field center size and overlap, we initially predicted large differences in correlated activity across the maps. However, in vivo electrophysiological recordings showed that, contrary to modeling predictions, electrosensory pyramidal neurons across all three segments displayed nearly identical correlations. To explain this surprising result, we incorporated the effects of RF surround in our model. By systematically varying both the RF surround gain and size relative to that of the RF center, we found that multiple RF structures gave rise to similar levels of correlation. In particular, incorporating known physiological differences in RF structure between the three maps in our model gave rise to similar levels of correlation. Our results show that RF center overlap alone does not determine correlations which has important implications for understanding how RF structure influences correlated neural activity. PMID:28863136

RESCUE - Reduction of MRI SNR Degradation by Using an MR-Synchronous Low-Interference PET Acquisition Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebhardt, Pierre; Wehner, Jakob; Weissler, Bjoern; Frach, Thomas; Marsden, Paul K.; Schulz, Volkmar

2015-06-01

Devices aiming at combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to enable simultaneous PET/MR image acquisition have to fulfill demanding requirements to avoid mutual magneticas well as electromagnetic-field-related interferences which lead to image quality degradation. Particularly Radio-Frequency (RF)-field-related interferences between PET and MRI may lead to MRI SNR reduction, thereby deteriorating MR image quality. RF shielding of PET electronics is therefore commonly applied to reduce RF emission and lower the potential coupling into MRI RF coil(s). However, shields introduce eddy-current-induced MRI field distortions and should thus be minimized or ideally omitted. Although the MRI noise floor increase caused by a PET system might be acceptable for many MRI applications, some MRI protocols, such as fast or high-resolution MRI scans, typically suffer from low SNR and might need more attention regarding RF silence to preserve the intrinsic MRI SNR. For such cases, we propose RESCUE, an MRI-synchronously-gated PET data acquisition technique: By interrupting the PET acquisition during MR signal receive phases, PET-related RF emission may be minimized, leading to MRI SNR preservation. Our PET insert Hyperion IID using Philips Digital Photon Counting (DPC) sensors serves as the platform to demonstrate RESCUE. To make the DPC sensor suitable for RESCUE to be applied for many MRI sequences with acquisition time windows in the range of a few milliseconds, we present in this paper a new technique which enables rapid DPC sensor operation interruption by dramatically lowering the overhead time to interrupt and restart the sensor operation. Procedures to enter and leave gated PET data acquisition may imply sensitivity losses which add to the ones occurring during MRI RF acquisition. For the case of our PET insert, the new DPC quick-interruption technique yields a PET sensitivity loss reduction by a factor of 78 when compared to the loss introduced with the standard start/stop procedure. For instance, PET sensitivity losses related to overhead time are 2.9% in addition to the loss related to PET gating being equal to the MRI RF acquisition duty cycle (14.7%) for an exemplary T1-weighted 3D-FFE MRI sequence. MRI SNR measurement results obtained with one Singles Detection Module (SDM) using no RF shield demonstrate a noise floor reduction by a factor of 2.1, getting close to the noise floor level of the SNR reference scan (SDM off-powered) when RESCUE was active.

RF Simulation of the 187 MHz CW Photo-RF Gun Cavity at LBNL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Tong-Ming

2008-12-01

A 187 MHz normal conducting Photo-RF gun cavity is designed for the next generation light sources. The cavity is capable of operating in CW mode. As high as 750 kV gap voltage can be achieved with a 20 MV/m acceleration gradient. The original cavity optimization is conducted using Superfish code (2D) by Staples. 104 vacuum pumping slots are added and evenly spaced over the cavity equator in order to achieve better than 10 -10-Tor of vacuum. Two loop couplers will be used to feed RF power into the cavity. 3D simulations are necessary to study effects from the vacuum pumpingmore » slots, couplers and possible multipactoring. The cavity geometry is optimized to minimize the power density and avoid multipactoring at operating field level. The vacuum slot dimensions are carefully chosen in consideration of both the vacuum conduction, local power density enhancement and the power attenuation at the getter pumps. This technical note gives a summary of 3D RF simulation results, multipactoring simulations (2D) and preliminary electromagnetic-thermal analysis using ANSYS code.« less

Suppressed Superconductivity on the Surface of Superconducting RF Quality Niobium for Particle Accelerating Cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Z. H.; Polyanskii, A. A.; Lee, P. J.; Gurevich, A.; Larbalestier, D. C.

2011-03-01

Significant performance degradation of superconducting RF (radio frequency) niobium cavities in high RF field is strongly associated with the breakdown of superconductivity on localized multi-scale surface defects lying within the 40 nm penetration depth. These defects may be on the nanometer scale, like grain boundaries and dislocations or even at the much larger scale of surface roughness and welding pits. By combining multiple superconducting characterization techniques including magneto-optical (MO) imaging and direct transport measurement with non-contact characterization of the surface topology using scanning confocal microscopy, we were able to show clear evidence of suppression of surface superconductivity at chemically treated RF-quality niobium. We found that pinning of vortices along GBs is weaker than pinning of vortices in the grains, which may indicate suppressed superfluid density on GBs. We also directly measured the local magnetic characteristics of BCP-treated Nb sample surface using a micro-Hall sensor in order to further understanding of the effect of surface topological features on the breakdown of superconducting state in RF mode.

Operation of large RF sources for H-: Lessons learned at ELISE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fantz, U.; Wünderlich, D.; Heinemann, B.; Kraus, W.; Riedl, R.

2017-08-01

The goal of the ELISE test facility is to demonstrate that large RF-driven negative ion sources (1 × 1 m2 source area with 360 kW installed RF power) can achieve the parameters required for the ITER beam sources in terms of current densities and beam homogeneity at a filling pressure of 0.3 Pa for pulse lengths of up to one hour. With the experience in operation of the test facility, the beam source inspection and maintenance as well as with the results of the achieved source performance so far, conclusions are drawn for commissioning and operation of the ITER beam sources. Addressed are critical technical RF issues, extrapolations to the required RF power, Cs consumption and Cs ovens, the need of adjusting the magnetic filter field strength as well as the temporal dynamic and spatial asymmetry of the co-extracted electron current. It is proposed to relax the low pressure limit to 0.4 Pa and to replace the fixed electron-to-ion ratio by a power density limit for the extraction grid. This would be highly beneficial for controlling the co-extracted electrons.

Digitally synthesized high purity, high-voltage radio frequency drive electronics for mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Schaefer, R T; MacAskill, J A; Mojarradi, M; Chutjian, A; Darrach, M R; Madzunkov, S M; Shortt, B J

2008-09-01

Reported herein is development of a quadrupole mass spectrometer controller (MSC) with integrated radio frequency (rf) power supply and mass spectrometer drive electronics. Advances have been made in terms of the physical size and power consumption of the MSC, while simultaneously making improvements in frequency stability, total harmonic distortion, and spectral purity. The rf power supply portion of the MSC is based on a series-resonant LC tank, where the capacitive load is the mass spectrometer itself, and the inductor is a solenoid or toroid, with various core materials. The MSC drive electronics is based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA), with serial peripheral interface for analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter support, and RS232/RS422 communications interfaces. The MSC offers spectral quality comparable to, or exceeding, that of conventional rf power supplies used in commercially available mass spectrometers; and as well an inherent flexibility, via the FPGA implementation, for a variety of tasks that includes proportional-integral derivative closed-loop feedback and control of rf, rf amplitude, and mass spectrometer sensitivity. Also provided are dc offsets and resonant dipole excitation for mass selective accumulation in applications involving quadrupole ion traps; rf phase locking and phase shifting for external loading of a quadrupole ion trap; and multichannel scaling of acquired mass spectra. The functionality of the MSC is task specific, and is easily modified by simply loading FPGA registers or reprogramming FPGA firmware.

Low cost high efficiency GaAs monolithic RF module for SARSAT distress beacons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petersen, W. C.; Siu, D. P.; Cook, H. F.

1991-01-01

Low cost high performance (5 Watts output) 406 MHz beacons are urgently needed to realize the maximum utilization of the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system spearheaded in the U.S. by NASA. Although current technology can produce beacons meeting the output power requirement, power consumption is high due to the low efficiency of available transmitters. Field performance is currently unsatisfactory due to the lack of safe and reliable high density batteries capable of operation at -40 C. Low cost production is also a crucial but elusive requirement for the ultimate wide scale utilization of this system. Microwave Monolithics Incorporated (MMInc.) has proposed to make both the technical and cost goals for the SARSAT beacon attainable by developing a monolithic GaAs chip set for the RF module. This chip set consists of a high efficiency power amplifier and a bi-phase modulator. In addition to implementing the RF module in Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) form to minimize ultimate production costs, the power amplifier has a power-added efficiency nearly twice that attained with current commercial technology. A distress beacon built using this RF module chip set will be significantly smaller in size and lighter in weight due to a smaller battery requirement, since the 406 MHz signal source and the digital controller have far lower power consumption compared to the 5 watt power amplifier. All the program tasks have been successfully completed. The GaAs MMIC RF module chip set has been designed to be compatible with the present 406 MHz signal source and digital controller. A complete high performance low cost SARSAT beacon can be realized with only additional minor iteration and systems integration.

RF EMF Risk Perception Revisited: Is the Focus on Concern Sufficient for Risk Perception Studies?

PubMed Central

Wiedemann, Peter M.; Freudenstein, Frederik; Böhmert, Christoph; Wiart, Joe; Croft, Rodney J.

2017-01-01

An implicit assumption of risk perception studies is that concerns expressed in questionnaires reflect concerns in everyday life. The aim of the present study is to check this assumption, i.e., the extrapolability of risk perceptions expressed in a survey, to risk perceptions in everyday life. To that end, risk perceptions were measured by a multidimensional approach. In addition to the traditional focus on measuring the magnitude of risk perceptions, the thematic relevance (how often people think about a risk issue) and the discursive relevance (how often people think about or discuss a risk issue) of risk perceptions were also collected. Taking into account this extended view of risk perception, an online survey was conducted in six European countries with 2454 respondents, referring to radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) risk potentials from base stations, and access points, such as WiFi routers and cell phones. The findings reveal that the present study’s multidimensional approach to measuring risk perception provides a more differentiated understanding of RF EMF risk perception. High levels of concerns expressed in questionnaires do not automatically imply that these concerns are thematically relevant in everyday life. We use thematic relevance to distinguish between enduringly concerned (high concern according to both questionnaire and thematic relevance) and not enduringly concerned participants (high concern according to questionnaire but no thematic relevance). Furthermore, we provide data for the empirical value of this distinction: Compared to other participants, enduringly concerned subjects consider radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure to a greater extent as a moral and affective issue. They also see themselves as highly exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. However, despite these differences, subjects with high levels of thematic relevance are nevertheless sensitive to exposure reduction as a means for improving the acceptance of base stations in their neighborhood. This underlines the value of exposure reduction for the acceptance of radio frequency electromagnetic field communication technologies. PMID:28594366

RF EMF Risk Perception Revisited: Is the Focus on Concern Sufficient for Risk Perception Studies?

PubMed

Wiedemann, Peter M; Freudenstein, Frederik; Böhmert, Christoph; Wiart, Joe; Croft, Rodney J

2017-06-08

An implicit assumption of risk perception studies is that concerns expressed in questionnaires reflect concerns in everyday life. The aim of the present study is to check this assumption, i.e., the extrapolability of risk perceptions expressed in a survey, to risk perceptions in everyday life. To that end, risk perceptions were measured by a multidimensional approach. In addition to the traditional focus on measuring the magnitude of risk perceptions, the thematic relevance (how often people think about a risk issue) and the discursive relevance (how often people think about or discuss a risk issue) of risk perceptions were also collected. Taking into account this extended view of risk perception, an online survey was conducted in six European countries with 2454 respondents, referring to radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) risk potentials from base stations, and access points, such as WiFi routers and cell phones. The findings reveal that the present study's multidimensional approach to measuring risk perception provides a more differentiated understanding of RF EMF risk perception. High levels of concerns expressed in questionnaires do not automatically imply that these concerns are thematically relevant in everyday life. We use thematic relevance to distinguish between enduringly concerned (high concern according to both questionnaire and thematic relevance) and not enduringly concerned participants (high concern according to questionnaire but no thematic relevance). Furthermore, we provide data for the empirical value of this distinction: Compared to other participants, enduringly concerned subjects consider radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure to a greater extent as a moral and affective issue. They also see themselves as highly exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. However, despite these differences, subjects with high levels of thematic relevance are nevertheless sensitive to exposure reduction as a means for improving the acceptance of base stations in their neighborhood. This underlines the value of exposure reduction for the acceptance of radio frequency electromagnetic field communication technologies.

Quality Matters: Systematic Analysis of Endpoints Related to “Cellular Life” in Vitro Data of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure

PubMed Central

Simkó, Myrtill; Remondini, Daniel; Zeni, Olga; Scarfi, Maria Rosaria

2016-01-01

Possible hazardous effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) at low exposure levels are controversially discussed due to inconsistent study findings. Therefore, the main focus of the present study is to detect if any statistical association exists between RF-EMF and cellular responses, considering cell proliferation and apoptosis endpoints separately and with both combined as a group of “cellular life” to increase the statistical power of the analysis. We searched for publications regarding RF-EMF in vitro studies in the PubMed database for the period 1995–2014 and extracted the data to the relevant parameters, such as cell culture type, frequency, exposure duration, SAR, and five exposure-related quality criteria. These parameters were used for an association study with the experimental outcome in terms of the defined endpoints. We identified 104 published articles, from which 483 different experiments were extracted and analyzed. Cellular responses after exposure to RF-EMF were significantly associated to cell lines rather than to primary cells. No other experimental parameter was significantly associated with cellular responses. A highly significant negative association with exposure condition-quality and cellular responses was detected, showing that the more the quality criteria requirements were satisfied, the smaller the number of detected cellular responses. According to our knowledge, this is the first systematic analysis of specific RF-EMF bio-effects in association to exposure quality, highlighting the need for more stringent quality procedures for the exposure conditions. PMID:27420084

Real-time cavity simulator-based low-level radio-frequency test bench and applications for accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Feng; Michizono, Shinichiro; Miura, Takako; Matsumoto, Toshihiro; Liu, Na; Wibowo, Sigit Basuki

2018-03-01

A Low-level radio-frequency (LLRF) control systems is required to regulate the rf field in the rf cavity used for beam acceleration. As the LLRF system is usually complex, testing of the basic functions or control algorithms of this system in real time and in advance of beam commissioning is strongly recommended. However, the equipment necessary to test the LLRF system, such as superconducting cavities and high-power rf sources, is very expensive; therefore, we have developed a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based cavity simulator as a substitute for real rf cavities. Digital models of the cavity and other rf systems are implemented in the FPGA. The main components include cavity baseband models for the fundamental and parasitic modes, a mechanical model of the Lorentz force detuning, and a model of the beam current. Furthermore, in our simulator, the disturbance model used to simulate the power-supply ripples and microphonics is also carefully considered. Based on the presented cavity simulator, we have established an LLRF system test bench that can be applied to different cavity operational conditions. The simulator performance has been verified by comparison with real cavities in KEK accelerators. In this paper, the development and implementation of this cavity simulator is presented first, and the LLRF test bench based on the presented simulator is constructed. The results are then compared with those for KEK accelerators. Finally, several LLRF applications of the cavity simulator are illustrated.

Simplified correction of B1 inhomogeneity for chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI measurement with surface transceiver coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Phillip Z.; Zhou, Iris Y.; Igarashi, Takahiro; Guo, Yingkun; Xiao, Gang; Wu, Renhua

2015-03-01

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI is sensitive to dilute exchangeable protons and local properties such as pH and temperate, yet its susceptibility to field inhomogeneity limits its in vivo applications. Particularly, CEST measurement varies with RF irradiation power, the dependence of which is complex due to concomitant direct RF saturation (RF spillover) effect. Because the volume transmitters provide relatively homogeneous RF field, they have been conventionally used for CEST imaging despite of their elevated specific absorption rate (SAR) and relatively low sensitivity than surface coils. To address this limitation, we developed an efficient B1 inhomogeneity correction algorithm that enables CEST MRI using surface transceiver coils. This is built on recent work that showed the inverse CEST asymmetry analysis (CESTRind) is not susceptible to confounding RF spillover effect. We here postulated that the linear relationship between RF power level and CESTRind can be extended for correcting B1 inhomogeneity induced CEST MRI artifacts. Briefly, we prepared a tissue-like Creatine gel pH phantom and collected multiparametric MRI including relaxation, field map and CEST MRI under multiple RF power levels, using a conventional surface transceiver coil. The raw CEST images showed substantial heterogeneity due to B1 inhomogeneity, with pH contrast to noise ratio (CNR) being 8.8. In comparison, pH MRI CNR of the fieldinhomogeneity corrected CEST MRI was found to be 17.2, substantially higher than that without correction. To summarize, our study validated an efficient field inhomogeneity correction that enables sensitive CEST MRI with surface transceiver, promising for in vivo translation.

