The perturbation of electromagnetic fields at distances that are large compared with the object's size

Abstract We rigorously derive the leading-order terms in asymptotic expansions for the scattered electric and magnetic fields in the presence of a small object at distances that are large compared with its size. Our expansions hold for fixed wavenumber when the scatterer is a (lossy) homogeneous dielectric object with constant material parameters or a perfect conductor. We also derive the corresponding leading-order terms in expansions for the fields for a low-frequency problem when the scatterer is a non-lossy homogeneous dielectric object with constant material parameters or a perfect conductor. In each case, we express our results in terms of polarization tensors.</jats:p

Characterizing the shape and material properties of hidden targets from magnetic induction data

The aim of this paper is to show that, for the eddy current model, the leading order term for the perturbation in the magnetic field, due to the presence of a small conducting magnetic inclusion, can be expressed in terms of a symmetric rank 2 polarization tensor. This tensor contains information about the shape and material properties of the object and is independent of position. We apply a recently derived asymptotic formula for the perturbed magnetic field, due to the presence of a conducting inclusion, which is expressed in terms of a new class of rank 4 polarization tensors (Ammari, H., Chen, J., Chen, Z., Garnier, J. & Volkov, D. (2014) Target detection and characterization from electromagnetic induction data. J. Math. Pures Appl., 101, 54–75.) and show that their result can be written in an alternative form involving a symmetric rank 2 tensor involving 6 instead of 81 complex components in an orthonormal coordinate frame. For objects with rotational and mirror symmetries we show that the number of coefficients is still smaller. We include numerical examples to demonstrate that the new polarization tensors can be accurately computed by solving a vector-valued transmission problem by hp-finite elements and include examples to illustrate the agreement between the asymptotic formula describing the perturbed fields and the numerical predictions

A regularised-adaptive Proper Generalised Decomposition implementation for coupled magneto-mechanical problems with application to MRI scanners

Latest developments in high-strength Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners with in-built high resolution, have dramatically enhanced the ability of clinicians to diagnose tumours and rare illnesses. However, their high-strength transient magnetic fields induce unwanted eddy currents in shielding components, which result in fast vibrations, noise, imaging artefacts and, ultimately, heat dissipation, boiling off the helium used to super-cool the magnets. Optimum MRI scanner design requires the capturing of complex electro-magneto-mechanical interactions with high fidelity computational tools. During production cycles, this is known to be extremely expensive due to the large number of configurations that need to be tested. There is an urgent need for the development of new cost-effective methods whereby previously performed computations can be assimilated as training solutions of a surrogate digital twin model to allow for real-time simulations. In this paper, a Reduced Order Modelling technique based on the Proper Generalised Decomposition method is presented for the first time in the context of MRI scanning design, with two distinct novelties. First, the paper derives from scratch the offline higher dimensional parametrised solution process of the coupled electro-magneto-mechanical problem at hand and, second, a regularised adaptive methodology is proposed for the circumvention of numerical singularities associated with the ill-conditioning of the discrete system in the vicinity of resonant modes. A series of numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate, motivate and demonstrate the validity and flexibility of the considered approach

Identification of metallic objects using spectral magnetic polarizability tensor signatures: Object classification

The early detection of terrorist threat objects, such as guns and knives, through improved metal detection, has the potential to reduce the number of attacks and improve public safety and security. To achieve this, there is considerable potential to use the fields applied and measured by a metal detector to discriminate between different shapes and different metals since, hidden within the field perturbation, is object characterisation information. The magnetic polarizability tensor (MPT) offers an economical characterisation of metallic objects and its spectral signature provides additional object characterisation information. The MPT spectral signature can be determined from measurements of the induced voltage over a range frequencies in a metal signature for a hidden object. With classification in mind, it can also be computed in advance for different threat and non-threat objects. In the article, we evaluate the performance of probabilistic and non-probabilistic machine learning algorithms, trained using a dictionary of computed MPT spectral signatures, to classify objects for metal detection. We discuss the importances of using appropriate features and selecting an appropriate algorithm depending on the classification problem being solved and we present numerical results for a range of practically motivated metal detection classification problems

Computations and Measurements of the Magnetic Polarizability Tensor Characterisation of Highly Conducting and Magnetic Objects

PurposeThe ability to characterise highly conducting objects, that may also be highly magnetic, by the complex symmetric rank–2 magnetic polarizability tensor (MPT) is important for metal detection applications including discriminating between threat and non-threat objects in security screening, identifying unexploded anti-personnel landmines and ordnance and identifying metals of high commercial value in scrap sorting. Many everyday non-threat items have both a large electrical conductivity and a magnetic behaviour, which, for sufficiently weak fields and the frequencies of interest, can be modelled by a high relative magnetic permeability. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned idea.Design/methodology/approachThe numerical simulation of the MPT for everyday non-threat highly conducting magnetic objects over a broad range of frequencies is challenging due to the resulting thin skin depths. The authors address this by employing higher order edge finite element discretisations based on unstructured meshes of tetrahedral elements with the addition of thin layers of prismatic elements. Furthermore, computer aided design (CAD) geometrical models of the non-threat and threat object are often not available and, instead, the authors extract the geometrical features of an object from an imaging procedure.FindingsThe authors obtain accurate numerical MPT characterisations that are in close agreement with experimental measurements for realistic physical objects. The assessment of uncertainty shows the impact of geometrical and material parameter uncertainties on the computational results.Originality/valueThe authors present novel computations and measurements of MPT characterisations of realistic objects made of magnetic materials. A novel assessment of uncertainty in the numerical predictions of MPT characterisations for uncertain geometry and material parameters is included

