A high frequency boundary element method for scattering by convex polygons with impedance boundary conditions

We consider scattering of a time harmonic incident plane wave by a convex polygon with piecewise constant impedance boundary conditions. Standard finite or boundary element methods require the number of degrees of freedom to grow at least linearly with respect to the frequency of the incident wave in order to maintain accuracy. Extending earlier work by Chandler-Wilde and Langdon for the sound soft problem, we propose a novel Galerkin boundary element method, with the approximation space consisting of the products of plane waves with piecewise polynomials supported on a graded mesh with smaller elements closer to the corners of the polygon. Theoretical analysis and numerical results suggest that the number of degrees of freedom required to achieve a prescribed level of accuracy grows only logarithmically with respect to the frequency of the incident wave.

Stability results for the time-harmonic Maxwell equations with impedance boundary conditions

We consider the time-harmonic Maxwell equations with constant coefficients in a bounded, uniformly star-shaped polyhedron. We prove wavenumber-explicit norm bounds for weak solutions. This result is pivotal for convergence proofs in numerical analysis and may be a tool in the analysis of electromagnetic boundary integral operators.

Noise propagation from a cutting of arbitrary cross-section and impedance

A boundary integral equation is described for the prediction of acoustic propagation from a monofrequency coherent line source in a cutting with impedance boundary conditions onto surrounding flat impedance ground. The problem is stated as a boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation and is subsequently reformulated as a system of boundary integral equations via Green's theorem. It is shown that the integral equation formulation has a unique solution at all wavenumbers. The numerical solution of the coupled boundary integral equations by a simple boundary element method is then described. The convergence of the numerical scheme is demonstrated experimentally. Predictions of A-weighted excess attenuation for a traffic noise spectrum are made illustrating the effects of varying the depth of the cutting and the absorbency of the surrounding ground surface.

The impedance boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation in a half-plane

We prove unique existence of solution for the impedance (or third) boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation in a half-plane with arbitrary L∞ boundary data. This problem is of interest as a model of outdoor sound propagation over inhomogeneous flat terrain and as a model of rough surface scattering. To formulate the problem and prove uniqueness of solution we introduce a novel radiation condition, a generalization of that used in plane wave scattering by one-dimensional diffraction gratings. To prove existence of solution and a limiting absorption principle we first reformulate the problem as an equivalent second kind boundary integral equation to which we apply a form of Fredholm alternative, utilizing recent results on the solvability of integral equations on the real line in [5].

A uniformly valid far field asymptotic expansion of the green function for two-dimensional propagation above a homogeneous impedance plane

A generalized asymptotic expansion in the far field for the problem of cylindrical wave reflection at a homogeneous impedance plane is derived. The expansion is shown to be uniformly valid over all angles of incidence and values of surface impedance, including the limiting cases of zero and infinite impedance. The technique used is a rigorous application of the modified steepest descent method of Ot

Efficient calculation of the green function for acoustic propagation above a homogeneous impedance plane

This paper is concerned with the problem of propagation from a monofrequency coherent line source above a plane of homogeneous surface impedance. The solution of this problem occurs in the kernel of certain boundary integral equation formulations of acoustic propagation above an impedance boundary, and the discussion of the paper is motivated by this application. The paper starts by deriving representations, as Laplace-type integrals, of the solution and its first partial derivatives. The evaluation of these integral representations by Gauss-Laguerre quadrature is discussed, and theoretical bounds on the truncation error are obtained. Specific approximations are proposed which are shown to be accurate except in the very near field, for all angles of incidence and a wide range of values of surface impedance. The paper finishes with derivations of partial results and analogous Laplace-type integral representations for the case of a point source.

Ac and dc magnetotransport properties of the phase-separated La(0.6)Y(0.1)Ca(0.3)MnO(3) manganite

The physical properties of the La(0.6)Y(0.1)Ca(0.3)MnO(3) compound have been investigated, focusing on the magnetoresistance phenomenon studied by both dc and ac electrical transport measurements. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis of ceramic samples prepared by the sol-gel method revealed that specimens are single phase and have average grain size of similar to 0.5 mu m. Magnetization and 4-probe dc electrical resistivity rho(T,H) experiments showed that a ferromagnetic transition at T(C) similar to 170 K is closely related to a metal-insulator (MI) transition occurring at essentially the same temperature T(MI). The magnetoresistance effect was found to be more pronounced at low applied fields (H <= 2.5 T) and temperatures close to the MI transition. The ac electrical transport was investigated by impedance spectroscopy Z(f,T,H) under applied magnetic field H up to 1 T. The Z(f,T,H) data exhibited two well-defined relaxation processes that exhibit different behaviors depending on the temperature and applied magnetic field. Pronounced effects were observed close to T (C) and were associated with the coexistence of clusters with different electronic and magnetic properties. In addition, the appreciable decrease of the electrical permittivity epsilon`(T,H) is consistent with changes in the concentration of e(g) mobile holes, a feature much more pronounced close to T (C).