Full-Field Spectroscopy at Megahertz-frame-rates: Application of Coherent Time-Stretch Transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVore, Peter Thomas Setsuda

Outliers or rogue events are found extensively in our world and have incredible effects. Also called rare events, they arise in the distribution of wealth (e.g., Pareto index), finance, network traffic, ocean waves, and e-commerce (selling less of more). Interest in rare optical events exploded after the sighting of optical rogue waves in laboratory experiments at UCLA. Detecting such tail events in fast streams of information necessitates real-time measurements. The Coherent Time-Stretch Transform chirps a pulsed source of radiation so that its temporal envelope matches its spectral profile (analogous to the far field regime of spatial diffraction), and the mapped spectral electric field is slow enough to be captured by a real-time digitizer. Combining this technique with spectral encoding, the time stretch technique has enabled a new class of ultra-high performance spectrometers and cameras (30+ MHz), and analog-to-digital converters that have led to the discovery of optical rogue waves and detection of cancer cells in blood with one in a million sensitivity. Conventionally, the Coherent Time-Stretch Transform maps the spectrum into the temporal electric field, but the time-dilation process along with inherent fiber losses results in reduction of peak power and loss of sensitivity, a problem exacerbated by extremely narrow molecular linewidths. The loss issue notwithstanding, in many cases the requisite dispersive optical device is not available. By extending the Coherent Time-Stretch Transform to the temporal near field, I have demonstrated, for the first time, phase-sensitive absorption spectroscopy of a gaseous sample at millions of frames per second. As the Coherent Time-Stretch Transform may capture both near and far field optical waves, it is a complete spectro-temporal optical characterization tool. This is manifested as an amplitude-dependent chirp, which implies the ability to measure the complex refractive index dispersion at megahertz frame rates. This technique is not only four orders of magnitude faster than even the fastest (kHz) spectrometers, but will also enable capture of real-time complex dielectric function dynamics of plasmas and chemical reactions (e.g. combustion). It also has applications in high-energy physics, biology, and monitoring fast high-throughput industrial processes. Adding an electro-optic modulator to the Time-Stretch Transform yields time-to-time mapping of electrical waveforms. Known as TiSER, it is an analog slow-motion processor that uses light to reduce the bandwidth of broadband RF signals for capture by high-sensitivity analog-to-digital converters (ADC). However, the electro-optic modulator limits the electrical bandwidth of TiSER. To solve this, I introduced Optical Sideband-only Amplification, wherein electro-optically generated modulation (containing the RF information) is amplified at the expense of the carrier, addressing the two most important problems plaguing electro-optic modulators: (1) low RF bandwidth and (2) high required RF drive voltages. I demonstrated drive voltage reductions of 5x at 10 GHz and 10x at 50 GHz, while simultaneously increasing the RF bandwidth.

Synergistic retention strategy of RGD active targeting and radiofrequency-enhanced permeability for intensified RF & chemotherapy synergistic tumor treatment.

PubMed

Zhang, Kun; Li, Pei; He, Yaping; Bo, Xiaowan; Li, Xiaolong; Li, Dandan; Chen, Hangrong; Xu, Huixiong

2016-08-01

Despite gaining increasing attention, chelation of multiple active targeting ligands greatly increase the formation probability of protein corona, disabling active targeting. To overcome it, a synergistic retention strategy of RGD-mediated active targeting and radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field-enhanced permeability has been proposed here. It is validated that such a special synergistic retention strategy can promote more poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based capsules encapsulating camptothecin (CPT) and solid DL-menthol (DLM) to enter and retain in tumor in vitro and in vivo upon exposure to RF irradiation, receiving an above 8 fold enhancement in HeLa retention. Moreover, the PLGA-based capsules can respond RF field to trigger the entrapped DLM to generate solid-liquid-gas (SLG) tri-phase transformation for enhancing RF ablation and CPT release. Therefore, depending on the enhanced RF ablation and released CPT and the validated synergistic retention effect, the inhibitory outcome for tumor growth has gained an over 10-fold improvement, realizing RF ablation & chemotherapy synergistic treatment against HeLa solid tumor, which indicates a significant promise in clinical RF ablation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New technology based on clamping for high gradient radio frequency photogun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alesini, David; Battisti, Antonio; Ferrario, Massimo; Foggetta, Luca; Lollo, Valerio; Ficcadenti, Luca; Pettinacci, Valerio; Custodio, Sean; Pirez, Eylene; Musumeci, Pietro; Palumbo, Luigi

2015-09-01

High gradient rf photoguns have been a key development to enable several applications of high quality electron beams. They allow the generation of beams with very high peak current and low transverse emittance, satisfying the tight demands for free-electron lasers, energy recovery linacs, Compton/Thomson sources and high-energy linear colliders. In the present paper we present the design of a new rf photogun recently developed in the framework of the SPARC_LAB photoinjector activities at the laboratories of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Frascati (LNF-INFN, Italy). This design implements several new features from the electromagnetic point of view and, more important, a novel technology for its realization that does not involve any brazing process. From the electromagnetic point of view the gun presents high mode separation, low peak surface electric field at the iris and minimized pulsed heating on the coupler. For the realization, we have implemented a novel fabrication design that, avoiding brazing, strongly reduces the cost, the realization time and the risk of failure. Details on the electromagnetic design, low power rf measurements and high power radiofrequency and beam tests performed at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) are discussed in the paper.

Electron series resonance in a magnetized 13.56 MHz symmetric capacitive coupled discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, J. K.; Binwal, S.; Karkari, S. K.; Kumar, Sunil

2018-03-01

A 13.56 MHz capacitive coupled radio-frequency (RF) argon discharge under transverse magnetic field has been investigated. The discharge is operated in a push-pull mode using a 1:1 isolation transformer with its centre tap grounded to a RF generator. The power delivered to the plasma has been calculated from phase-calibrated RF current/voltage waveforms measured on the secondary side of the isolation transformer. An equivalent electrical circuit of the discharge has been described to determine the net plasma impedance. It is found that in the presence of magnetic field, the discharge impedance exhibits a series resonance as the RF power level is increased gradually. However, in the un-magnetized case, the discharge remains entirely capacitive. A qualitative discussion has been given to explain the role of external magnetic field in achieving the series resonance.

Numerical investigations of MRI RF field induced heating for external fixation devices

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) field induced heating on external fixation devices can be very high in the vicinity of device screws. Such induced RF heating is related to device constructs, device placements, as well as the device insertion depth into human subjects. In this study, computational modeling is performed to determine factors associated with such induced heating. Methods Numerical modeling, based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, is used to evaluate the temperature rises near external device screw tips inside the ASTM phantom for both 1.5-T and 3-T MRI systems. The modeling approach consists of 1) the development of RF coils for 1.5-T and 3-T, 2) the electromagnetic simulations of energy deposition near the screw tips of external fixation devices, and 3) the thermal simulations of temperature rises near the tips of these devices. Results It is found that changing insertion depth and screw spacing could largely affect the heating of these devices. In 1.5-T MRI system, smaller insertion depth and larger pin spacing will lead to higher temperature rise. However, for 3-T MRI system, the relation is not very clear when insertion depth is larger than 5 cm or when pin spacing became larger than 20 cm. The effect of connection bar material on device heating is also studied and the heating mechanism of the device is analysed. Conclusions Numerical simulation is used to study RF heating for external fixation devices in both 1.5-T and 3-T MRI coils. Typically, shallower insertion depth and larger pin spacing with conductive bar lead to higher RF heating. The heating mechanism is explained using induced current along the device and power decay inside ASTM phantom. PMID:23394173

Non-Equilibrium Plasma MHD Electrical Power Generation at Tokyo Tech

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, T.; Okuno, Y.; Yamasaki, H.

2008-02-01

This paper reviews the recent activities on radio-frequency (rf) electromagnetic-field-assisted magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power generation experiments at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. An inductively coupled rf field (13.56 MHz) is continuously supplied to the disk-shaped Hall-type MHD generator. The first part of this paper describes a method of obtaining increased power output from a pure Argon plasma MHD power generator by incorporating an rf power source to preionize and heat the plasma. The rf heating enhances ionization of the Argon and raises the temperature of the free electron population above the nominally low 4500 K temperatures obtained without rf heating. This in turn enhances the plasma conductivity making MHD power generation feasible. We demonstrate an enhanced power output when rf heating is on approximately 5 times larger than the input power of the rf generator. The second part of this paper is a demonstration of a physical phenomenon of the rf-stabilization of the ionization instability, that had been conjectured for some time, but had not been seen experimentally. The rf heating suppresses the ionization instability in the plasma behavior and homogenizes the nonuniformity of the plasma structures. The power-generating performance is significantly improved with the aid of the rf power under wide seeding conditions. The increment of the enthalpy extraction ratio of around 2% is significantly greater than the fraction of the net rf power, that is, 0.16%, to the thermal input.

Superstructure for high current applications in superconducting linear accelerators

DOEpatents

Sekutowicz, Jacek [Elbchaussee, DE; Kneisel, Peter [Williamsburg, VA

2008-03-18

A superstructure for accelerating charged particles at relativistic speeds. The superstructure consists of two weakly coupled multi-cell subunits equipped with HOM couplers. A beam pipe connects the subunits and an HOM damper is included at the entrance and the exit of each of the subunits. A coupling device feeds rf power into the subunits. The subunits are constructed of niobium and maintained at cryogenic temperatures. The length of the beam pipe between the subunits is selected to provide synchronism between particles and rf fields in both subunits.

Comparing different stimulus configurations for population receptive field mapping in human fMRI

PubMed Central

Alvarez, Ivan; de Haas, Benjamin; Clark, Chris A.; Rees, Geraint; Schwarzkopf, D. Samuel

2015-01-01

Population receptive field (pRF) mapping is a widely used approach to measuring aggregate human visual receptive field properties by recording non-invasive signals using functional MRI. Despite growing interest, no study to date has systematically investigated the effects of different stimulus configurations on pRF estimates from human visual cortex. Here we compared the effects of three different stimulus configurations on a model-based approach to pRF estimation: size-invariant bars and eccentricity-scaled bars defined in Cartesian coordinates and traveling along the cardinal axes, and a novel simultaneous “wedge and ring” stimulus defined in polar coordinates, systematically covering polar and eccentricity axes. We found that the presence or absence of eccentricity scaling had a significant effect on goodness of fit and pRF size estimates. Further, variability in pRF size estimates was directly influenced by stimulus configuration, particularly for higher visual areas including V5/MT+. Finally, we compared eccentricity estimation between phase-encoded and model-based pRF approaches. We observed a tendency for more peripheral eccentricity estimates using phase-encoded methods, independent of stimulus size. We conclude that both eccentricity scaling and polar rather than Cartesian stimulus configuration are important considerations for optimal experimental design in pRF mapping. While all stimulus configurations produce adequate estimates, simultaneous wedge and ring stimulation produced higher fit reliability, with a significant advantage in reduced acquisition time. PMID:25750620

Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields From Wi-Fi in Australian Schools

PubMed Central

Karipidis, Ken; Henderson, Stuart; Wijayasinghe, Don; Tjong, Lydiawati; Tinker, Rick

2017-01-01

Abstract The increasing use of Wi-Fi in schools and other places has given rise to public concern that the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields from Wi-Fi have the potential to adversely affect children. The current study measured typical and peak RF levels from Wi-Fi and other sources in 23 schools in Australia. All of the RF measurements were much lower than the reference levels recommended by international guidelines for protection against established health effects. The typical and peak RF levels from Wi-Fi in locations occupied by children in the classroom were of the order of 10−4 and 10−2% of the exposure guidelines, respectively. Typical RF levels in the classroom were similar between Wi-Fi and radio but higher than other sources. In the schoolyard typical RF levels were higher for radio, TV and mobile phone base stations compared to Wi-Fi. The results of this study showed that the typical RF exposure of children from Wi-Fi at school is very low and comparable or lower to other sources in the environment. PMID:28074013

Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields From Wi-Fi in Australian Schools.

PubMed

Karipidis, Ken; Henderson, Stuart; Wijayasinghe, Don; Tjong, Lydiawati; Tinker, Rick

2017-08-01

The increasing use of Wi-Fi in schools and other places has given rise to public concern that the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields from Wi-Fi have the potential to adversely affect children. The current study measured typical and peak RF levels from Wi-Fi and other sources in 23 schools in Australia. All of the RF measurements were much lower than the reference levels recommended by international guidelines for protection against established health effects. The typical and peak RF levels from Wi-Fi in locations occupied by children in the classroom were of the order of 10-4 and 10-2% of the exposure guidelines, respectively. Typical RF levels in the classroom were similar between Wi-Fi and radio but higher than other sources. In the schoolyard typical RF levels were higher for radio, TV and mobile phone base stations compared to Wi-Fi. The results of this study showed that the typical RF exposure of children from Wi-Fi at school is very low and comparable or lower to other sources in the environment. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Resonant interaction of the electron beam with a synchronous wave in controlled magnetrons for high-current superconducting accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kazakevich, G.; Johnson, R.; Lebedev, V.

A simplified analytical model of the resonant interaction of the beam of Larmor electrons drifting in the crossed constant fields of a magnetron with a synchronous wave providing a phase grouping of the drifting charge was developed to optimize the parameters of an rf resonant injected signal driving the magnetrons for management of phase and power of rf sources with a rate required for superconducting high-current accelerators. The model, which considers the impact of the rf resonant signal injected into the magnetron on the operation of the injection-locked tube, substantiates the recently developed method of fast power control of magnetronsmore » in the range up to 10 dB at the highest generation efficiency, with low noise, precise stability of the carrier frequency, and the possibility of wideband phase control. Experiments with continuous wave 2.45 GHz, 1 kW microwave oven magnetrons have verified the correspondence of the behavior of these tubes to the analytical model. A proof of the principle of the novel method of power control in magnetrons, based on the developed model, was demonstrated in the experiments. The method is attractive for high-current superconducting rf accelerators. This study also discusses vector methods of power control with the rates required for superconducting accelerators, the impact of the rf resonant signal injected into the magnetron on the rate of phase control of the injection-locked tubes, and a conceptual scheme of the magnetron transmitter with highest efficiency for high-current accelerators.« less

Resonant interaction of the electron beam with a synchronous wave in controlled magnetrons for high-current superconducting accelerators

DOE PAGES

Kazakevich, G.; Johnson, R.; Lebedev, V.; ...

2018-06-14

A simplified analytical model of the resonant interaction of the beam of Larmor electrons drifting in the crossed constant fields of a magnetron with a synchronous wave providing a phase grouping of the drifting charge was developed to optimize the parameters of an rf resonant injected signal driving the magnetrons for management of phase and power of rf sources with a rate required for superconducting high-current accelerators. The model, which considers the impact of the rf resonant signal injected into the magnetron on the operation of the injection-locked tube, substantiates the recently developed method of fast power control of magnetronsmore » in the range up to 10 dB at the highest generation efficiency, with low noise, precise stability of the carrier frequency, and the possibility of wideband phase control. Experiments with continuous wave 2.45 GHz, 1 kW microwave oven magnetrons have verified the correspondence of the behavior of these tubes to the analytical model. A proof of the principle of the novel method of power control in magnetrons, based on the developed model, was demonstrated in the experiments. The method is attractive for high-current superconducting rf accelerators. This study also discusses vector methods of power control with the rates required for superconducting accelerators, the impact of the rf resonant signal injected into the magnetron on the rate of phase control of the injection-locked tubes, and a conceptual scheme of the magnetron transmitter with highest efficiency for high-current accelerators.« less

A Theory for the RF Surface Field for Various Metals at the Destructive Breakdown Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Perry B.

2006-11-01

By destructive breakdown we mean a breakdown event that results in surface melting over a macroscopic area in a high E-field region of an accelerator structure. A plasma forms over the molten area, bombarding the surface with an intense ion current (˜108 A/cm2), equivalent to a pressure of about a thousand Atmospheres. This pressure in turn causes molten copper to migrate away from the iris tip, resulting in measurable changes in the iris shape. The breakdown process can be roughly divided into four stages: (1) the formation of "plasma spots" at field emission sites, each spot leaving a crater-like footprint; (2) crater clustering, and the formation of areas with hundreds of overlapping craters; (3) surface melting in the region of a crater cluster; (4) the process after surface melting that leads to destructive breakdown. The physics underlying each of these stages is developed, and a comparison is made between the theory and experimental evidence whenever possible. The key to preventing breakdown lies in stage (3). A single plasma spot emits a current of several amperes, a portion of which returns to impact the surrounding area with a power density on the order 107 Watt/cm2. This power density is not quite adequate to melt the surrounding surface on a time scale short compared to the rf pulse length. In a crater field, however, the impact areas from multiple plasma spots overlap to provide sufficient power density for surface melting over an area on the order of 0.1 mm2 or more. The key to preventing breakdown is to choose an iris tip material that requires the highest power density (proportional to the square of the rf surface field) for surface melting, taking into account the penetration depth of the impacting electrons. The rf surface field required for surface melting (relative to copper) has been calculated for a large number elementary metals, plus stainless-steel and carbon.

Ion extraction from a saddle antenna RF surface plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dudnikov, V., E-mail: vadim@muonsinc.com; Johnson, R. P.; Han, B.

Existing RF Surface Plasma Sources (SPS) for accelerators have specific efficiencies for H{sup +} and H{sup −} ion generation around 3 to 5 mA/cm{sup 2} per kW, where about 50 kW of RF power is typically needed for 50 mA beam current production. The Saddle Antenna (SA) SPS described here was developed to improve H{sup −} ion production efficiency and SPS reliability and availability. At low RF power, the efficiency of positive ion generation in the plasma has been improved to 200 mA/cm{sup 2} per kW of RF power at 13.56 MHz. Initial cesiation of the SPS was performed bymore » heating cesium chromate cartridges by discharge as was done in the very first versions of the SPS. A small oven to decompose cesium compounds and alloys was developed and tested. After cesiation, the current of negative ions to the collector was increased from 1 mA to 10 mA with RF power ∼1.5 kW in the plasma (6 mm diameter emission aperture) and up to 30 mA with ∼4 kW RF power in the plasma and 250 Gauss longitudinal magnetic field. The ratio of electron current to negative ion current was improved from 30 to 2. Stable generation of H{sup −} beam without intensity degradation was demonstrated in the AlN discharge chamber for a long time at high discharge power in an RF SPS with an external antenna. Continuous wave (CW) operation of the SA SPS has been tested on the small test stand. The general design of the CW SA SPS is based on the pulsed version. Some modifications were made to improve the cooling and cesiation stability. The extracted collector current can be increased significantly by optimizing the longitudinal magnetic field in the discharge chamber. CW operation with negative ion extraction was tested with RF power up to 1.8 kW from the generator (∼1.2 kW in the plasma) with production up to Ic=7 mA. Long term operation was tested with 1.2 kW from the RF generator (∼0.8 kW in the plasma) with production of Ic=5 mA, Iex ∼15 mA (Uex=8 kV, Uc=14 kV)« less

Ion extraction from a saddle antenna RF surface plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudnikov, V.; Johnson, R. P.; Han, B.; Murray, S.; Pennisi, T.; Piller, C.; Santana, M.; Stockli, M.; Welton, R.; Breitschopf, J.; Dudnikova, G.