Effect of Scanning Acceleration on the Leakage Signal in Magnetic Flux Leakage Type of Non-destructive Testing

This work investigates the influence of acceleration on the leakage signal in magnetic flux leakage type of non-destructive testing. The research is addressed through both designed experiments and simulations. The results showed that the leakage signal, represented by using peak to peak value, decreases between 15.1% and 26.6% under acceleration. The simulation results indicated that the main reason for the decrease is due to the difference in the distortion of the magnetic field for cases with and without acceleration, which is the result of the different eddy current distributions in the specimen. The findings will help to allow the optimisation of a magnetic flux leakage system to ensure that main defect features can be measured more accurately during the machine acceleration phase of scanning. It also shows the importance of conducting measurements at constant velocity, wherever possible

A staggered high-dimensional Proper Generalised Decomposition for coupled magneto-mechanical problems with application to MRI scanners

Manufacturing new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners represents a computational challenge to industry, due to the large variability in material parameters and geometrical configurations that need to be tested during the early design phase. This process can be highly optimised through the employment of user-friendly computational metamodels constructed on the basis of Reduced Order Modelling (ROM) techniques, where high-dimensional parametric offline solutions are obtained, stored and assimilated in order to be efficiently queried in real time. This paper presents a novel Proper Generalised Decomposition (PGD) based metamodel for the analysis of electro-magneto-mechanical interactions in the context of MRI scanner design, with three distinct novelties. First, the paper derives, from scratch, a five-dimensional parametrised offline solution process, expressed in terms of (axisymmetric) cylindrical coordinates, external excitation frequency, electrical conductivity of the embedded shields and strength of the static magnetic field. Second, by exploiting the staggered nature of the coupled problem at hand, an efficient sequential PGD algorithm is derived and compared against a previously published monolithic PGD algorithm. As a third novelty, the paper draws some interesting comparisons against an alternative tailor-made ROM technique, where the electromagnetic equations are solved using a Proper Orthogonal Decomposition model. A series of numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate, motivate and demonstrate the validity and potential of the considered approach, especially in terms of cost reduction

Measuring the Magnetic Polarizability Tensor of Non-Symmetrical Metallic Objects

The Magnetic Polarizability Tensor (MPT) is a representative electromagnetic property of a metallic object, which depends on the size, material, shape, and excitation frequency of the object. The MPT can be used to describe the response of metal detector systems and improve target classification performance in applications utilizing electromagnetic induction spectroscopy. However, for target characterization, a library of possible target objects needs to be created which can be used for training machine learning classifiers. To supplement and benchmark our existing library of simulated and measured MPT object characterizations, it is necessary to be able to measure object characterizations accurately and efficiently. This paper describes a novel method utilizing a truncated icosahedron shaped manipulator and procedure to measure MPT characterizations of non-symmetrical, irregular objects. This new method allows the measurement of the MPT of any appropriately sized object. The method also ensures the MPT characterizations are measured quickly and are well posed, without sacrificing accuracy. Performance of the method is validated by comparing experiment results acquired using the new method with experiment results acquired using a slower method for symmetrical objects as well as synthetic results generated using a commercial finite element package and an optimized dedicated open source MPT-Calculator package, which offers high accuracy and considerable computational advantages. Good agreement between the new method and the other three methods is seen. For all objects that have been characterized, MPT loss-peak magnitude and horizontal positions from all described methods are within five percent of each other at worst

A preliminary randomized double blind placebo-controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin for Japanese encephalitis in Nepal

BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus found across Asia that is closely related to West Nile virus. There is no known antiviral treatment for any flavivirus. Results from in vitro studies and animal models suggest intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) containing virus-specific neutralizing antibody may be effective in improving outcome in viral encephalitis. IVIG's anti-inflammatory properties may also be beneficial. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a pilot feasibility randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of IVIG containing anti-JEV neutralizing antibody (ImmunoRel, 400mg/kg/day for 5 days) in children with suspected JE at two sites in Nepal; we also examined the effect on serum neutralizing antibody titre and cytokine profiles. 22 children were recruited, 13 of whom had confirmed JE; 11 received IVIG and 11 placebo, with no protocol violations. One child (IVIG group) died during treatment and two (placebo) subsequently following hospital discharge. Overall, there was no difference in outcome between treatment groups at discharge or follow up. Passive transfer of anti-JEV antibody was seen in JEV negative children. JEV positive children treated with IVIG had JEV-specific neutralizing antibody titres approximately 16 times higher than those treated with placebo (p=0.2), which was more than could be explained by passive transfer alone. IL-4 and IL-6 were higher in the IVIG group. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A trial of IVIG for JE in Nepal is feasible. IVIG may augment the development of neutralizing antibodies in JEV positive patients. IVIG appears an appealing option for JE treatment that warrants further study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01856205