Dielectric and impedance properties of Nd3/2Bi3/2Fe5O12 ceramics

The polycrystalline sample of Nd3/2Bi3/2Fe5O12 was prepared by a high- temperature solid-state reaction technique. Preliminary X-ray structural analysis exhibits the formation of a single-phase tetragonal structure at room temperature. Microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy shows that the sintered sample has well defined grains. These grains are distributed uniformly throughout the surface of the sample. Detailed studies of dielectric response at various frequencies and temperatures exhibit a dielectric anomaly at 400 A degrees C. The electrical properties (impedance, modulus and conductivity) of the material were studied using a complex impedance spectroscopy technique. These studies reveal a significant contribution of grain and grain boundary effects in the material. The frequency dependent plots of modulus and the impedance loss show that the conductivity relaxation is of non-Debye type. Studies of electrical conductivity with temperature demonstrate that the compound exhibits Arrhenius-type of electrical conductivity. Study of ac conductivity with frequency suggests that the material obeys Jonscher's universal power law.

IMPEDANCE CHARACTERISTICS of La3/2Bi3/2Fe5O12 CERAMICS

Polycrystalline La3/2Bi3/2Fe5O12 (LBIO) compound was prepared by a high-temperature solid-state reaction technique. The complex impedance of LBIO was measured over a wide temperature (i.e., room temperature to 500 C) and frequencies (i.e., 10(2)-10(6) Hz) ranges. This study takes advantage of plotting ac data simultaneously in the form of impedance and modulus spectroscopic plots and obey non-Debye type of relaxation process. The Nyquist's plot showed the presence of grain effects in the material at high temperature. The ac conductivity spectrum was found to obey Jonscher's universal power law. The dc conductivity was found to increase with rise in temperature. The activation energy of the compound was found to be 0.24 and 0.51 eV in the low and high-temperature region, respectively, for conduction process.

Impedance spectroscopy analysis of SnO2 thick-films gas sensors

A careful analysis of the impedance response of SnO2 thick films under vacuum and air atmosphere is reported in the present work. The AC electrical resistance was analyzed and it was shown that it is highly frequency dependent. Different models and its equivalent circuit representation were proposed and carefully analyzed based on the microstructure features of the device. Basically, an interpretation of the frequency dependent resistance was proposed based on the fact that different grains characteristics and junctions exist. These different grains and junctions are the main source of resistance dependent feature. An equivalent circuit model, considering different grain sizes associated with different grain boundary junctions characteristics, was introduced so that a consistent interpretation of the results was possible.

ac conductivity and conduction mechanism of NaNbO3 semiconductor antiferroelectric ceramic: A relaxational approach at high temperature

The electric properties of the sodium niobate perovskite ceramic were investigated by impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 5 Hz to 13 MHz and from room temperature up to 1073 K, in a thermal cycle. Both capacitance and conductivity exhibit an anomaly at around 600 K as a function of the temperature and frequency. The electric conductivity as a function of angular frequency sigma(omega) follows the relation sigma(omega)=Aomega(s). The values of the exponent s lie in the range 0.15less than or equal tosless than or equal to0.44. These results were discussed considering the conduction mechanism as being a type of polaron hopping. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Rietveld refinement, microstructure, conductivity and impedance properties of Ba[Zr0.25Ti0.75]O-3 ceramic

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to characterize carbon steel in biodiesel medium

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements using two carbon steel electrodes in soybean biodiesel medium, produced by methylic route, were performed in an electrochemical cell that allows positioning the two electrodes face-to-face. To retain the biodiesel between the electrodes and prevent its leakage a porous membrane soaked in biodiesel was used. The amplitude of the AC potential and the area of the electrodes were varied. The linearity between disturbance and response signals was observed for tests when the amplitude of the AC potential was lower than 1500 mV (rms). The electrical resistance of biodiesel dominates the global response and carbon steel presents low corrosion, which is observed only at low frequency, and was confirmed by chemical tests performed in the membrane. In conclusion the electrical resistance of biodiesel can be estimated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with two electrodes set up. ©The Electrochemical Society.

Immobilization of cholesterol oxidase in LbL films and detection of cholesterol using ac measurements

The preserved activity of immobilized biomolecules in layer-by-layer (LbL) films can be exploited in various applications. including biosensing. In this study, cholesterol oxidase (COX) layers were alternated with layers of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) in LbL films whose morphology was investigated with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The adsorption kinetics of COX layers comprised two regimes, a fast, first-order kinetics process followed by a slow process fitted with a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) function. with exponent similar to 2 characteristic of aggregates growing as disks. The concept based on the use of sensor arrays to increase sensitivity, widely employed in electronic tongues, was extended to biosensing with impedance spectroscopy measurements. Using three sensing units, made of LbL films of PAH/COX and PAHIPVS (polyvinyl sulfonic acid) and a bare gold interdigitated electrode, we were able to detect cholesterol in aqueous solutions down to the 10(-6) M level. This high sensitivity is attributed to the molecular-recognition interaction between COX and cholesterol, and opens the way for clinical tests to be made with low cost. fast experimental procedures. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.

An Asymptotic Solution for Surface Fields on a Dielectric-Coated Circular Cylinder with an Effective Impedance Boundary Condition.

Reverberation chambers are well known for providing a random-like electric field distribution. Detection of directivity or gain thereof requires an adequate procedure and smart post-processing. In this paper, a new method is proposed for estimating the directivity of radiating devices in a reverberation chamber (RC). The method is based on the Rician K-factor whose estimation in an RC benefits from recent improvements. Directivity estimation relies on the accurate determination of the K-factor with respect to a reference antenna. Good agreement is reported with measurements carried out in near-field anechoic chamber (AC) and using a near-field to far-field transformation.