2015-04-01

Existing RF Surface Plasma Sources (SPS) for accelerators have specific efficiencies for H+ and H- ion generation around 3 to 5 mA/cm2 per kW, where about 50 kW of RF power is typically needed for 50 mA beam current production. The Saddle Antenna (SA) SPS described here was developed to improve H- ion production efficiency and SPS reliability and availability. At low RF power, the efficiency of positive ion generation in the plasma has been improved to 200 mA/cm2 per kW of RF power at 13.56 MHz. Initial cesiation of the SPS was performed by heating cesium chromate cartridges by discharge as was done in the very first versions of the SPS. A small oven to decompose cesium compounds and alloys was developed and tested. After cesiation, the current of negative ions to the collector was increased from 1 mA to 10 mA with RF power ˜1.5 kW in the plasma (6 mm diameter emission aperture) and up to 30 mA with ˜4 kW RF power in the plasma and 250 Gauss longitudinal magnetic field. The ratio of electron current to negative ion current was improved from 30 to 2. Stable generation of H- beam without intensity degradation was demonstrated in the AlN discharge chamber for a long time at high discharge power in an RF SPS with an external antenna. Continuous wave (CW) operation of the SA SPS has been tested on the small test stand. The general design of the CW SA SPS is based on the pulsed version. Some modifications were made to improve the cooling and cesiation stability. The extracted collector current can be increased significantly by optimizing the longitudinal magnetic field in the discharge chamber. CW operation with negative ion extraction was tested with RF power up to 1.8 kW from the generator (˜1.2 kW in the plasma) with production up to Ic=7 mA. Long term operation was tested with 1.2 kW from the RF generator (˜0.8 kW in the plasma) with production of Ic=5 mA, Iex ˜15 mA (Uex=8 kV, Uc=14 kV).

Thermal magnetic resonance: physics considerations and electromagnetic field simulations up to 23.5 Tesla (1GHz).

PubMed

Winter, Lukas; Oezerdem, Celal; Hoffmann, Werner; van de Lindt, Tessa; Periquito, Joao; Ji, Yiyi; Ghadjar, Pirus; Budach, Volker; Wust, Peter; Niendorf, Thoralf

2015-09-22

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and most aggressive malign brain tumor. The 5-year survival rate after tumor resection and adjuvant chemoradiation is only 10 %, with almost all recurrences occurring in the initially treated site. Attempts to improve local control using a higher radiation dose were not successful so that alternative additive treatments are urgently needed. Given the strong rationale for hyperthermia as part of a multimodal treatment for patients with glioblastoma, non-invasive radio frequency (RF) hyperthermia might significantly improve treatment results. A non-invasive applicator was constructed utilizing the magnetic resonance (MR) spin excitation frequency for controlled RF hyperthermia and MR imaging in an integrated system, which we refer to as thermal MR. Applicator designs at RF frequencies 300 MHz, 500 MHz and 1GHz were investigated and examined for absolute applicable thermal dose and temperature hotspot size. Electromagnetic field (EMF) and temperature simulations were performed in human voxel models. RF heating experiments were conducted at 300 MHz and 500 MHz to characterize the applicator performance and validate the simulations. The feasibility of thermal MR was demonstrated at 7.0 T. The temperature could be increased by ~11 °C in 3 min in the center of a head sized phantom. Modification of the RF phases allowed steering of a temperature hotspot to a deliberately selected location. RF heating was monitored using the integrated system for MR thermometry and high spatial resolution MRI. EMF and thermal simulations demonstrated that local RF hyperthermia using the integrated system is feasible to reach a maximum temperature in the center of the human brain of 46.8 °C after 3 min of RF heating while surface temperatures stayed below 41 °C. Using higher RF frequencies reduces the size of the temperature hotspot significantly. The opportunities and capabilities of thermal magnetic resonance for RF hyperthermia interventions of intracranial lesions are intriguing. Employing such systems as an alternative additive treatment for glioblastoma multiforme might be able to improve local control by "fighting fire with fire". Interventions are not limited to the human brain and might include temperature driven targeted drug and MR contrast agent delivery and help to understand temperature dependent bio- and physiological processes in-vivo.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma response to chemotherapy enhanced with non-invasive radio frequency evaluated via an integrated experimental/computational approach.

PubMed

Ware, Matthew J; Curtis, Louis T; Wu, Min; Ho, Jason C; Corr, Stuart J; Curley, Steven A; Godin, Biana; Frieboes, Hermann B

2017-06-13

Although chemotherapy combined with radiofrequency exposure has shown promise in cancer treatment by coupling drug cytotoxicity with thermal ablation or thermally-induced cytotoxicity, limited access of the drug to tumor loci in hypo-vascularized lesions has hampered clinical application. We recently showed that high-intensity short-wave capacitively coupled radiofrequency (RF) electric-fields may reach inaccessible targets in vivo. This non-invasive RF combined with gemcitabine (Gem) chemotherapy enhanced drug uptake and effect in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), notorious for having poor response and limited therapeutic options, but without inducing thermal injury. We hypothesize that the enhanced cytotoxicity derives from RF-facilitated drug transport in the tumor microenvironment. We propose an integrated experimental/computational approach to evaluate chemotherapeutic response combined with RF-induced phenotypic changes in tissue with impaired transport. Results show that RF facilitates diffusive transport in 3D cell cultures representing hypo-vascularized lesions, enhancing drug uptake and effect. Computational modeling evaluates drug vascular extravasation and diffusive transport as key RF-modulated parameters, with transport being dominant. Assessment of hypothetical schedules following current clinical protocol for Stage-IV PDAC suggests that unresponsive lesions may be growth-restrained when exposed to Gem plus RF. Comparison of these projections to experiments in vivo indicates that synergy may result from RF-induced cell phenotypic changes enhancing drug transport and cytotoxicity, thus providing a potential baseline for clinically-focused evaluation.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the inner ear by using a hybrid radiofrequency coil at 7 T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Heo, Phil; Kim, Young-Bo; Han, Gyu-Cheol

2015-01-01

Visualization of the membranous structures of the inner ear has been limited to the detection of the normal fluid signal intensity within the bony labyrinth by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipped with a 1.5 Tesla (T) magnet. High-field (HF) MRI has been available for more than a decade, and numerous studies have documented its significant advantages over conventional MRI with regards to its use in basic scientific research and routine clinical assessments. No previous studies of the inner ear by using HF MRI have been reported, in part because high-quality resolution of mastoid pneumatization is challenging due to artifacts generated in the HF environment and insufficient performance of radiofrequency (RF) coils. Therefore, a hybrid RF coil with integrated circuitry was developed at 7 T and was targeted for anatomical imaging to achieve a high resolution image of the structure of the human inner ear, excluding the bony portion. The inner-ear's structure is composed of soft tissues containing hydrogen ions and includes the membranous labyrinth, endolymphatic space, perilymphatic space, and cochlear-vestibular nerves. Visualization of the inner-ear's anatomy was performed in-vivo with a custom-designed hybrid RF coil and a specific imaging protocol based on an interpolated breath-held examination sequence. The comparative signal intensity value at 30-mm away from the phantom side was 88% higher for the hybrid RF coil and 24% higher for the 8-channel transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) coil than for the commercial birdcage coil. The optimized MRI protocol employed a hybrid RF coil because it enabled high-resolution imaging of the inner-ear's anatomy and accurate mapping of structures including the cochlea and the semicircular canals. These results indicate that 7 T MRI achieves high spatial resolution visualization of the inner-ear's anatomy. Therefore, MRI imaging using a hybrid RF coil at 7 T could provide a powerful tool for clinical investigations of petrous pathologies of the inner ear.

Hybrid Modeling of SiH4/Ar Discharge in a Pulse Modulated RF Capacitively Coupled Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xi-Feng, Wang; Yuan-Hong, Song; You-Nian, Wang; PSEG Team

2015-09-01

Pulsed plasmas have offered important advantages in future micro-devices, especially for electronegative gas plasmas. In this work, a one-dimensional fluid and Monte-Carlo (MC) hybrid model is developed to simulate SiH4/Ar discharge in a pulse modulated radio-frequency (RF) capacitively coupled plasma (CCP). Time evolution densities of different species, such as electrons, ions, radicals, are calculated, as well as the electron energy probability function (EEPF) which is obtained by a MC simulation. By pulsing the RF source, the electron energy distributions and plasma properties can be modulated by pulse frequency and duty cycle. High electron energy tails are obtained during power-on period, with the SiHx densities increasing rapidly mainly by SiH4 dissociation. As the RF power is off, the densities in the bulk region decrease rapidly owing to high energy electrons disappear, but increase near electrodes since diffusion without the confinement of high electric field, which can prolong the time of radials deposition on the plate. Especially, in the afterglow, the increase of negative ions near the electrodes results from cool electron attachment, which are good for film deposition. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11275038).

RF critical field measurement of MgB2 thin films coated on Nb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajima, T.; Eremeev, G.; Zou, G.; Dolgashev, V.; Martin, D.; Nantista, C.; Tantawi, S.; Yoneda, C.; Moeckly, B. H.; Campisi, I.

2010-06-01

Niobium (Nb) Superconducting RF (SRF) cavities have been used or will be used for a number of particle accelerators. The fundamental limit of the accelerating gradient has been thought to be around 50 MV/m due to its RF critical magnetic field of around 200 mT. This limit will prevent new projects requiring higher gradient and compact accelerators from considering SRF structures. There is a theory, however, that promises to overcome this limitation by coating thin (less than the penetration depth) superconductors on Nb. We initiated measurements of critical magnetic fields of Nb coated with various thin film superconductors, starting with MgB2 films deposited using reactive evaporation technique, with the goal to apply this coating to SRF cavities. This paper will present first test results of the RF critical magnetic field of a system consisting of a 10 nm B and a 100 nm MgB2 films deposited on a chemically polished 2-inch single grain Nb substrate.

Biological Effects of Nonionizing Electromagnetic Radiation. Volume IV. Number 3.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

lines that produce EMR. perimental evidence on human health effects due to electromagnetic field exposures from high-voltage transmission lines is...1311, Mrch YOW that a permissible occupational exposure level to The biologic effects of electromagnetic fields on MW and RF radiation of 500 PW/cm 2...along with the principal physical param- eters of exposure . 6402 REGULATING POSSIBLE HEALTH EFFECTS FROM AC TRANSMISSION LINE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

Non-destructive Testing (NDT) of metal cracks using a high Tc rf-SQUID and eddy current method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, D. F.; Fan, Chang-Xin; Ruan, J. Z.; Han, S. G.; Wong, K. W.; Sun, G. F.

1995-01-01

A SQUID is the most sensitive device to detect change in magnetic field. A nondestructive testing (NDT) device using high temperature SQUID's and eddy current method will be much more sensitive than those currently used eddy current systems, yet much cheaper than one with low temperature SQUID's. In this paper, we present our study of such a NDT device using a high temperature superconducting rf-SQUID as a gradiometer sensor. The result clearly demonstrates the expected sensitivity of the system, and indicates the feasibility of building a portable HTS SQUID NDT device with the help from cryocooler industry. Such a NDT device will have a significant impact on metal corrosion or crack detection technology.

Increased collection efficiency of LIFI high intensity electrodeless light source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafidi, Abdeslam; DeVincentis, Marc; Duelli, Markus; Gilliard, Richard

2008-02-01

Recently, RF driven electrodeless high intensity light sources have been implemented successfully in the projection display systems for HDTV and videowall applications. This paper presents advances made in the RF waveguide and electric field concentrator structures with the purpose of reducing effective arc size and increasing light collection. In addition, new optical designs are described that further improve system efficiency. The results of this work demonstrate that projection system light throughput is increased relative to previous implementations and performance is optimized for home theater and other front projector applications that maintain multi-year lifetime without re-lamping, complete spectral range, fast start times and high levels of dynamic contrast due to dimming flexibility in the light source system.

Design and Application of Combined 8-Channel Transmit and 10-Channel Receive Arrays and Radiofrequency Shimming for 7-T Shoulder Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PubMed Central

Brown, Ryan; Deniz, Cem Murat; Zhang, Bei; Chang, Gregory; Sodickson, Daniel K.; Wiggins, Graham C.

2014-01-01

Objective The objective of the study was to investigate the feasibility of 7-T shoulder magnetic resonance imaging by developing transmit and receive radiofrequency (RF) coil arrays and exploring RF shim methods. Materials and Methods A mechanically flexible 8-channel transmit array and an anatomically conformable 10-channel receive array were designed and implemented. The transmit performance of various RF shim methods was assessed through local flip angle measurements in the right and left shoulders of 6 subjects. The receive performance was assessed through signal-to-noise ratio measurements using the developed 7-T coil and a baseline commercial 3-T coil. Results The 7-T transmit array driven with phase-coherent RF shim weights provided adequate B1+ efficiency and uniformity for turbo spin echo shoulder imaging. B1+ twisting that is characteristic of high-field loop coils necessitates distinct RF shim weights in the right and left shoulders. The 7-T receive array provided a 2-fold signal-to-noise ratio improvement over the 3-T array in the deep articular shoulder cartilage. Conclusions Shoulder imaging at 7-T is feasible with a custom transmit/receive array either in a single-channel transmit mode with a fixed RF shim or in a parallel transmit mode with a subject-specific RF shim. PMID:24056112

Reticular influences on primary and augmenting responses in the somatosensory cortex.

PubMed

Steriade, M; Morin, D

1981-01-26

The effects of brief, conditioning trains of high-frequency pulses to the midbrain reticular formation (RF) on primary and augmenting responses of somatosensory (SI) cortex were investigated. Testing stimulation was applied to the ventrobasal (VB) thalamus or to the white matter (WM) beneath SI in VB-lesioned animals. The RF-elicited EEG activation was associated with increased firing rates of SI neurons, enhanced probability of early synaptic discharges to VB or WM stimuli, and significantly reduced duration of the suppressed firing period following an afferent VB or WM volley. The diminished latency of the postinhibitory rebound under RF stimulation had the consequence that, within 10/sec shock-train, the second stimulus was delivered following completion of the rebound component and, instead of an augmented potential, generated a field response of primary-type. The dependence of the RF-induced change in augmenting potentials upon the sharpening effect exerted on the preceding inhibitory-rebound sequence was corroborated by analyzing the RF influence on neurons with different time-course of recovery from inhibition. The replacement of augmenting potentials by primary responses under RF stimulation is advanced as the mechanism behind the obliteration of spontaneously developing 'type I' spindle-waves during EEG arousal. The demonstration of RF influences on SI responses to WM stimulation in VB-lesioned animals points out the cortical level of the effects. The reticulo-thalamo-cortical pathways underlying these influences are discussed.

The NSCL cyclotron gas stopper - Entering commissioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarz, S.; Bollen, G.; Chouhan, S.; Das, J. J.; Green, M.; Magsig, C.; Morrissey, D. J.; Ottarson, J.; Sumithrarachchi, C.; Villari, A. C. C.; Zeller, A.

2016-06-01

Linear gas stopping cells have been used successfully at NSCL to slow down ions produced by projectile fragmentation from the 100 MeV/u to the keV energy range. These 'stopped beams' have first been used for low-energy high precision experiments and more recently for NSCLs re-accelerator ReA. A gas-filled reverse cyclotron is currently under construction by the NSCL to complement the existing stopping cells: Due to its extended stopping length, efficient stopping and fast extraction is expected even for light and medium-mass ions, which are difficult to thermalize in linear gas cells. The device is based on a 2.6 T maximum-field cyclotron-type magnet to confine the injected beam while it is slowed down in ≈100 mbar of LN2-temperature helium gas. Once thermalized, the beam will be transported to the center of the device by a traveling-wave RF-carpet system, extracted along the symmetry axis with an ion conveyor and miniature RF-carpets, and accelerated to a few tens of keV of energy for delivery to the users. The superconducting magnet has been constructed on a 60 kV platform and energized to its nominal field strength. The magnet's two cryostats use 3 cryo-refrigerators each and liquid-nitrogen cooled thermal shields to cool the coil pair to superconductivity. This concept, chosen not to have to rely on external liquid helium, has been working well. Measurements of axial and radial field profiles confirm the field calculations. The individual RF-ion guiding components for low-energy ion transport through the device have been tested successfully. The beam stopping chamber with its 0.9 m-diameter RF carpet system and the ion extraction system are being prepared for installation inside the magnet for low-energy ion transport tests.

TU-H-BRA-02: The Physics of Magnetic Field Isolation in a Novel Compact Linear Accelerator Based MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Low, D; Mutic, S; Shvartsman, S

Purpose: To develop a method for isolating the MRI magnetic field from field-sensitive linear accelerator components at distances close to isocenter. Methods: A MRI-guided radiation therapy system has been designed that integrates a linear accelerator with simultaneous MR imaging. In order to accomplish this, the magnetron, port circulator, radiofrequency waveguide, gun driver, and linear accelerator needed to be placed in locations with low magnetic fields. The system was also required to be compact, so moving these components far from the main magnetic field and isocenter was not an option. The magnetic field sensitive components (exclusive of the waveguide) were placedmore » in coaxial steel sleeves that were electrically and mechanically isolated and whose thickness and placement were optimized using E&M modeling software. Six sets of sleeves were placed 60° apart, 85 cm from isocenter. The Faraday effect occurs when the direction of propagation is parallel to the magnetic RF field component, rotating the RF polarization, subsequently diminishing RF power. The Faraday effect was avoided by orienting the waveguides such that the magnetic field RF component was parallel to the magnetic field. Results: The magnetic field within the shields was measured to be less than 40 Gauss, significantly below the amount needed for the magnetron and port circulator. Additional mu-metal was employed to reduce the magnetic field at the linear accelerator to less than 1 Gauss. The orientation of the RF waveguides allowed the RT transport with minimal loss and reflection. Conclusion: One of the major challenges in designing a compact linear accelerator based MRI-guided radiation therapy system, that of creating low magnetic field environments for the magnetic-field sensitive components, has been solved. The measured magnetic fields are sufficiently small to enable system integration. This work supported by ViewRay, Inc.« less

Advancing RF pulse design using an open-competition format: Report from the 2015 ISMRM challenge.

