Efficient Numerical Analysis of a Periodic Structure of Multistate Unit Cells

Application of the synthetic function expansion (SFX) algorithm to the analysis of active 1- and 2D periodic structures is presented. The single unit cell consisting of a microstrip line loaded by patches positioned below the line is turned into an active structure by inserting a pair of 2 switches to the two ends of each patch; the states of the pair of switches are changed contemporaneously. Variation of the states of the switches modifies the current distribution on the structure. The tunable multistate unit cell is arranged in 24-, 120-, and 9 × 24 element configurations and numerically analyzed. The computational complexity required for the characterization of the large number of possible configurations is lightened by the use of the proposed numerical method

Darkening Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Constellations: A Review

The proliferation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and the LEO satellite internet will be a game-changer for the low-latency high-speed global internet. While this new generation of the satellite internet in conjunction with fifth generation network (5G) and sixth generation network (6G) enabled emerging technologies, such as precision farming and smart cities, it will bring new challenges, such as satellite collision, limited satellite lifespan, security concerns, and satellite brightness. This article discusses the satellite brightness caused by LEO constellations that potentially affect the ongoing astronomical studies. It reviews the underlying contributors to the satellite brightness as well as the state-of-the-art technologies proposed to mitigate this emerging challenge.This work was supported in part by Macquarie University; in part by the Australian Research Council Discovery Grants Scheme; and in part by the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Seed Grant

Guest Editorial Disruptive Beam-Steering Antenna Technologies for Emerging and Future Satellite Services

The papers in this special section focus on the state-of-the-art of applied and analytical research, including the latest technological advancements and the use of innovative materials and methods to disrupt the way beam-steering antennas are designed and to reveal novel approaches for the design and analysis of antennas for the next generation of satellite communication systems

Mutual Coupling Reduction Between Implanted Microstrip Antennas on a Cylindrical Bio-Metallic Ground Plane

The mutual coupling between two antennas within a human body model is studied. Our multilayer cylindrical body model includes highly lossy body tissues under which a biocompatible metal implant is inserted. This cylindrical bio-metal implant serves as the common ground plane for the conformal antennas. The mutual coupling between two such conformal microstrip antennas is studied and quantified for different spacing between them. Three methods are proposed to reduce mutual coupling between the two antennas. Each of them are investigated in details and their effectiveness is compared

IEEE Access Special Section Editorial: Bio-Compatible Devices and Bio-Electromagnetics for Bio-Medical Applications

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Stretchable and highly conductive carbon nanotube-graphene hybrid yarns for wearable systems

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as potential candidates for replacement of conventional metals due to their significant mechanical, electrical, thermal properties and non-oxidizing abilities [1, 2]. The density of CNT composites is about five times lower than copper and around half that of aluminium. Moreover, their thermal conductivity is about ten times that of copper. With the above mentioned distinguishing features, CNTs have been of interest in medical, electronics and antenna applications [3]. CNTs are drawn into yarns by pulling and twisting them from CNT forests. Previously we have presented microwave characterization of CNT yarns [4]. Our results have shown that the CNT yarns exhibits frequency independent resistive behavior and is beneficial for wideband applications such as ultra-wideband (UWB) and wireless body area networks [4]. Electrical conductivity of a CNT yarn depends on the properties, loading and aspect ratio of the CNTs. It also depends upon the twist angle and the characteristics of the conductive network. By doping or adding materials, such as gold, silver or NiCr, electrical conductivity of CNTs can by varied. In [5], highly conductive carbon nanotube-graphene hybrid yarns are reported. They are obtained by drawing vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) into long MWCNT sheets. Then graphene flakes are deposited onto the MWCNT sheet to form a composite hybrid structure that is transformed into yarns by twisting. The electrical conductivity of these composite MWCNT-graphene hybrid yarns is over 900 S/cm. In this work, we have modeled this hybrid material as a potential data transmission line and compared it with a transmission line made out of copper on the same substrate. The results are tabulated in Table-I. They show a good agreement between copper based and composite MWCNT-graphene hybrid material based transmission lines. The hybrid material is high conductive, flexible and stretchable. This makes it suitable to use as transmission lines and connecting wires in systems that require stretching and flexibility, such as wearable systems

Switchable frequency selective surface for reconfigurable electromagnetic architecture of buildings

A frequency selective surface (FSS) that is electronically switchable between reflective and transparent states is tested. It can be used to provide a spatial filter solution to reconfigure the electromagnetic architecture of buildings. The FSS measurements show that the frequency response of the filter does not change significantly when the wave polarization changes or the angle of incidence changes up to +/- 45 degrees from normal. The FSS is based on square loop aperture geometry, with each unit cell having four PIN diodes across the aperture at 90 degree intervals. Experiments demonstrated that almost 10 dB additional transmission loss can be introduced on average at the resonance frequency, for both polarizations, by switching PIN diodes to ON from OFF state

Flexible and transparent circularly polarized patch antenna for reliable unobtrusive wearable wireless communications

This paper presents a circularly polarized flexible and transparent circular patch antenna suitable for body-worn wireless-communications. Circular polarization is highly beneficial in wearable wireless communications, where antennas, as a key component of the RF front-end, operate in dynamic environments, such as the human body. The demonstrated antenna is realized with highly flexible, robust and transparent conductive-fabric-polymer composite. The performance of the explored flexible-transparent antenna is also compared with its non-transparent counterpart manufactured with non-transparent conductive fabric. This comparison further demonstrates the suitability of the proposed materials for the target unobtrusive wearable applications. Detailed numerical and experimental investigations are explored in this paper to verify the proposed design. Moreover, the compatibility of the antenna in wearable applications is evaluated by testing the performance on a forearm phantom and calculating the specific absorption rate (SAR)

A dielectric resonator aperture-coupled to a microstrip-patch antenna

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A Dielectric-Resonator-on-Patch (DROP) Antenna For Broadband Wireless Applications: Concept and Results

A new antenna concept, dielectric-resonator-on-patch (DROP), is presented as a way of improving the bandwidth of dielectric-resonator antennas. Driven by the objective of developing a simple low-profile antenna (height 15dB) was achieved over the entire band from 5.150 - 5.825 GHz. This design not only validates the DROP concept but also highlights its potential as a small, low-cost, lightweight antenna for mobile and wireless applications.4 page(s