PubMed

Grissom, William A; Setsompop, Kawin; Hurley, Samuel A; Tsao, Jeffrey; Velikina, Julia V; Samsonov, Alexey A

2017-10-01

To advance the best solutions to two important RF pulse design problems with an open head-to-head competition. Two sub-challenges were formulated in which contestants competed to design the shortest simultaneous multislice (SMS) refocusing pulses and slice-selective parallel transmission (pTx) excitation pulses, subject to realistic hardware and safety constraints. Short refocusing pulses are needed for spin echo SMS imaging at high multiband factors, and short slice-selective pTx pulses are needed for multislice imaging in ultra-high field MRI. Each sub-challenge comprised two phases, in which the first phase posed problems with a low barrier of entry, and the second phase encouraged solutions that performed well in general. The Challenge ran from October 2015 to May 2016. The pTx Challenge winners developed a spokes pulse design method that combined variable-rate selective excitation with an efficient method to enforce SAR constraints, which achieved 10.6 times shorter pulse durations than conventional approaches. The SMS Challenge winners developed a time-optimal control multiband pulse design algorithm that achieved 5.1 times shorter pulse durations than conventional approaches. The Challenge led to rapid step improvements in solutions to significant problems in RF excitation for SMS imaging and ultra-high field MRI. Magn Reson Med 78:1352-1361, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Electron Gun For Multiple Beam Klystron Using Magnetic Focusing

DOEpatents

Ives, R. Lawrence; Miram, George; Krasnykh, Anatoly

2004-07-27

An RF device comprising a plurality of drift tubes, each drift tube having a plurality of gaps defining resonant cavities, is immersed in an axial magnetic field. RF energy is introduced at an input RF port at one of these resonant cavities and collected at an output RF port at a different RF cavity. A plurality of electron beams passes through these drift tubes, and each electron beam has an individual magnetic shaping applied which enables confined beam transport through the drift tubes.

Adapting High Brightness Relativistic Electron Beams for Ultrafast Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scoby, Cheyne Matthew

This thesis explores the use of ultrashort bunches generated by a radiofrequency electron photoinjector driven by a femtosecond laser. Rf photoinjector technology has been developed to generate ultra high brightness beams for advanced accelerators and to drive advanced light source applications. The extremely good quality of the beams generated by this source has played a key role in the development of 4th generation light sources such as the Linac Coherent Light Source, thus opening the way to studies of materials science and biological systems with high temporal and spatial resolution. At the Pegasus Photoinjector Lab, we have developed the application of a BNL/SLAC/UCLA 1.6-cell rf photoinjector as a tool for ultrafast science in its own right. It is the aim of this work to explore the generation of ultrashort electron bunches, give descriptions of the novel ultrafast diagnostics developed to be able to characterize the electron bunch and synchronize it with a pump laser, and share some of the scientific results that were obtained with this technology at the UCLA Pegasus laboratory. This dissertation explains the requirements of the drive laser source and describes the principles of rf photoinjector design and operation necessary to produce electron bunches with an rms longitudinal length < 100 femtoseconds containing 107 - 108 electrons per bunch. In this condition, when the laser intensity is sufficiently high, multiphoton photoemission is demonstrated to be more efficient in terms of charge yield than single photon photoemission. When a short laser pulse hits the cathode the resulting beam dynamics are dominated by a strong space charge driven longitudinal expansion which leads to the creation of a nearly ideal uniformly filled ellipsoidal distribution. These beam distributions are characterized by linear space charge forces and hence by high peak brightness and small transverse emittances. This regime of operation of the RF photoinjector is also termed the “blow-out regime.” When the beam charge is maintained low, ultrashort electron bunches can be obtained enabling novel applications such as single shot Femtosecond Relativistic Electron Diffraction (FRED). High precision temporal diagnostic and synchronization techniques are integral to the use of femtosecond electron bunches for ultrafast science. An x-band rf streak camera provides measurements of the longitudinal profiles of sub-ps electron bunches. Spatial encoded electro-optic timestamping is developed to overcome the inherent rf-laser synchronization errors in rf photoinjectors. The ultrafast electron beams generated with the RF photoenjector are employed in pump-probe experiments wherein a target is illuminated with an intense pump laser to induce a transient behavior in the sample. FRED is used to study the melting of gold after heating with an intense femtosecond laser pulse. In a first experiment we study the process by taking different single-shot diffraction patterns at varying delays between the pump an probe beams. In a second experiment a variation of the technique is employed using the rf streak camera to time-stretch the beam after it has diffraction from the sample in order to capture the full melting dynamics in a single shot. Finally, relativistic ultrashort electron bunches are used as a probe of plasma dynamics in electron radiography/shadowgraphy experiments. This technique is used to study photoemission with intense laser pulses and the evolution of electromagnetic fields in a photoinduced dense plasma. This experiment is also performed in two different modes: one where different pictures are acquired at different time delays, and the other where a single streak image is used to obtain visualization of the propagation electromagnetic fields with an unprecedented 35 femtosecond resolution.

VLF Radio Field Strength Measurement of power line carrier system in San Diego, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mertel, H. K.

1981-01-01

The radio frequency interference (RFI) potential was evaluated for a Powerline Carriet (PLC) installed in San Diego which monitors the performance of an electrical power system. The PLC system generated 30 amperes at 5.79 kHz. The RF radiations were measured to be (typically) 120 dBuV/m at the beginning of the 12 kV powerline and 60 dBuV/m at the end of the powerline. The RF fields varied inversely as the distance squared. Measurements were also performed with a 45 kHz PLC system. The RF fields were of similar amplitude.

Improving uniformity of atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharges using dual frequency excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Peeters, F. J. J.; Starostin, S. A.; van de Sanden, M. C. M.; de Vries, H. W.

2018-01-01

This letter reports a novel approach to improve the uniformity of atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharges using a dual-frequency excitation consisting of a low frequency (LF) at 200 kHz and a radio frequency (RF) at 13.56 MHz. It is shown that due to the periodic oscillation of the RF electric field, the electron acceleration and thus the gas ionization is temporally modulated, i.e. enhanced and suppressed during each RF cycle. As a result, the discharge development is slowed down with a lower amplitude and a longer duration of the LF discharge current. Hence, the RF electric field facilitates improved stability and uniformity simultaneously allowing a higher input power.

High Temperature Performance of a SiC MESFET Based Oscillator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, Zachary D.; Ponchak, George E.

2005-01-01

A hybrid, UHF-Band differential oscillator based on 10 w SiC RF Power Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MESFET) has been designed, fabricated and characterized through 475 C. Circuit is fabricated on an alumina substrate with thin film spiral inductors, chip capacitors, chip resistors, and wire bonds for all crossovers and interconnectors. The oscillator delivers 15.7 dBm at 515 MHz into a 50 Ohm load at 125 C with a DC to RF conversion efficiency of 2,8%. After tuning the load impedance, the oscillator delivers 18.8 dBm at 610 MHz at 200 C with a DC to RF conversion efficiency of 5.8%. Finally, by tuning the load and bias conditions, the oscillator delivers 4.9 dBm at 453 MHz at 475 C.

Effect of anomalous electron cross-field transport on electron energy distribution function in a DC-RF magnetized plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raitses, Yevgeny; Donnelly, Vincent M.; Kaganovich, Igor D.; Godyak, Valery

2013-10-01

The application of the magnetic field in a low pressure plasma can cause a spatial separation of cold and hot electron groups. This so-called magnetic filter effect is not well understood and is the subject of our studies. In this work, we investigate electron energy distribution function in a DC-RF plasma discharge with crossed electric and magnetic field operating at sub-mtorr pressure range of xenon gas. Experimental studies showed that the increase of the magnetic field leads to a more uniform profile of the electron temperature across the magnetic field. This surprising result indicates the importance of anomalous electron transport that causes mixing of hot and cold electrons. High-speed imaging and probe measurements revealed a coherent structure rotating in E cross B direction with frequency of a few kHz. Similar to spoke oscillations reported for Hall thrusters, this rotating structure conducts the largest fraction of the cross-field current. This work was supported by DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Effect of anomalous electron cross-field transport on electron energy distribution function in a DC-RF magnetized plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raitses, Yevgeny; Donnelly, Vincent; Kaganovich, Igor; Godyak, Valery

2013-09-01

The application of the magnetic field in a low pressure plasma can cause a spatial separation of cold and hot electron groups. This so-called magnetic filter effect is not well understood and is the subject of our studies. In this work, we investigate electron energy distribution function in a DC-RF plasma discharge with crossed electric and magnetic field operating at sub-mtorr pressure range of xenon gas. Experimental studies showed that the increase of the magnetic field leads to a more uniform profile of the electron temperature across the magnetic field. This surprising result indicates the importance of anomalous electron transport that causes mixing of hot and cold electrons. High-speed imaging and probe measurements revealed a coherent structure rotating in E cross B direction with frequency of a few kHz. Similar to spoke oscillations reported for Hall thrusters, this rotating structure conducts the largest fraction of the cross-field current. This work was supported by the US DOE under Contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Electrostatics of proteins in dielectric solvent continua. II. First applications in molecular dynamics simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stork, Martina; Tavan, Paul

2007-04-01

In the preceding paper by Stork and Tavan, [J. Chem. Phys. 126, 165105 (2007)], the authors have reformulated an electrostatic theory which treats proteins surrounded by dielectric solvent continua and approximately solves the associated Poisson equation [B. Egwolf and P. Tavan, J. Chem. Phys. 118, 2039 (2003)]. The resulting solution comprises analytical expressions for the electrostatic reaction field (RF) and potential, which are generated within the protein by the polarization of the surrounding continuum. Here the field and potential are represented in terms of Gaussian RF dipole densities localized at the protein atoms. Quite like in a polarizable force field, also the RF dipole at a given protein atom is induced by the partial charges and RF dipoles at the other atoms. Based on the reformulated theory, the authors have suggested expressions for the RF forces, which obey Newton's third law. Previous continuum approaches, which were also built on solutions of the Poisson equation, used to violate the reactio principle required by this law, and thus were inapplicable to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In this paper, the authors suggest a set of techniques by which one can surmount the few remaining hurdles still hampering the application of the theory to MD simulations of soluble proteins and peptides. These techniques comprise the treatment of the RF dipoles within an extended Lagrangian approach and the optimization of the atomic RF polarizabilities. Using the well-studied conformational dynamics of alanine dipeptide as the simplest example, the authors demonstrate the remarkable accuracy and efficiency of the resulting RF-MD approach.

Characterization of superconducting radiofrequency breakdown by two-mode excitation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eremeev, Grigory V.; Palczewski, Ari D.

2014-01-14

We show that thermal and magnetic contributions to the breakdown of superconductivity in radiofrequency (RF) fields can be separated by applying two RF modes simultaneously to a superconducting surface. We develop a simple model that illustrates how mode-mixing RF data can be related to properties of the superconductor. Within our model the data can be described by a single parameter, which can be derived either from RF or thermometry data. Our RF and thermometry data are in good agreement with the model. We propose to use mode-mixing technique to decouple thermal and magnetic effects on RF breakdown of superconductors.

ALTERATIONS IN CALCIUM ION ACTIVITY BY ELF AND RF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

EPA Science Inventory

Alterations in calcium ion activity by ELF and RF electromagnetic fields

Introduction

Calcium ions play many important roles in biological systems. For example, calcium ion activity can be used as an indicator of second-messenger signal-transduction processe...

RF Priming Experiments and Simulations of Magnetic Priming in Relativistic Magnetrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, W. M.; Gilgenbach, R. M.; Jones, M. C.; Neculaes, V. B.; Lau, Y. Y.; Jordan, N.; Pengvanich, P.; Edgar, R.; Hoff, B.; Spencer, T. A.; Price, D.

2004-11-01

We investigate 2 priming techniques in relativistic magnetrons for rapid startup and mode-locking: RF priming experiments with 0.1-1 MW from a 2nd magnetron; Magnetic-priming simulations by azimuthally-varying-axial magnetic field. Experiments utilize MELBA-C with a Titan 6-vane magnetron: V = -300kV, I = 1-10kA, e-beam T = 0.5 μs, microwave power = 100-500 MW, f= 1-1.3 GHz, base vacuum= 8.5 x 10-10 Torr. The AFRL RF priming magnetron is at 0.1-2 MW, 3 μsec, 1.27-1.32 GHz. About 0.2-0.3 MW is injected into 1 of 3 open coupling slots in the relativistic magnetron. Analysis of the relativistic magnetron's microwave output shows a clear effect of RF priming. Simulations of magnetic priming in the pi-mode are run in MAGIC code by imposing N/2 azimuthal-variations in the axial magnetic field of an N-vane magnetron. Faster startup and mode-locking are simulated by rapid-electron spoke formation and excitation of RF fields.

Mitigation of Parallel RF Potentials by an Appropriate Antenna Design Using TOPICA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maggiora, R.; Milanesio, D.

2011-12-01

A substantial effort has been devoted in recent years to the optimization of the ITER Ion Cyclotron (IC) launcher [1], above all with the aim of maximizing the coupling performances of the antenna; good improvements have been documented by using TOPICA code [2], a predictive tool for the design and optimization of RF launchers in front of a plasma region. Despite the progresses in the mentioned topic, this is not the only issue related to the design of IC antennas: a second crucial aspect is the impurities production, which is driven by the parallel RF potentials generated by the antenna itself and by the surrounding structures. The goal of this work is to analyze a set of innovative solutions that could be implemented in the next generation of IC antennas in order to mitigate the parallel RF potentials without reducing the power delivered to plasma. To achieve this challenging task, the TOPICA code has been adopted, taking advantage of recently introduced features. In particular, the code permits to compute the electric field distribution everywhere inside the antenna enclosure and in the plasma column, allowing to determine not only the magnitude and shape of the fields in front of the antenna, but also to evaluate their radial decay. Provided the electric field map, it is then possible to determine the parallel RF potentials and, even more important, to directly verify the impact of geometrical modifications of the front elements of the antenna on the RF potentials themselves. Furthermore, the capability to simulate the full 3D antenna with a high geometrical accuracy (as the one provided by commercial codes) and to account for an accurate plasma model indicates in TOPICA code a perfect candidate for this specific task. To lower the parallel RF potentials, two complementary approaches are outlined in the paper: the first one acts on the reduction of the electric field values, the second works on the minimization of the geometrical asymmetries. Pros and cons of the adopted solutions are discussed in detail. Two realistic cases have been taken into account in this work. Firstly, an ITER-like IC launcher has been adopted as a reference and optimized, then few solutions have been proposed for the ASDEX Upgrade experiment, with the final goal of testing the most promising concept for the machine in the coming years. This second activity has been carried out in collaboration with IPP-Garching and ENEA-Frascati.

The electric field in capacitively coupled RF discharges: a smooth step model that includes thermal and dynamic effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinkmann, Ralf Peter

2015-12-01

The electric field in radio-frequency driven capacitively coupled plasmas (RF-CCP) is studied, taking thermal (finite electron temperature) and dynamic (finite electron mass) effects into account. Two dimensionless numbers are introduced, the ratios ε ={λ\\text{D}}/l of the electron Debye length {λ\\text{D}} to the minimum plasma gradient length l (typically the sheath thickness) and η ={ω\\text{RF}}/{ω\\text{pe}} of the RF frequency {ω\\text{RF}} to the electron plasma frequency {ω\\text{pe}} . Assuming both numbers small but finite, an asymptotic expansion of an electron fluid model is carried out up to quadratic order inclusively. An expression for the electric field is obtained which yields (i) the space charge field in the sheath, (ii) the generalized Ohmic and ambipolar field in the plasma, and (iii) a smooth interpolation for the transition in between. The new expression is a direct generalization of the Advanced Algebraic Approximation (AAA) proposed by the same author (2009 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 42 194009), which can be recovered for η \\to 0 , and of the established Step Model (SM) by Godyak (1976 Sov. J. Plasma Phys. 2 78), which corresponds to the simultaneous limits η \\to 0 , ε \\to 0 . A comparison of the hereby proposed Smooth Step Model (SSM) with a numerical solution of the full dynamic problem proves very satisfactory.

Monte-Carlo Orbit/Full Wave Simulation of Fast Alfvén Wave (FW) Damping on Resonant Ions in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, M.; Chan, V. S.; Tang, V.; Bonoli, P.; Pinsker, R. I.; Wright, J.

2005-09-01

To simulate the resonant interaction of fast Alfvén wave (FW) heating and Coulomb collisions on energetic ions, including finite orbit effects, a Monte-Carlo code ORBIT-RF has been coupled with a 2D full wave code TORIC4. ORBIT-RF solves Hamiltonian guiding center drift equations to follow trajectories of test ions in 2D axisymmetric numerical magnetic equilibrium under Coulomb collisions and ion cyclotron radio frequency quasi-linear heating. Monte-Carlo operators for pitch-angle scattering and drag calculate the changes of test ions in velocity and pitch angle due to Coulomb collisions. A rf-induced random walk model describing fast ion stochastic interaction with FW reproduces quasi-linear diffusion in velocity space. FW fields and its wave numbers from TORIC are passed on to ORBIT-RF to calculate perpendicular rf kicks of resonant ions valid for arbitrary cyclotron harmonics. ORBIT-RF coupled with TORIC using a single dominant toroidal and poloidal wave number has demonstrated consistency of simulations with recent DIII-D FW experimental results for interaction between injected neutral-beam ions and FW, including measured neutron enhancement and enhanced high energy tail. Comparison with C-Mod fundamental heating discharges also yielded reasonable agreement.

Evaluation of stray radiofrequency radiation emitted by electrosurgical devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeMarco, M.; Maggi, S.

2006-07-01

Electrosurgery refers to the passage of a high-frequency, high-voltage electrical current through the body to achieve the desired surgical effects. At the same time, these procedures are accompanied by a general increase of the electromagnetic field in an operating room that may expose both patients and personnel to relatively high levels of radiofrequency radiation. In the first part of this study, we have taken into account the radiation emitted by different monopolar electrosurgical devices, evaluating the electromagnetic field strength delivered by an electrosurgical handle and straying from units and other electrosurgical accessories. As a summary, in the worst case a surgeon's hands are exposed to a continuous and pulsed RF wave whose magnetic field strength is 0.75 A m-1 (E-field 400 V m-1). Occasionally stray radiation may exceed ICNIRP's occupational exposure guidelines, especially close to the patient return plate. In the second part of this paper, we have analysed areas of particular concern to prevent electromagnetic interference with some life-support devices (ventilators and electrocardiographic devices), which have failed to operate correctly. Most clinically relevant interference occurred when an electrosurgery device was used within 0.3 m of medical equipment. In the appendix, we suggest some practical recommendations intended to minimize the potential for electromagnetic hazards due to therapeutic application of RF energy.

Design and Analysis of Megawatt Class Free Electron Laser Weapons

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

accelerating structure. The SRF linear accelerator stores RF fields within its niobium cavities. Superconductors require less average RF power than...is needed to cool the superconductor for the SRF linear accelerator. A current outstanding research topic is the RF frequency to use for the SRF

Battery-powered pulsed high density inductively coupled plasma source for pre-ionization in laboratory astrophysics experiments.

PubMed

Chaplin, Vernon H; Bellan, Paul M

2015-07-01

An electrically floating radiofrequency (RF) pre-ionization plasma source has been developed to enable neutral gas breakdown at lower pressures and to access new experimental regimes in the Caltech laboratory astrophysics experiments. The source uses a customized 13.56 MHz class D RF power amplifier that is powered by AA batteries, allowing it to safely float at 3-6 kV with the electrodes of the high voltage pulsed power experiments. The amplifier, which is capable of 3 kW output power in pulsed (<1 ms) operation, couples electrical energy to the plasma through an antenna external to the 1.1 cm radius discharge tube. By comparing the predictions of a global equilibrium discharge model with the measured scalings of plasma density with RF power input and axial magnetic field strength, we demonstrate that inductive coupling (rather than capacitive coupling or wave damping) is the dominant energy transfer mechanism. Peak ion densities exceeding 5 × 10(19) m(-3) in argon gas at 30 mTorr have been achieved with and without a background field. Installation of the pre-ionization source on a magnetohydrodynamically driven jet experiment reduced the breakdown time and jitter and allowed for the creation of hotter, faster argon plasma jets than was previously possible.

Design and Characterization of a Gradient-Transparent RF Copper Shield for PET Detector Modules in Hybrid MR-PET Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berneking, Arne; Trinchero, Riccardo; Ha, YongHyun; Finster, Felix; Cerello, Piergiorgio; Lerche, Christoph; Shah, Nadim Jon

2017-05-01

This paper focuses on the design and the characterization of a frequency-selective shield for positron emission tomography (PET) detector modules of hybrid magnetic resonance-PET scanners, where the shielding of the PET cassettes is located close to the observed object. The proposed shielding configuration is designed and optimized to guarantee a high shielding effectiveness (SE) of up to 60 dB for B1-fields at the Larmor frequency of 64 MHz, thus preventing interactions between the radio-frequency (RF) coil and PET electronics. On the other hand, the shield is transparent to the gradient fields with the consequence that eddy-current artifacts in the acquired EPI images are significantly reduced with respect to the standard solid-shield configuration. The frequency-selective behavior of the shield is characterized and validated via simulation studies with CST MICROWAVE STUDIO in the megahertz and kilohertz range. Bench measurements with an RF coil built in-house demonstrated the high SE at the Larmor frequency. Moreover, measurements on a 4-T human scanner confirmed the abolishment of eddy current artifact and also provided an understanding of where the eddy currents occur with respect to the sequence parameters. Simulations and measurements for the proposed shielding concept were compared with a solid copper shielding configuration.

Dipolar DC Collisional Activation in a "Stretched" 3-D Ion Trap: The Effect of Higher Order Fields on rf-Heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prentice, Boone M.; McLuckey, Scott A.

2012-04-01

Applying dipolar DC (DDC) to the end-cap electrodes of a 3-D ion trap operated with a bath gas at roughly 1 mTorr gives rise to `rf-heating' and can result in collision-induced dissociation (CID). This approach to ion trap CID differs from the conventional single-frequency resonance excitation approach in that it does not rely on tuning a supplementary frequency to coincide with the fundamental secular frequeny of the precursor ion of interest. Simulations using the program ITSIM 5.0 indicate that application of DDC physically displaces ions solely in the axial (inter end-cap) dimension whereupon ion acceleration occurs via power absorption from the drive rf. Experimental data shows that the degree of rf-heating in a stretched 3-D ion trap is not dependent solely on the ratio of the dipolar DC voltage/radio frequency (rf) amplitude, as a model based on a pure quadrupole field suggests. Rather, ion temperatures are shown to increase as the absolute values of the dipolar DC and rf amplitude both decrease. Simulations indicate that the presence of higher order multi-pole fields underlies this unexpected behavior. These findings have important implications for the use of DDC as a broad-band activation approach in multi-pole traps.

Handling the influence of chemical shift in amplitude-modulated heteronuclear dipolar recoupling solid-state NMR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Basse, Kristoffer; Shankar, Ravi; Bjerring, Morten

We present a theoretical analysis of the influence of chemical shifts on amplitude-modulated heteronuclear dipolar recoupling experiments in solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The method is demonstrated using the Rotor Echo Short Pulse IRrAdiaTION mediated Cross-Polarization ({sup RESPIRATION}CP) experiment as an example. By going into the pulse sequence rf interaction frame and employing a quintuple-mode operator-based Floquet approach, we describe how chemical shift offset and anisotropic chemical shift affect the efficiency of heteronuclear polarization transfer. In this description, it becomes transparent that the main attribute leading to non-ideal performance is a fictitious field along the rf field axis, which is generated frommore » second-order cross terms arising mainly between chemical shift tensors and themselves. This insight is useful for the development of improved recoupling experiments. We discuss the validity of this approach and present quaternion calculations to determine the effective resonance conditions in a combined rf field and chemical shift offset interaction frame transformation. Based on this, we derive a broad-banded version of the {sup RESPIRATION}CP experiment. The new sequence is experimentally verified using SNNFGAILSS amyloid fibrils where simultaneous {sup 15}N → {sup 13}CO and {sup 15}N → {sup 13}C{sub α} coherence transfer is demonstrated on high-field NMR instrumentation, requiring great offset stability.« less

Space Shuttle Underside Astronaut Communications Performance Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwu, Shian U.; Dobbins, Justin A.; Loh, Yin-Chung; Kroll, Quin D.; Sham, Catherine C.

2005-01-01

The Space Shuttle Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications system is planned to provide Radio Frequency (RF) coverage for astronauts working underside of the Space Shuttle Orbiter (SSO) for thermal tile inspection and repairing. This study is to assess the Space Shuttle UHF communication performance for astronauts in the shadow region without line-of-sight (LOS) to the Space Shuttle and Space Station UHF antennas. To insure the RF coverage performance at anticipated astronaut worksites, the link margin between the UHF antennas and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Astronauts with significant vehicle structure blockage was analyzed. A series of near-field measurements were performed using the NASA/JSC Anechoic Chamber Antenna test facilities. Computational investigations were also performed using the electromagnetic modeling techniques. The computer simulation tool based on the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD) was used to compute the signal strengths. The signal strength was obtained by computing the reflected and diffracted fields along the propagation paths between the transmitting and receiving antennas. Based on the results obtained in this study, RF coverage for UHF communication links was determined for the anticipated astronaut worksite in the shadow region underneath the Space Shuttle.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of a linear accelerator endowed with single feed coupler with movable short-circuit.

PubMed

Dal Forno, Massimo; Craievich, Paolo; Penco, Giuseppe; Vescovo, Roberto

2013-11-01

The front-end injection systems of the FERMI@Elettra linac produce high brightness electron beams that define the performance of the Free Electron Laser. The photoinjector mainly consists of the radiofrequency (rf) gun and of two S-band rf structures which accelerate the beam. Accelerating structures endowed with a single feed coupler cause deflection and degradation of the electron beam properties, due to the asymmetry of the electromagnetic field. In this paper, a new type of single feed structure with movable short-circuit is proposed. It has the advantage of having only one waveguide input, but we propose a novel design where the dipolar component is reduced. Moreover, the racetrack geometry allows to reduce the quadrupolar component. This paper presents the microwave design and the analysis of the particle motion inside the linac. A prototype has been machined at the Elettra facility to verify the new coupler design and the rf field has been measured by adopting the bead-pull method. The results are here presented, showing good agreement with the expectations.

Unified Model of the rf Plasma Sheath, Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riley, Merle

1996-10-01

By developing an approximation to the first integral of the Poisson equation, one can obtain solutions for the current-voltage characteristics of an rf plasma sheath that are valid over the whole range of inertial response of the ions to an imposed rf voltage or current. (M.E.Riley, 1995 GEC, abstract QA5, published in Bull. Am. Phys. Soc., 40, 1587 (1995).) The theory has been shown to adequately reproduce current-voltage characteristics of two extreme cases (M.A. Lieberman, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 16, 638 (1988). A. Metze, D.W. Ernie, and H.J.Oskam, J.Appl.Phys., 60, 3081 (1986).) of ion response. In this work I show the effect of different conventions for connecting the sheath model to the bulk plasma. Modifications of the Mach number and a finite electric field at the Bohm point are natural choices. The differences are examined for a sheath in a high density Ar plasma and are found to be insignificant. A theoretical argument favors the electric field modification. *Work performed at Sandia National Labs and supported by US DoE under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Two-photon Lee-Goldburg nuclear magnetic resonance: Simultaneous homonuclear decoupling and signal acquisition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michal, Carl A.; Hastings, Simon P.; Lee, Lik Hang

2008-02-07

We present NMR signals from a strongly coupled homonuclear spin system, {sup 1}H nuclei in adamantane, acquired with simultaneous two-photon excitation under conditions of the Lee-Goldburg experiment. Small coils, having inside diameters of 0.36 mm, are used to achieve two-photon nutation frequencies of {approx}20 kHz. The very large rf field strengths required give rise to large Bloch-Siegert shifts that cannot be neglected. These experiments are found to be extremely sensitive to inhomogeneity of the applied rf field, and due to the Bloch-Siegert shift, exhibit a large asymmetry in response between the upper and lower Lee-Goldburg offsets. Two-photon excitation has themore » potential to enhance both the sensitivity and performance of homonuclear dipolar decoupling, but is made challenging by the high rf power required and the difficulties introduced by the inhomogeneous Bloch-Siegert shift. We briefly discuss a variation of the frequency-switched Lee-Goldburg technique, called four-quadrant Lee-Goldburg (4QLG) that produces net precession in the x-y plane, with a reduced chemical shift scaling factor of 1/3.« less

Ultra-low output impedance RF power amplifier for parallel excitation.

PubMed

Chu, Xu; Yang, Xing; Liu, Yunfeng; Sabate, Juan; Zhu, Yudong

2009-04-01

Inductive coupling between coil elements of a transmit array is one of the key challenges faced by parallel RF transmission. An ultra-low output impedance RF power amplifier (PA) concept was introduced to address this challenge. In an example implementation, an output-matching network was designed to transform the drain-source impedance of the metallic oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) into a very low value for suppressing interelement coupling effect, and meanwhile, to match the input impedance of the coil to the optimum load of the MOSFET for maximizing the available output power. Two prototype amplifiers with 500-W output rating were developed accordingly, and were further evaluated with a transmit array in phantom experiments. Compared to the conventional 50-Omega sources, the new approach exhibited considerable effectiveness suppressing the effects of interelement coupling. The experiments further indicated that the isolation performance was comparable to that achieved by optimized overlap decoupling. The new approach, benefiting from a distinctive current-source characteristic, also exhibited a superior robustness against load variation. Feasibility of the new approach in high-field MR was demonstrated on a 3T clinical scanner.

Plasma current start-up experiments without the central solenoid in the TST-2 spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takase, Y.; Ejiri, A.; Shiraiwa, S.; Adachi, Y.; Ishii, N.; Kasahara, H.; Nuga, H.; Ono, Y.; Oosako, T.; Sasaki, M.; Shimada, Y.; Sumitomo, N.; Taguchi, I.; Tojo, H.; Tsujimura, J.; Ushigome, M.; Yamada, T.; Hanada, K.; Hasegawa, M.; Idei, H.; Nakamura, K.; Sakamoto, M.; Sasaki, K.; Sato, K. N.; Zushi, H.; Nishino, N.; Mitarai, O.

2006-08-01

Several techniques for initiating the plasma current without the use of the central solenoid are being developed in TST-2. While TST-2 was temporarily located at Kyushu University, two types of start-up scenarios were demonstrated. (1) A plasma current of 4 kA was generated and sustained for 0.28 s by either electron cyclotron wave or electron Bernstein wave, without induction. (2) A plasma current of 10 kA was obtained transiently by induction using only outboard poloidal field coils. In the second scenario, it is important to supply sufficient power for ionization (100 kW of EC power was sufficient in this case), since the vertical field during start-up is not adequate to maintain plasma equilibrium. In addition, electron heating experiments using the X-B mode conversion scenario were performed, and a heating efficiency of 60% was observed at a 100 kW RF power level. TST-2 is now located at the Kashiwa Campus of the University of Tokyo. Significant upgrades were made in both magnetic coil power supplies and RF systems, and plasma experiments have restarted. RF power of up to 400 kW is available in the high-harmonic fast wave frequency range around 20 MHz. Four 200 MHz transmitters are now being prepared for plasma current start-up experiments using RF power in the lower-hybrid frequency range. Preparations are in progress for a new plasma merging experiment (UTST) aimed at the formation and sustainment of ultra-high β ST plasmas.

Dark current, breakdown, and magnetic field effects in a multicell, 805MHz cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norem, J.; Wu, V.; Moretti, A.; Popovic, M.; Qian, Z.; Ducas, L.; Torun, Y.; Solomey, N.

2003-07-01

We present measurements of dark currents and x rays in a six cell 805MHz cavity, taken as part of an rf development program for muon cooling, which requires high power, high stored energy, low frequency cavities operating in a strong magnetic field. We have done the first systematic study of the behavior of high power rf in a strong (2.5 4T) magnetic field. Our measurements extend over a very large dynamic range in current and provide good fits to the Fowler-Nordheim field emission model assuming mechanical structures produce field enhancements at the surface. The locally enhanced field intensities we derive at the tips of these emitters are very large, (˜10 GV/m), and should produce tensile stresses comparable to the tensile strength of the copper cavity walls and should be capable of causing breakdown events. We also compare our data with estimates of tensile stresses from a variety of accelerating structures. Preliminary studies of the internal surface of the cavity and window are presented, which show splashes of copper with many sharp cone shaped protrusions and wires which can explain the experimentally measured field enhancements. We discuss a “cold copper” breakdown mechanism and briefly review alternatives. We also discuss a number of effects due to the 2.5T solenoidal fields on the cavity such as altered field emission due to mechanical deformation of emitters, and dark current ring beams, which are produced from the irises by E×B drifts during the nonrelativistic part of the acceleration process.

MRI of the Musculoskeletal System: Advanced Applications using High and Ultrahigh Field MRI.

PubMed

Alizai, Hamza; Chang, Gregory; Regatte, Ravinder R

2015-09-01

In vivo MRI has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders over the past 3 decades. Traditionally performed at 1.5 T, MRI at higher field strengths offers several advantages over lower field strengths including increased signal-to-noise ratio, higher spatial resolution, improved spectral resolution for spectroscopy, improved sensitivity for X-nucleus imaging, and decreased image acquisition times. However, the physics of imaging at higher field strengths also presents technical challenges. These include B0 and B1+ field inhomogeneity, design and construction of dedicated radiofrequency (RF) coils for use at high field, increased chemical shift and susceptibility artifacts, increased RF energy deposition (specific absorption rate), increased metal artifacts, and changes in relaxation times compared with the lower field scanners. These challenges were overcome in optimizing high-field (HF) (3 T) MRI over a decade ago. HF MRI systems have since gained universal acceptance for clinical musculoskeletal imaging and have also been widely utilized for the study of musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology. Recently there has been an increasing interest in exploring musculoskeletal applications of ultrahigh field (UHF) (7 T) systems. However, technical challenges similar to those encountered when moving from 1.5 T to 3 T have to be overcome to optimize 7 T musculoskeletal imaging. In this narrative review, we discuss the many potential opportunities and technical challenges presented by the HF and UHF MRI systems. We highlight recent developments in in vivo imaging of musculoskeletal tissues that benefit most from HF imaging including cartilage, skeletal muscle, and bone. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Interference with the operation of medical devices resulting from the use of radio frequency identification technology.

PubMed

Houliston, Bryan; Parry, David; Webster, Craig S; Merry, Alan F

2009-06-19

To replicate electromagnetic interference (EMI) with a common drug infusion device resulting from the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in a simulated operating theatre environment. An infusion pump, of a type previously reported as having failed due to RFID EMI, was placed in radio frequency (RF) fields of various strengths, and its operation observed. Different strength RF fields were created by varying the number of RFID readers, the use of a high-gain RFID antenna, the distance between the reader(s) and the infusion pump, and the presence of an RFID tag on the infusion pump. The infusion pump was not affected by low-power RFID readers, even when in direct contact. The pump was disrupted by a high-power reader at 10 cm distance when an RFID tag was attached, and by a combination of high-power and low-power readers at 10 cm distance. Electronic medical devices may fail in the presence of high-power RFID readers, especially if the device is tagged. However, low-power RFID readers appear to be safer.

Convex optimization of MRI exposure for mitigation of RF-heating from active medical implants.

PubMed

Córcoles, Juan; Zastrow, Earl; Kuster, Niels

2015-09-21

Local RF-heating of elongated medical implants during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may pose a significant health risk to patients. The actual patient risk depends on various parameters including RF magnetic field strength and frequency, MR coil design, patient's anatomy, posture, and imaging position, implant location, RF coupling efficiency of the implant, and the bio-physiological responses associated with the induced local heating. We present three constrained convex optimization strategies that incorporate the implant's RF-heating characteristics, for the reduction of local heating of medical implants during MRI. The study emphasizes the complementary performances of the different formulations. The analysis demonstrates that RF-induced heating of elongated metallic medical implants can be carefully controlled and balanced against MRI quality. A reduction of heating of up to 25 dB can be achieved at the cost of reduced uniformity in the magnitude of the B(1)(+) field of less than 5%. The current formulations incorporate a priori knowledge of clinically-specific parameters, which is assumed to be available. Before these techniques can be applied practically in the broader clinical context, further investigations are needed to determine whether reduced access to a priori knowledge regarding, e.g. the patient's anatomy, implant routing, RF-transmitter, and RF-implant coupling, can be accepted within reasonable levels of uncertainty.

Convex optimization of MRI exposure for mitigation of RF-heating from active medical implants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Córcoles, Juan; Zastrow, Earl; Kuster, Niels

2015-09-01

Local RF-heating of elongated medical implants during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may pose a significant health risk to patients. The actual patient risk depends on various parameters including RF magnetic field strength and frequency, MR coil design, patient’s anatomy, posture, and imaging position, implant location, RF coupling efficiency of the implant, and the bio-physiological responses associated with the induced local heating. We present three constrained convex optimization strategies that incorporate the implant’s RF-heating characteristics, for the reduction of local heating of medical implants during MRI. The study emphasizes the complementary performances of the different formulations. The analysis demonstrates that RF-induced heating of elongated metallic medical implants can be carefully controlled and balanced against MRI quality. A reduction of heating of up to 25 dB can be achieved at the cost of reduced uniformity in the magnitude of the B1+ field of less than 5%. The current formulations incorporate a priori knowledge of clinically-specific parameters, which is assumed to be available. Before these techniques can be applied practically in the broader clinical context, further investigations are needed to determine whether reduced access to a priori knowledge regarding, e.g. the patient’s anatomy, implant routing, RF-transmitter, and RF-implant coupling, can be accepted within reasonable levels of uncertainty.

Overview of High Power Vacuum Dry RF Load Designs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krasnykh, Anatoly

2015-08-27

A specific feature of RF linacs based on the pulsed traveling wave (TW) mode of operation is that only a portion of the RF energy is used for the beam acceleration. The residual RF energy has to be terminated into an RF load. Higher accelerating gradients require higher RF sources and RF loads, which can stably terminate the residual RF power. RF feeders (from the RF source though the accelerating section to the load) are vacuumed to transmit multi-megawatt high power RF. This overview will outline vacuumed RF loads only. A common method to terminate multi-MW RF power is tomore » use circulated water (or other liquid) as an absorbing medium. A solid dielectric interface (a high quality ceramic) is required to separate vacuum and liquid RF absorber mediums. Using such RF load approaches in TW linacs is troubling because there is a fragile ceramic window barrier and a failure could become catastrophic for linac vacuum and RF systems. Traditional loads comprising of a ceramic disk have limited peak and average power handling capability and are therefore not suitable for high gradient TW linacs. This overview will focus on ''vacuum dry'' or ''all-metal'' loads that do not employ any dielectric interface between vacuum and absorber. The first prototype is an original design of RF loads for the Stanford Two-Mile Accelerator.« less

Extremely high frequency RF effects on electronics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loubriel, Guillermo Manuel; Vigliano, David; Coleman, Phillip Dale

The objective of this work was to understand the fundamental physics of extremely high frequency RF effects on electronics. To accomplish this objective, we produced models, conducted simulations, and performed measurements to identify the mechanisms of effects as frequency increases into the millimeter-wave regime. Our purpose was to answer the questions, 'What are the tradeoffs between coupling, transmission losses, and device responses as frequency increases?', and, 'How high in frequency do effects on electronic systems continue to occur?' Using full wave electromagnetics codes and a transmission-line/circuit code, we investigated how extremely high-frequency RF propagates on wires and printed circuit boardmore » traces. We investigated both field-to-wire coupling and direct illumination of printed circuit boards to determine the significant mechanisms for inducing currents at device terminals. We measured coupling to wires and attenuation along wires for comparison to the simulations, looking at plane-wave coupling as it launches modes onto single and multiconductor structures. We simulated the response of discrete and integrated circuit semiconductor devices to those high-frequency currents and voltages, using SGFramework, the open-source General-purpose Semiconductor Simulator (gss), and Sandia's Charon semiconductor device physics codes. This report documents our findings.« less

Near field magnetic communications for helmet-mounted display applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Field, Mark; Sailer, Alan

2005-05-01

Helmet-mounted displays need a data feed that is typically provided by a cable or RF wireless data link to an external computer. In defense applications these solutions are problematic: a cable gets in the way and restricts use and emergency egress, while an RF wireless link can be detected at some distance giving away position and is susceptible to jamming. What is required is an alternative wireless technology that is low power, extremely localized and difficult to detect or jam. Near field magnetic communications is one possible alternative to RF communications that may fulfill these needs. This technology uses a time varying magnetic field to carry information, and is only useable over small distances of order six feet. This is expected to have significant advantages for particular applications: notably power requirements and security compared with RF wireless links. The power stored in a magnetic field falls off as 1/r6, compared with 1/r2 for RF, which means that all the power is localized around the transmitter. By having a physically small communications region around each platform or user, a large bandwidth can be guaranteed by allowing the reuse of the frequency spectrum outside the immediate vicinity. It also confers security on the data-link, as the signal is undetectable beyond the short range of the system.

Device simulation of GeSn/GeSiSn pocket n-type tunnel field-effect transistor for analog and RF applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Suyuan; Zheng, Jun; Xue, Chunlai; Li, Chuanbo; Zuo, Yuhua; Cheng, Buwen; Wang, Qiming

2017-11-01

We present the device simulations of analog and radio frequency (RF) performances of four double-gate pocket n-type tunneling field-effect transistors (NTFETs). The direct current (DC), analog and RF performances of the Ge-homo, GeSn-homo, GeSn/Ge and GeSn/GeSiSn NTFETs, are compared. The GeSn NTFETs greatly improve the on-state current (ION) and average subthreshold slope (SS), when compared with the Ge NTFET. Moreover, the GeSn/GeSiSn NTFET has the largest intrinsic gain (Av), and exhibits a suppressed ambipolar behavior, improved cut-off frequency (fT), and gain bandwidth product (GBW), according to the analyzed analog and RF figures of merit (FOM). Therefore, it can be concluded that the GeSn/GeSiSn NTFET has great potential as a promising candidate for the realization of future generation low-power analog/RF applications.

Magnetic Field Generation and B-Dot Sensor Characterization in the High Frequency Band

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

date Dr. Andrew J, Terzuoli, PhD (Member) date Dr. Michael J. Havrilla, PhD (Member) date AFIT/GE/ENG/12-20 Abstract Designing a high frequency ( HF ...large wavelengths in the HF range make it difficult to accurately estimate from which direction a magnetic field is emitting. Accurate DF estimates are...necessary for search and rescue operations and geolocating RF emitters of interest. The primary goal of this research is to characterize the

Performance evaluation of hybrid VLC using device cost and power over data throughput criteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, C. C.; Tan, C. S.; Wong, H. Y.; Yahya, M. B.

2013-09-01

Visible light communication (VLC) technology has attained its attention in both academic and industry lately. It is determined by the development of light emitting diode (LED) technology for solid-state lighting (SSL).It has great potential to gradually replace radio frequency (RF) wireless technology because it offers unregulated and unlicensed bandwidth to withstand future demand of indoor wireless access to real-time bandwidth-demanding applications. However, it was found to provide intrusive uplink channel that give rise to unpleasant irradiance from the user device which could interfere with the downlink channel of VLC and hence limit mobility to users as a result of small coverage (field of view of VLC).To address this potential problem, a Hybrid VLC system which integrates VLC (for downlink) and RF (for uplink) technology is proposed. It offers a non-intrusive RF back channel that provides high throughput VLC and maintains durability with conventional RF devices. To deploy Hybrid VLC system in the market, it must be energy and cost saving to attain its equivalent economical advantage by comparing to existing architecture that employs fluorescent or LED lights with RF technology. In this paper, performance evaluation on the proposed hybrid system was carried out in terms of device cost and power consumption against data throughput. Based on our simulation, Hybrid VLC system was found to reduce device cost by 3% and power consumption by 68% when compares to fluorescent lights with RF technology. Nevertheless, when it is compared to LED lights with RF technology, our proposed hybrid system is found to achieve device cost saving as high as 47% and reduced power consumption by 49%. Such promising results have demonstrated that Hybrid VLC system is a feasible solution and has paved the way for greater cost saving and energy efficient compares with the current RF architecture even with the increasing requirement of indoor area coverage.

Latest Results of ILC High-Gradient R&D 9-cell Cavities at JLAB

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geng, Rongli

2008-02-11

It has been over a year since JLAB started processing and testing ILC 9-cell cavities in the frame work of ILC high-gradient cavity R&D, aiming at the goal of a 35 MV/m gradient at a Q of 1E10 with a yield of 90%. The necessary cavity processing steps include field flatness tuning, electropolishing (EP), hydrogen out-gassing under vacuum, high-pressure water rinsing, clean room assembly, and low temperature bake. These are followed by RF test at 2 Kelvin. Ultrasonic cleaning with Micro-90, an effective post-EP rinsing recipe discovered at JLAB, is routinely used. Seven industry manufactured 9-cell TESLAshape cavities are processedmore » and tested repeatedly. So far, 33 EP cycles are accumulated, corresponding to more than 65 hours of active EP time. An emphasis put on RF testing is to discern cavity quench characteristics, including its nature and its location. Often times, the cavity performance is limited by thermal-magnetic quench instead of field emission. The quench field in some cavities is lower than 20 MV/m and remains unchanged despite repeated EP, implying material and/or fabrication defects. The quench field in some other cavities is high but changes unpredictably after repeated EP, suggesting processing induced defects. Based on our experience and results, several areas are identified where improvement is needed to improve cavity performance as well as yield.« less

Particle simulations on transport control in divertors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kashiwagi, Mieko; Ido, Shunji

1995-04-01

Particle orbit simulations are carried out to study the reflection of He ions recycled from a tokamak divertor by RF electric fields, which have the frequency close to ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF). The performance of particle reflection and the requirement to the intensity of RF fields are studied. The control of He recycling by ICRF fields is found to be available. 4 refs., 4 figs.

Technique for Predicting the Radio Frequency Field Strength Inside an Enclosure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallett, Michael P.; Reddell, Jerry P.

1997-01-01

This technical memo represents a simple analytical technique for predicting the Radio Frequency (RF) field inside an enclosed volume in which radio frequency occurs. The technique was developed to predict the RF field strength within a launch vehicle fairing in which some payloads desire to launch with their telemetry transmitter radiating. This technique considers both the launch vehicle and the payload aspects.

Black Phosphorus Flexible Thin Film Transistors at Gighertz Frequencies.

PubMed

Zhu, Weinan; Park, Saungeun; Yogeesh, Maruthi N; McNicholas, Kyle M; Bank, Seth R; Akinwande, Deji

2016-04-13

Black phosphorus (BP) has attracted rapidly growing attention for high speed and low power nanoelectronics owing to its compelling combination of tunable bandgap (0.3 to 2 eV) and high carrier mobility (up to ∼1000 cm(2)/V·s) at room temperature. In this work, we report the first radio frequency (RF) flexible top-gated (TG) BP thin-film transistors on highly bendable polyimide substrate for GHz nanoelectronic applications. Enhanced p-type charge transport with low-field mobility ∼233 cm(2)/V·s and current density of ∼100 μA/μm at VDS = -2 V were obtained from flexible BP transistor at a channel length L = 0.5 μm. Importantly, with optimized dielectric coating for air-stability during microfabrication, flexible BP RF transistors afforded intrinsic maximum oscillation frequency fMAX ∼ 14.5 GHz and unity current gain cutoff frequency fT ∼ 17.5 GHz at a channel length of 0.5 μm. Notably, the experimental fT achieved here is at least 45% higher than prior results on rigid substrate, which is attributed to the improved air-stability of fabricated BP devices. In addition, the high-frequency performance was investigated through mechanical bending test up to ∼1.5% tensile strain, which is ultimately limited by the inorganic dielectric film rather than the 2D material. Comparison of BP RF devices to other 2D semiconductors clearly indicates that BP offers the highest saturation velocity, an important metric for high-speed and RF flexible nanosystems.

Substrate dependent hierarchical structures of RF sputtered ZnS films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalana, S. R.; Mahadevan Pillai, V. P.

2018-05-01

RF magnetron sputtering technique was employed to fabricate ZnS nanostructures with special emphasis given to study the effect of substrates (quartz, glass and quartz substrate pre-coated with Au, Ag, Cu and Pt) on the structure, surface evolution and optical properties. Type of substrate has a significant influence on the crystalline phase, film morphology, thickness and surface roughness. The present study elucidates the suitability of quartz substrate for the deposition of stable and highly crystalline ZnS films. We found that the role of metal layer on quartz substrate is substantial in the preparation of hierarchical ZnS structures and these structures are of great importance due to its high specific area and potential applications in various fields. A mechanism for morphological evolution of ZnS structures is also presented based on the roughness of substrates and primary nonlocal effects in sputtering. Furthermore, the findings suggest that a controlled growth of hierarchical ZnS structures may be achieved with an ordinary RF sputtering technique by changing the substrate type.

On RF heating of inhomogeneous collisional plasma under ion-cyclotron resonance conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Timofeev, A. V., E-mail: Timofeev-AV@nrcki.ru

2015-11-15

During ion-cyclotron resonance (ICR) heating of plasma by the magnetic beach method, as well as in some other versions of ICR heating, it is necessary to excite Alfvén oscillations. In this case, it is difficult to avoid the phenomenon of the Alfvén resonance, in which Alfvén oscillations transform into lower hybrid oscillations. The latter efficiently interact with electrons, due to which most of the deposited RF energy is spent on electron (rather than ion) heating. The Alfvén resonance takes place due to plasma inhomogeneity across the external magnetic field. Therefore, it could be expected that variations in the plasma densitymore » profile would substantially affect the efficiency of the interaction of RF fields with charged particles. However, the results obtained for different plasma density profiles proved to be nearly the same. In the present work, a plasma is considered the parameters of which correspond to those planned in future ICR plasma heating experiments on the PS-1 facility at the Kurchatov Institute. When analyzing the interaction of RF fields with charged particles, both the collisionless resonance interaction and the interaction caused by Coulomb collisions are taken into account, because, in those experiments, the Coulomb collision frequency will be comparable with the frequency of the heating field. Antennas used for ICR heating excite RF oscillations with a wide spectrum of wavenumbers along the magnetic field. After averaging over the spectrum, the absorbed RF energy calculated with allowance for collisions turns out to be close to that absorbed in collisionless plasma, the energy fraction absorbed by electrons being substantially larger than that absorbed by ions.« less

DC and analog/RF performance optimisation of source pocket dual work function TFET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raad, Bhagwan Ram; Sharma, Dheeraj; Kondekar, Pravin; Nigam, Kaushal; Baronia, Sagar

2017-12-01

We investigate a systematic study of source pocket tunnel field-effect transistor (SP TFET) with dual work function of single gate material by using uniform and Gaussian doping profile in the drain region for ultra-low power high frequency high speed applications. For this, a n+ doped region is created near the source/channel junction to decrease the depletion width results in improvement of ON-state current. However, the dual work function of the double gate is used for enhancement of the device performance in terms of DC and analog/RF parameters. Further, to improve the high frequency performance of the device, Gaussian doping profile is considered in the drain region with different characteristic lengths which decreases the gate to drain capacitance and leads to drastic improvement in analog/RF figures of merit. Furthermore, the optimisation is performed with different concentrations for uniform and Gaussian drain doping profile and for various sectional length of lower work function of the gate electrode. Finally, the effect of temperature variation on the device performance is demonstrated.

Numerical characterization of the edge transport conditions and limiter fluxes of the HIDRA stellarator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcinko, Steven; Curreli, Davide

2018-02-01

The Hybrid Illinois Device for Research and Applications (HIDRA) is a new device for education and Plasma-Material Interaction research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In advance of its first operational campaign, EMC3-EIRENE simulations have been run on the device. EMC3-EIRENE has been modified to calculate a per-plasma-cell relaxed Bohm-like diffusivity simultaneously with the electron temperature at each iteration. In our characterization, the electron temperature, diffusivity, heat fluxes, and particle fluxes have been obtained for varying power levels on a HIDRA magnetic grid, and scaling laws have been extracted, using constraints from previous experimental data taken when the device was operated in Germany (WEGA facility). Peak electron temperatures and heat fluxes were seen to follow a power-law dependence on the deposited radiofrequency (RF) power of type f (PR F)∝a PRF b , with typical exponents in the range of b ˜0.55 to 0.60. Higher magnetic fields have the tendency to linearize the heat flux dependence on the RF power, with exponents in the range of b ˜ 0.75. Particle fluxes are seen to saturate first, and then slightly decline for RF powers above 120 kW in the low-field case and 180 kW in the high-field case.

Accelerating parallel transmit array B1 mapping in high field MRI with slice undersampling and interpolation by kriging.

PubMed

Ferrand, Guillaume; Luong, Michel; Cloos, Martijn A; Amadon, Alexis; Wackernagel, Hans

2014-08-01

Transmit arrays have been developed to mitigate the RF field inhomogeneity commonly observed in high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), typically above 3T. To this end, the knowledge of the RF complex-valued B1 transmit-sensitivities of each independent radiating element has become essential. This paper details a method to speed up a currently available B1-calibration method. The principle relies on slice undersampling, slice and channel interleaving and kriging, an interpolation method developed in geostatistics and applicable in many domains. It has been demonstrated that, under certain conditions, kriging gives the best estimator of a field in a region of interest. The resulting accelerated sequence allows mapping a complete set of eight volumetric field maps of the human head in about 1 min. For validation, the accuracy of kriging is first evaluated against a well-known interpolation technique based on Fourier transform as well as to a B1-maps interpolation method presented in the literature. This analysis is carried out on simulated and decimated experimental B1 maps. Finally, the accelerated sequence is compared to the standard sequence on a phantom and a volunteer. The new sequence provides B1 maps three times faster with a loss of accuracy limited potentially to about 5%.

Numerical Study of HHFW Heating in FRC Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceccherini, Francesco; Galeotti, Laura; Brambilla, Marco; Dettrick, Sean; Yang, Xiaokang; TAE Team

2017-10-01

The TriAlpha Energy (TAE) code RF-Pisa is a Finite Larmor Radius (FLR) full wave code developed over the years to study RF heating in the Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) in both the ion and electron cyclotron regimes. The FLR approximation is perfectly adequate to address RF propagation and absorption at the fundamental and second harmonic frequencies (as in the minority heating scheme), but it is not able to describe higher order processes such as high-harmonic fast waves (HHFW). The latter ones have frequencies lying between the ion cyclotron and lower hybrid resonances and they may represent a viable path to develop an efficient method to deposit energy inside the FRC separatrix, as suggested by recent results obtained at NSTX. A significant upgrade of RF-Pisa to include HHFW has been undertaken. In particular, the so-called ``quasi local approximation'' originally proposed for toroidal geometries has been re-derived for the cylindrical geometry and a new HHFW version of RF-Pisa concurrent to the FLR version has been developed. Here we present the first results of the application of the new code to FRC equilibria and we discuss the features of the dispersion relations and the absorption processes which characterize this novel regime.

8.0-Tesla human MR system: temperature changes associated with radiofrequency-induced heating of a head phantom.

PubMed

Kangarlu, Allahyar; Shellock, Frank G; Chakeres, Donald W

2003-02-01

To investigate if the heat induced in biological tissues by typical radio frequency (RF) energy associated with an 8.0-Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) system causes excessive temperature changes. Fluoroptic thermometry was used to measure temperatures in multiple positions in a head phantom made of ground turkey breast. A series of experiments were conducted with measurements obtained at RF power levels ranging from a specific absorption rate (SAR) of up to 4.0 W/kg for 10 minutes. The highest temperature increases were up to 0.7 degrees C. An inhomogeneous heating pattern was observed. In general, the deep regions within the phantom registered higher temperature increases compared to the peripheral sites. The expectation of an inhomogeneous RF distribution in ultra high field systems (> 4 T) was confirmed. At a frequency of 340 MHz and in-tissue RF wave length of about 10 cm, the RF inhomogeneity was measured to create higher temperatures in deeper regions of a human head phantom compared to peripheral tissues. Our results agree with the computational electromagnetic calculations for such frequencies. Importantly, these experiments indicated that there were no regions of heating that exceeded the current FDA guidelines. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

An optically coupled system for quantitative monitoring of MRI-induced RF currents into long conductors.

PubMed

Zanchi, Marta G; Venook, Ross; Pauly, John M; Scott, Greig C

2010-01-01

The currents induced in long conductors such as guidewires by the radio-frequency (RF) field in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are responsible for potentially dangerous heating of surrounding media, such as tissue. This paper presents an optically coupled system with the potential to quantitatively measure the RF currents induced on these conductors. The system uses a self shielded toroid transducer and active circuitry to modulate a high speed light-emitting-diode transmitter. Plastic fiber guides the light to a photodiode receiver and transimpedance amplifier. System validation included a series of experiments with bare wires that compared wire tip heating by fluoroptic thermometers with the RF current sensor response. Validations were performed on a custom whole body 64 MHz birdcage test platform and on a 1.5 T MRI scanner. With this system, a variety of phenomena were demonstrated including cable trap current attenuation, lossy dielectric Q-spoiling and even transverse electromagnetic wave node patterns. This system should find applications in studies of MRI RF safety for interventional devices such as pacemaker leads, and guidewires. In particular, variations of this device could potentially act as a realtime safety monitor during MRI guided interventions.

"Cooking the sample": radiofrequency induced heating during solid-state NMR experiments.

PubMed

d'Espinose de Lacaillerie, Jean-Baptiste; Jarry, Benjamin; Pascui, Ovidiu; Reichert, Detlef

2005-09-01

Dissipation of radiofrequency (RF) energy as heat during continuous wave decoupling in solid-state NMR experiment was examined outside the conventional realm of such phenomena. A significant temperature increase could occur while performing dynamic NMR measurements provided the sample contains polar molecules and the sequence calls for relatively long applications of RF power. It was shown that the methyl flip motion in dimethylsulfone (DMS) is activated by the decoupling RF energy conversion to heat during a CODEX pulse sequence. This introduced a significant bias in the correlation time-temperature dependency measurement used to obtain the activation energy of the motion. By investigating the dependency of the temperature increase in hydrated lead nitrate on experimental parameters during high-power decoupling one-pulse experiments, the mechanisms for the RF energy deposition was identified. The samples were heated due to dissipation of the energy absorbed by dielectric losses, a phenomenon commonly known as "microwave" heating. It was thus established that during solid-state NMR experiments at moderate B0 fields, RF heating could lead to the heating of samples containing polar molecules such as hydrated polymers and inorganic solids. In particular, this could result in systematic errors for slow dynamics measurements by solid-state NMR.

Theory and simulations of radiation friction induced enhancement of laser-driven longitudinal fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelfer, E. G.; Fedotov, A. M.; Weber, S.

2018-06-01

We consider the generation of a quasistatic longitudinal electric field by intense laser pulses propagating in a transparent plasma with radiation friction (RF) taken into account. For both circular and linear polarization of the driving pulse we develop a 1D analytical model of the process, which is valid in a wide range of laser and plasma parameters. We define the parameter region where RF results in an essential enhancement of the longitudinal field. The amplitude and the period of the generated longitudinal wave are estimated and optimized. Our theoretical predictions are confirmed by 1D and 2D PIC simulations. We also demonstrate numerically that RF should substantially enhance the longitudinal field generated in a plasma by a 10 PW laser such as ELI Beamlines.

Bioengineered riboflavin in nanotechnology.

PubMed

Beztsinna, N; Solé, M; Taib, N; Bestel, I

2016-02-01

Riboflavin (RF) is an essential water-soluble vitamin with unique biological and physicochemical properties such as transporterspecific cell internalization, implication in redox reactions, fluorescence and photosensitizing. Due to these features RF attracted researchers in various fields from targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering to optoelectronics and biosensors. In this review we will give a brief reminder of RF chemistry, its optical, photosensitizing properties, RF transporter systems and its role in pathologies. We will point a special attention on the recent findings concerning RF applications in nanotechnologies such as RF functionalized nanoparticles, polymers, biomolecules, carbon nanotubes, hydrogels and implants for tissue engineering. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The design of a simulated in-line side-coupled 6 MV linear accelerator waveguide.

PubMed

St Aubin, Joel; Steciw, Stephen; Fallone, B G

2010-02-01

The design of a 3D in-line side-coupled 6 MV linac waveguide for medical use is given, and the effect of the side-coupling and port irises on the radio frequency (RF), beam dynamics, and dosimetric solutions is examined. This work was motivated by our research on a linac-MR hybrid system, where accurate electron trajectory information for a clinical medical waveguide in the presence of an external magnetic field was needed. For this work, the design of the linac waveguide was generated using the finite element method. The design outlined here incorporates the necessary geometric changes needed to incorporate a full-end accelerating cavity with a single-coupling iris, a waveguide-cavity coupling port iris that allows power transfer into the waveguide from the magnetron, as well as a method to control the RF field magnitude within the first half accelerating cavity into which the electrons from the gun are injected. With the full waveguide designed to resonate at 2998.5 +/- 0.1 MHz, a full 3D RF field solution was obtained. The accuracy of the 3D RF field solution was estimated through a comparison of important linac parameters (Q factor, shunt impedance, transit time factor, and resonant frequency) calculated for one accelerating cavity with the benchmarked program SUPERFISH. It was found that the maximum difference between the 3D solution and SUPERFISH was less than 0.03%. The eigenvalue solver, which determines the resonant frequencies of the 3D side-coupled waveguide simulation, was shown to be highly accurate through a comparison with lumped circuit theory. Two different waveguide geometries were examined, one incorporating a 0.5 mm first side cavity shift and another with a 1.5 mm first side cavity shift. The asymmetrically placed side-coupling irises and the port iris for both models were shown to introduce asymmetries in the RF field large enough to cause a peak shift and skewing (center of gravity minus peak shift) of an initially cylindrically uniform electron beam accelerating within the waveguide. The shifting and skewing of the electron beam were found to be greatest due to the effects of the side-coupling irises on the RF field. A further Monte Carlo study showed that this effect translated into a 1% asymmetry in a 40 x 40 cm2 field dose profile. A full 3D design for an in-line side-coupled 6 MV linear accelerator that emulates a common commercial waveguide has been given. The effect of the side coupling on the dose distribution has been shown to create a slight asymmetry, but overall does not affect the clinical applicability of the linac. The 3D in-line side-coupled linac model further provides a tool for the investigation of linac performance within an external magnetic field, which exists in an integrated linac-MR system.

Radiofrequency penetration and absorption in the human body: limitations to high-field whole-body nuclear magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Röschmann, P

1987-01-01

This study presents experimental results about the effective depth of penetration and about the radiofrequency (rf) power absorption in humans as a function of frequency. The frequency range investigated covers 10 up to 220 MHz. For the main part, the results were derived from bench measurements of the quality factor Q, and of the resonance frequency shift due to the loading of the coil. Different types of head-, body-, and surface coils were investigated loaded with volunteers or metallic phantoms. For spin-echo imaging at 2 T (85 MHz), the local specific absorption rate (SAR) was found to be approximately equal to 0.05 W/kg using a pi pulse of 1-ms duration and pulse repetition time TR = 1 s. Measurements of the quality factor Q as a function of frequency show that the SAR depends upon the frequency f according to approximately f2.15. The effective depth of rf penetration as derived drops from 17 cm at 85 MHz to 7 cm at 220 MHz. Head imaging with B1 penetrating from practically all sides into the object should be possible up to 220 MHz (5 T) with SAR values staying within the local limit of 2 W/kg as set by the FDA. Whole-body imaging of large subjects as well as surface coil imaging is depth limited above 100-MHz frequency. Perturbation methods are applied in order to separate the total rf power deposition in the patient into dielectric and magnetic contributions. The observed effects due to interactions of rf magnetic fields with biological tissue contradict predictions based on homogeneous tissue models. A refined tissue model with regions of high electrical conductivity, subdivided by quasi-insulating adipose layers, provides a rationale for a better understanding of the underlying processes. At frequencies below 100 MHz, the rf power deposition in patients is apparently more evenly distributed over the exposed body volume than currently assumed.

Enhancement of axial momentum lost to the radial wall by the upstream magnetic field in a helicon source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kazunori; Ando, Akira

2017-05-01

Individual measurements of forces exerted to an upstream back wall, a radial source wall, and a magnetic field of a helicon plasma thruster, which has two solenoids upstream and downstream of a radiofrequency antenna, are precisely measured. Two different structures of magnetic field lines in the source are tested, where the solenoid current is supplied to either only the downstream solenoid or to both the solenoids. It is observed that the high density plasma exists upstream of the rf antenna when both the solenoids are powered, while the maximum density exists near the rf antenna when only the downstream solenoid is powered. Although the force exerted to the back wall is increased for the two solenoids case, the axial momentum lost to the radial wall is simultaneously enhanced; then the total force exerted to the whole structure of the thruster is found to be very similar for the two magnetic field configurations. It is shown that the individual force measurement provides useful information on the plasma momentum interacting with the physical boundaries and the magnetic fields.

Investigation of Parallel Radiofrequency Transmission for the Reduction of Heating in Long Conductive Leads in 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PubMed Central

McElcheran, Clare E.; Yang, Benson; Anderson, Kevan J. T.; Golenstani-Rad, Laleh; Graham, Simon J.

2015-01-01

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is increasingly used to treat a variety of brain diseases by sending electrical impulses to deep brain nuclei through long, electrically conductive leads. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients pre- and post-implantation is desirable to target and position the implant, to evaluate possible side-effects and to examine DBS patients who have other health conditions. Although MRI is the preferred modality for pre-operative planning, MRI post-implantation is limited due to the risk of high local power deposition, and therefore tissue heating, at the tip of the lead. The localized power deposition arises from currents induced in the leads caused by coupling with the radiofrequency (RF) transmission field during imaging. In the present work, parallel RF transmission (pTx) is used to tailor the RF electric field to suppress coupling effects. Electromagnetic simulations were performed for three pTx coil configurations with 2, 4, and 8-elements, respectively. Optimal input voltages to minimize coupling, while maintaining RF magnetic field homogeneity, were determined for all configurations using a Nelder-Mead optimization algorithm. Resulting electric and magnetic fields were compared to that of a 16-rung birdcage coil. Experimental validation was performed with a custom-built 4-element pTx coil. In simulation, 95-99% reduction of the electric field at the tip of the lead was observed between the various pTx coil configurations and the birdcage coil. Maximal reduction in E-field was obtained with the 8-element pTx coil. Magnetic field homogeneity was comparable to the birdcage coil for the 4- and 8-element pTx configurations. In experiment, a temperature increase of 2±0.15°C was observed at the tip of the wire using the birdcage coil, whereas negligible increase (0.2±0.15°C) was observed with the optimized pTx system. Although further research is required, these initial results suggest that the concept of optimizing pTx to reduce DBS heating effects holds considerable promise. PMID:26237218

Investigation of Parallel Radiofrequency Transmission for the Reduction of Heating in Long Conductive Leads in 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

PubMed

McElcheran, Clare E; Yang, Benson; Anderson, Kevan J T; Golenstani-Rad, Laleh; Graham, Simon J

2015-01-01

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is increasingly used to treat a variety of brain diseases by sending electrical impulses to deep brain nuclei through long, electrically conductive leads. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients pre- and post-implantation is desirable to target and position the implant, to evaluate possible side-effects and to examine DBS patients who have other health conditions. Although MRI is the preferred modality for pre-operative planning, MRI post-implantation is limited due to the risk of high local power deposition, and therefore tissue heating, at the tip of the lead. The localized power deposition arises from currents induced in the leads caused by coupling with the radiofrequency (RF) transmission field during imaging. In the present work, parallel RF transmission (pTx) is used to tailor the RF electric field to suppress coupling effects. Electromagnetic simulations were performed for three pTx coil configurations with 2, 4, and 8-elements, respectively. Optimal input voltages to minimize coupling, while maintaining RF magnetic field homogeneity, were determined for all configurations using a Nelder-Mead optimization algorithm. Resulting electric and magnetic fields were compared to that of a 16-rung birdcage coil. Experimental validation was performed with a custom-built 4-element pTx coil. In simulation, 95-99% reduction of the electric field at the tip of the lead was observed between the various pTx coil configurations and the birdcage coil. Maximal reduction in E-field was obtained with the 8-element pTx coil. Magnetic field homogeneity was comparable to the birdcage coil for the 4- and 8-element pTx configurations. In experiment, a temperature increase of 2±0.15°C was observed at the tip of the wire using the birdcage coil, whereas negligible increase (0.2±0.15°C) was observed with the optimized pTx system. Although further research is required, these initial results suggest that the concept of optimizing pTx to reduce DBS heating effects holds considerable promise.

HIGH FIELD Q-SLOPE AND THE BAKING EFFECT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ciovati, Gianluigi

The performance of SRF cavities made of bulk Nb at high fields (peak surface magnetic field greater than about 90 mT) is characterized by exponentially increasing RF losses (high-field Q-slope), in the absence of field emission, which are often mitigated by a low temperature (100-140 °C, 12-48h) baking. In this contribution, recent experimental results and phenomenological models to explain this effect will be briefly reviewed. New experimental results on the high-field Q-slope will be presented for cavities that had been heat treated at high temperature in the presence of a small partial pressure of nitrogen. Improvement of the cavity performancesmore » have been obtained, while surface analysis measurements on Nb samples treated with the cavities revealed significantly lower hydrogen concentration than for samples that followed standard cavity treatments.« less

Evaluation of six pesticides leaching indexes using field data of herbicide application in Casablanca Valley, Chile.

PubMed

Kogan, M; Rojas, S; Gómez, P; Suárez, F; Muñoz, J F; Alister, C

2007-01-01

A field study was performed to evaluate the accuracy of six pesticide screening leaching indexes for herbicide movement. Adsorption, dissipation and soil movement were studied in a vineyard in a sandy loam soil during 2005 season. Simazine, diuron, pendimethalin, oxyfluorfen and flumioxazin were applied to bare soil at rates commonly used, and their soil concentrations throughout soil profile were determined at 0, 10, 20, 40 and 90 days after application (DAA). Herbicides were subjected to two pluviometric regimens, natural field condition and modified conditions (plus natural rainfall 180 mm). Leaching indexes utilized were: Briggs's Rf, Hamaker's Rf, LEACH, LPI, GUS and LIX. Simazine reached 120 cm, diuron 90 cm, flumioxazin 30 cm soil depth respectively. Pendimethalin and oxyfluorfen were retained up to 5 cm. None of the herbicides leaching was affected by rainfall regimen. Only flumioxazin field dissipation was clearly affected by pluviometric condition. The best representation of the herbicide soil depth movement and leaching below 15 cm soil depth were: Hamaker's Rf < Briggs's Rf < GUS < LPI, < LEACH < LIX. Field results showed a good correlation between herbicides K(d) and their soil depth movement and mass leached below 15 cm soil depth.

Development of FullWave : Hot Plasma RF Simulation Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svidzinski, Vladimir; Kim, Jin-Soo; Spencer, J. Andrew; Zhao, Liangji; Galkin, Sergei

2017-10-01

Full wave simulation tool, modeling RF fields in hot inhomogeneous magnetized plasma, is being developed. The wave equations with linearized hot plasma dielectric response are solved in configuration space on adaptive cloud of computational points. The nonlocal hot plasma dielectric response is formulated in configuration space without limiting approximations by calculating the plasma conductivity kernel based on the solution of the linearized Vlasov equation in inhomogeneous magnetic field. This approach allows for better resolution of plasma resonances, antenna structures and complex boundaries. The formulation of FullWave and preliminary results will be presented: construction of the finite differences for approximation of derivatives on adaptive cloud of computational points; model and results of nonlocal conductivity kernel calculation in tokamak geometry; results of 2-D full wave simulations in the cold plasma model in tokamak geometry using the formulated approach; results of self-consistent calculations of hot plasma dielectric response and RF fields in 1-D mirror magnetic field; preliminary results of self-consistent simulations of 2-D RF fields in tokamak using the calculated hot plasma conductivity kernel; development of iterative solver for wave equations. Work is supported by the U.S. DOE SBIR program.

Exhaust Plume Measurements of the VASIMR VX-200

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longmier, Benjamin; Bering, Edgar, III; Squire, Jared; Glover, Tim; Chang-Diaz, Franklin; Brukardt, Michael

2008-11-01

Recent progress is discussed in the development of an advanced RF electric propulsion concept: the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) VX-200 engine, a 200 kW flight-technology prototype. Results from high power Helicon only and Helicon with ICRH experiments are performed on the VX-200 using argon plasma. Recent measurements of axial plasma density and potential profiles, magnetic field-line shaping, charge exchange, and force measurements taken in the plume of the VX-200 exhaust are made within a new 125 cubic meter cryo-pumped vacuum chamber and are presented in the context of RF plasma thruster physics.

Radio Frequency Magneto-Optical Trapping of CaF with High Density.

PubMed

Anderegg, Loïc; Augenbraun, Benjamin L; Chae, Eunmi; Hemmerling, Boerge; Hutzler, Nicholas R; Ravi, Aakash; Collopy, Alejandra; Ye, Jun; Ketterle, Wolfgang; Doyle, John M

2017-09-08

We demonstrate significantly improved magneto-optical trapping of molecules using a very slow cryogenic beam source and either rf modulated or dc magnetic fields. The rf magneto-optical trap (MOT) confines 1.0(3)×10^{5} CaF molecules at a density of 7(3)×10^{6}  cm^{-3}, which is an order of magnitude greater than previous molecular MOTs. Near Doppler-limited temperatures of 340(20)  μK are attained. The achieved density enables future work to directly load optical tweezers and create optical arrays for quantum simulation.

Wireless implantable chip with integrated nitinol-based pump for radio-controlled local drug delivery.

PubMed

Fong, Jeffrey; Xiao, Zhiming; Takahata, Kenichi

2015-02-21

We demonstrate an active, implantable drug delivery device embedded with a microfluidic pump that is driven by a radio-controlled actuator for temporal drug delivery. The polyimide-packaged 10 × 10 × 2 mm(3) chip contains a micromachined pump chamber and check valves of Parylene C to force the release of the drug from a 76 μL reservoir by wirelessly activating the actuator using external radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. The rectangular-shaped spiral-coil actuator based on nitinol, a biocompatible shape-memory alloy, is developed to perform cantilever-like actuation for pumping operation. The nitinol-coil actuator itself forms a passive 185 MHz resonant circuit that serves as a self-heat source activated via RF power transfer to enable frequency-selective actuation and pumping. Experimental wireless operation of fabricated prototypes shows successful release of test agents from the devices placed in liquid and excited by radiating tuned RF fields with an output power of 1.1 W. These tests reveal a single release volume of 219 nL, suggesting a device's capacity of ~350 individual ejections of drug from its reservoir. The thermal behavior of the activated device is also reported in detail. This proof-of-concept prototype validates the effectiveness of wireless RF pumping for fully controlled, long-lasting drug delivery, a key step towards enabling patient-tailored, targeted local drug delivery through highly miniaturized implants.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) of metal cracks using a high Tc rf-SQUID and eddy current method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, D.F.; Fan, C.; Ruan, J.Z.

1994-12-31

A SQUID is the most sensitive device to detect change in magnetic field. A non-destructive testing (NDT) device using high temperature SQUIDs and eddy current method will be much more sensitive than those currently used eddy current systems, yet much cheaper than one with low temperature SQUIDs. In this paper, we present our study of such a NDT device using a high temperature superconducting rf-SQUID as a gradiometer sensor. The result clearly demonstrates the expected sensitivity of the system, and indicates the feasibility of building a portable HTS SQUID NDT device with the help from cryocooler industry. Such a NDTmore » device will have a significant impact on metal corrosion or crack detection technology.« less

POWER DENSITY, FIELD INTENSITY, AND CARRIER FREQUENCY DETERMINANTS OF RF-ENERGY-INDUCED CALCIUM-ION EFFLUX FROM BRAIN TISSUE

EPA Science Inventory

To explain a carrier frequency dependence reported for radiofrequency (RF)-induced calcium-ion efflux from brain tissue, a chick-brain hemisphere bathed in buffer solution is modeled as a sphere within the uniform field of the incident electromagnetic wave. Calculations on a sphe...

RF power absorption by plasma of low pressure low power inductive discharge located in the external magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kralkina, E. A.; Rukhadze, A. A.; Nekliudova, P. A.; Pavlov, V. B.; Petrov, A. K.; Vavilin, K. V.

2018-03-01

Present paper is aimed to reveal experimentally and theoretically the influence of magnetic field strength, antenna shape, pressure, operating frequency and geometrical size of plasma sources on the ability of plasma to absorb the RF power characterized by the equivalent plasma resistance for the case of low pressure RF inductive discharge located in the external magnetic field. The distinguishing feature of the present paper is the consideration of the antennas that generate not only current but charge on the external surface of plasma sources. It is shown that in the limited plasma source two linked waves can be excited. In case of antennas generating only azimuthal current the waves can be attributed as helicon and TG waves. In the case of an antenna with the longitudinal current there is a surface charge on the side surface of the plasma source, which gives rise to a significant increase of the longitudinal and radial components of the RF electric field as compared with the case of the azimuthal antenna current.

Shielded microstrip array for 7T human MR imaging.

PubMed

Wu, Bing; Wang, Chunsheng; Kelley, Douglas A C; Xu, Duan; Vigneron, Daniel B; Nelson, Sarah J; Zhang, Xiaoliang

2010-01-01

The high-frequency transceiver array based on the microstrip transmission line design is a promising technique for ultrahigh field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal excitation and reception. However, with the increase of radio-frequency (RF) channels, the size of the ground plane in each microstrip coil element is usually not sufficient to provide a perfect ground. Consequently, the transceiver array may suffer from cable resonance, lower Q-factors, and imaging quality degradations. In this paper, we present an approach to improving the performance of microstrip transceiver arrays by introducing RF shielding outside the microstrip array and the feeding coaxial cables. This improvement reduced interactions among cables, increased resonance stability, and Q-factors, and thus improved imaging quality. An experimental method was also introduced and utilized for quantitative measurement and evaluation of RF coil resonance stability or "cable resonance" behavior.

Shielded Microstrip Array for 7T Human MR Imaging

PubMed Central

Wu, Bing; Wang, Chunsheng; Kelley, Douglas A. C.; Xu, Duan; Vigneron, Daniel B.; Nelson, Sarah J.

2010-01-01

The high-frequency transceiver array based on the microstrip transmission line design is a promising technique for ultrahigh field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal excitation and reception. However, with the increase of radio-frequency (RF) channels, the size of the ground plane in each microstrip coil element is usually not sufficient to provide a perfect ground. Consequently, the transceiver array may suffer from cable resonance, lower Q-factors, and imaging quality degradations. In this paper, we present an approach to improving the performance of microstrip transceiver arrays by introducing RF shielding outside the microstrip array and the feeding coaxial cables. This improvement reduced interactions among cables, increased resonance stability, and Q-factors, and thus improved imaging quality. An experimental method was also introduced and utilized for quantitative measurement and evaluation of RF coil resonance stability or “cable resonance” behavior. PMID:19822470

Improved operation of the nonambipolar electron source.

PubMed

Longmier, Ben; Hershkowitz, Noah

2008-09-01

Significant improvements have been made to the nonambipolar electron source (NES), a radio frequency (rf) plasma-based electron source that does not rely on electron emission at a cathode surface [B. Longmier, S. Baalrud, and N. Hershkowitz, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 77, 113504 (2006)]. A prototype NES has produced 30 A of continuous electron current, using 2 SCCM (SCCM denotes cubic centimeter per minute at STP) Xe, 1300 W rf power at 13.56 MHz, yielding a 180 times gas utilization factor. A helicon mode transition has also been identified during NES operation with an argon propellant, using 15 SCCM Ar, 1000 W rf, and 100 G magnetic field. This NES technology has the ability to replace hollow cathode electron sources and to enable high power electric propulsion missions, eliminating one of the lifetime restrictions that many ion thrusters have previously been faced with.

An algorithm for the design and tuning of RF accelerating structures with variable cell lengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lal, Shankar; Pant, K. K.

2018-05-01

An algorithm is proposed for the design of a π mode standing wave buncher structure with variable cell lengths. It employs a two-parameter, multi-step approach for the design of the structure with desired resonant frequency and field flatness. The algorithm, along with analytical scaling laws for the design of the RF power coupling slot, makes it possible to accurately design the structure employing a freely available electromagnetic code like SUPERFISH. To compensate for machining errors, a tuning method has been devised to achieve desired RF parameters for the structure, which has been qualified by the successful tuning of a 7-cell buncher to π mode frequency of 2856 MHz with field flatness <3% and RF coupling coefficient close to unity. The proposed design algorithm and tuning method have demonstrated the feasibility of developing an S-band accelerating structure for desired RF parameters with a relatively relaxed machining tolerance of ∼ 25 μm. This paper discusses the algorithm for the design and tuning of an RF accelerating structure with variable cell lengths.

Analytical and numerical study of New field emitter processing for superconducting cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, Vladimir; Petrov, Victor

2018-02-01

In this article a scientific prove for a new technology to maximize the accelerating gradient in superconducting cavities by processing on higher order mode frequencies is presented. As dominant energy source the heating of field emitters by an induced rf current (rf-heating) is considered. The field emitter structure is assumed to be a chain of conductive particles, which are formed by attractive forces.

Superconducting surface impedance under radiofrequency field

DOE PAGES

Xiao, Binping P.; Reece, Charles E.; Kelley, Michael J.

2013-04-26

Based on BCS theory with moving Cooper pairs, the electron states distribution at 0K and the probability of electron occupation with finite temperature have been derived and applied to anomalous skin effect theory to obtain the surface impedance of a superconductor under radiofrequency (RF) field. We present the numerical results for Nb and compare these with representative RF field-dependent effective surface resistance measurements from a 1.5 GHz resonant structure.

Spin Biochemistry Modulates Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Production by Radio Frequency Magnetic Fields

PubMed Central

Usselman, Robert J.; Hill, Iain; Singel, David J.; Martino, Carlos F.

2014-01-01

The effects of weak magnetic fields on the biological production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from intracellular superoxide (O2 •−) and extracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were investigated in vitro with rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (rPASMC). A decrease in O2 •− and an increase in H2O2 concentrations were observed in the presence of a 7 MHz radio frequency (RF) at 10 μTRMS and static 45 μT magnetic fields. We propose that O2 •− and H2O2 production in some metabolic processes occur through singlet-triplet modulation of semiquinone flavin (FADH•) enzymes and O2 •− spin-correlated radical pairs. Spin-radical pair products are modulated by the 7 MHz RF magnetic fields that presumably decouple flavin hyperfine interactions during spin coherence. RF flavin hyperfine decoupling results in an increase of H2O2 singlet state products, which creates cellular oxidative stress and acts as a secondary messenger that affects cellular proliferation. This study demonstrates the interplay between O2 •− and H2O2 production when influenced by RF magnetic fields and underscores the subtle effects of low-frequency magnetic fields on oxidative metabolism, ROS signaling, and cellular growth. PMID:24681944

An RF phased array applicator designed for hyperthermia breast cancer treatments

PubMed Central

Wu, Liyong; McGough, Robert J; Arabe, Omar Ali; Samulski, Thaddeus V

2007-01-01

An RF phased array applicator has been constructed for hyperthermia treatments in the intact breast. This RF phased array consists of four antennas mounted on a Lexan water tank, and geometric focusing is employed so that each antenna points in the direction of the intended target. The operating frequency for this phased array is 140 MHz. The RF array has been characterized both by electric field measurements in a water tank and by electric field simulations using the finite-element method. The finite-element simulations are performed with HFSS software, where the mesh defined for finite-element calculations includes the geometry of the tank enclosure and four end-loaded dipole antennas. The material properties of the water tank enclosure and the antennas are also included in each simulation. The results of the finite-element simulations are compared to the measured values for this configuration, and the results, which include the effects of amplitude shading and phase shifting, show that the electric field predicted by finite-element simulations is similar to the measured field. Simulations also show that the contributions from standing waves are significant, which is consistent with measurement results. Simulated electric field and bio-heat transfer results are also computed within a simple 3D breast model. Temperature simulations show that, although peak temperatures are generated outside the simulated tumour target, this RF phased array applicator is an effective device for regional hyperthermia in the intact breast. PMID:16357427

Recirculating planar magnetrons: simulations and experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Franzi, Matthew; Gilgenbach, Ronald; French, David

2011-07-01

The Recirculating Planar Magnetron (RPM) is a novel crossed-field device whose geometry is expected to reduce thermal load, enhance current yield as well as ease the geometric limitations in scaling to high RF frequencies as compared to the conventional cylindrical magnetrons. The RPM has two different adaptations: A. Axial B field and radial E field; B. Radial B field and axial E field. The preliminary configuration (A) to be used in experiments at the University of Michigan consists of two parallel planar sections which join on either end by cylindrical regions to form a concentric extruded ellipse. Similar to conventionalmore » magnetrons, a voltage across the AK gap in conjunction with an axial magnetic field provides the electrons with an ExB drift. The device is named RPM because the drifting electrons recirculate from one planar region to the other. The drifting electrons interact with the resonantly tuned slow wave structure on the anode causing spoke formation. These electron spokes drive a RF electric field in the cavities from which RF power may be extracted to Waveguides. The RPM may be designed in either a conventional configuration with the anode on the outside, for simplified extraction, or as an inverted magnetron with the anode at the inner conductor, for fast start-up. Currently, experiments at the Pulsed Power and Microwave Laboratory at the University of Michigan are in the setup and design phase. A conventional RPM with planar cavities is to be installed on the Michigan Electron Long Beam Accelerator (MELBA) and is anticipated to operate at -200kV, 0.2T with a beam current of 1-10 kA at 1GHz. The conventional RPM consists of 12 identical planar cavities, 6 on each planar side, with simulated quality factor of 20.« less

An RF dosimeter for independent SAR measurement in MRI scanners

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qian, Di; Bottomley, Paul A.; El-Sharkawy, AbdEl-Monem M.

2013-12-15

Purpose: The monitoring and management of radio frequency (RF) exposure is critical for ensuring magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) safety. Commercial MRI scanners can overestimate specific absorption rates (SAR) and improperly restrict clinical MRI scans or the application of new MRI sequences, while underestimation of SAR can lead to tissue heating and thermal injury. Accurate scanner-independent RF dosimetry is essential for measuring actual exposure when SAR is critical for ensuring regulatory compliance and MRI safety, for establishing RF exposure while evaluating interventional leads and devices, and for routine MRI quality assessment by medical physicists. However, at present there are no scanner-independentmore » SAR dosimeters. Methods: An SAR dosimeter with an RF transducer comprises two orthogonal, rectangular copper loops and a spherical MRI phantom. The transducer is placed in the magnet bore and calibrated to approximate the resistive loading of the scanner's whole-body birdcage RF coil for human subjects in Philips, GE and Siemens 3 tesla (3T) MRI scanners. The transducer loop reactances are adjusted to minimize interference with the transmit RF field (B{sub 1}) at the MRI frequency. Power from the RF transducer is sampled with a high dynamic range power monitor and recorded on a computer. The deposited power is calibrated and tested on eight different MRI scanners. Whole-body absorbed power vs weight and body mass index (BMI) is measured directly on 26 subjects. Results: A single linear calibration curve sufficed for RF dosimetry at 127.8 MHz on three different Philips and three GE 3T MRI scanners. An RF dosimeter operating at 123.2 MHz on two Siemens 3T scanners required a separate transducer and a slightly different calibration curve. Measurement accuracy was ∼3%. With the torso landmarked at the xiphoid, human adult whole‑body absorbed power varied approximately linearly with patient weight and BMI. This indicates that whole-body torso SAR is on average independent of the imaging subject, albeit with fluctuations. Conclusions: Our 3T RF dosimeter and transducers accurately measure RF exposure in body-equivalent loads and provide scanner-independent assessments of whole-body RF power deposition for establishing safety compliance useful for MRI sequence and device testing.« less

Parallel transmission RF pulse design with strict temperature constraints.

PubMed

Deniz, Cem M; Carluccio, Giuseppe; Collins, Christopher

2017-05-01

RF safety in parallel transmission (pTx) is generally ensured by imposing specific absorption rate (SAR) limits during pTx RF pulse design. There is increasing interest in using temperature to ensure safety in MRI. In this work, we present a local temperature correlation matrix formalism and apply it to impose strict constraints on maximum absolute temperature in pTx RF pulse design for head and hip regions. Electromagnetic field simulations were performed on the head and hip of virtual body models. Temperature correlation matrices were calculated for four different exposure durations ranging between 6 and 24 min using simulated fields and body-specific constants. Parallel transmission RF pulses were designed using either SAR or temperature constraints, and compared with each other and unconstrained RF pulse design in terms of excitation fidelity and safety. The use of temperature correlation matrices resulted in better excitation fidelity compared with the use of SAR in parallel transmission RF pulse design (for the 6 min exposure period, 8.8% versus 21.0% for the head and 28.0% versus 32.2% for the hip region). As RF exposure duration increases (from 6 min to 24 min), the benefit of using temperature correlation matrices on RF pulse design diminishes. However, the safety of the subject is always guaranteed (the maximum temperature was equal to 39°C). This trend was observed in both head and hip regions, where the perfusion rates are very different. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Radiofrequency exposure in the Neonatal Medium Care Unit.

PubMed

Calvente, I; Vázquez-Pérez, A; Fernández, M F; Núñez, M I; Múñoz-Hoyos, A

2017-01-01

The aims of this study were to characterize electromagnetic fields of radiofrequency (RF-EMF) levels generated in a Neonatal Medium Care Unit and to analyze RF-EMF levels inside unit's incubators. Spot and long-term measurements were made with a dosimeter. The spot measurement mean was 1.51±0.48V/m. Higher values were found in the proximity to the window and to the incubator evaluated. Mean field strength for the entire period of 17h was 0.81 (±0.07)V/m and the maximum value was 1.58V/m for long-term RF-EMF measurements in the incubator. Values found during the night period were higher than those found during the day period. It is important to consider RF-EMF exposure levels in neonatal care units, due to some evidence of adverse health effects found in children and adults. Characterization of RF-EMF exposure may be important to further investigate the mechanisms and underlying effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on infant health. A prudent avoidance strategy should be adopted because newborns are at a vulnerable stage of development and the actual impact of EMF on premature infants is unknown. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.