Design, simulation and experiment of a cusp electron beam for millimeter wave gyro-devices

The design, simulation and experiment of a thermionic cusp electron gun that is to be used for millimeter wave generation will be presented. A cusp gun uses a non-adiabatic magnetic field reversal to obtain azimuthal motion on an electron beam resulting in an annular shaped, axis-encircling beam. The cusp gun was designed to generate a beam of 1.5A at 40kV with an adjustable velocity ratio of up to 3.0. The beam had a simulated axial velocity spread of 7.4% and alpha spread of 10.1%. The beam had an averaged radius of 0.35mm and beam thickness of 0.05mm which is ideal to drive sub-mm wave gyro-devices under investigation

Mapping the Empirical Evidence of the GDPR (In-)Effectiveness: A Systematic Review

In the realm of data protection, a striking disconnect prevails between traditional domains of doctrinal, legal, theoretical, and policy-based inquiries and a burgeoning body of empirical evidence. Much of the scholarly and regulatory discourse remains entrenched in abstract legal principles or normative frameworks, leaving the empirical landscape uncharted or minimally engaged. Since the birth of EU data protection law, a modest body of empirical evidence has been generated but remains widely scattered and unexamined. Such evidence offers vital insights into the perception, impact, clarity, and effects of data protection measures but languishes on the periphery, inadequately integrated into the broader conversation. To make a meaningful connection, we conduct a comprehensive review and synthesis of empirical research spanning nearly three decades (1995- March 2022), advocating for a more robust integration of empirical evidence into the evaluation and review of the GDPR, while laying a methodological foundation for future empirical research

Data portability as a new means of data protection? Examining the right to data portability in the EU General Data Protection Regulation

On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect across the European Union. This new Regulation has a number of innovations, notably including a new right for the data subject to port personal data out of a processing system and reuse it elsewhere. Data portability has an immediate impact on data flows across systems and has been sought as a catalyst for competition, consumer welfare, innovation and institutional efficiency. The issue of how data portability furthers the objective of data protection appears not straightforward. This thesis primarily examines the legitimacy, coherence and added value of the right to data portability in the EU data protection regime. In recognition of its wide-ranging implications, it also explores how the GDPR right interacts with many other areas of law and ‘interfaces’ with user-centric technologies devised to better protect our personal data. The thesis is divided into six chapters. Before analysing the GDPR right, Chapter 1 first maps a wide array of similar schemes that have emerged over two decades (1995-2019), whether they be industry-initiated projects, government-led initiatives or statutory schemes. Particular attention is paid to the legacy of early attempts that predate the GDPR, as well as the recent developments in the wake of the GDPR. Chapters 2 provides a detailed account of the right to data portability in the GDPR. It inquires whether the new right can legitimately sit within the EU data protection framework, act in harmony with other components, and bring added value to the imperative of data protection. The EU data protection regime has a dual purpose, that is, the protection of personal data and the free movement of personal data in the EU. Whereas Chapter 2 examines the right through the lens of data protection, Chapter 3 ventures to explore the right’s link to the free flow of personal data. Beyond data protection, the GDPR right may also have an impact on the economic welfare of the data subject. This is especially the case when data protection, consumer protection and competition law converge around the objective of promoting individual welfare. Chapter 3 examines whether the GDPR right may legitimately pursue consumer welfare (an overarching goal pursued by consumer protection and competition law), and how it interacts with similar schemes recently developed in those interrelated areas of law. Chapter 4 focuses on the potential barriers to individual-led data flows, resulting from a set of information rights relating to intellectual property, trade secrets, and database protection. The extent to which the GDPR right contributes to data protection depends upon the applicability and effects of these counteracting rules. It is argued that a rough line exists between different types of data to which the data protection and information rights respectively apply. That said, grey areas do exist at the boundaries of data taxonomies, and Chapter 4 examines the rules developed for balancing the rights in conflict. To ensure that datasets smoothly flow between systems and are well adapted to a new environment, the GDPR lays down some requirements concerning data interoperability. Chapter 5 draws knowledge from the field of data science and builds a conceptual model of interoperability to elucidate those legal requirements. Since data interoperability relies upon layers of specifications, this chapter reconstruct the EU Guidelines accordingly in order to clarify the legal issues associated with each layer of interoperability. The GDPR right’s impact on data transmission and reuse is immediately noticeable; its contribution to data protection is, however, not. Basically, this right promotes data protection by channelling data into alternative systems where our data is supposedly better protected. Chapter 6 surveys the user-centric technological systems that have emerged over the last two decades (1999-2019). By revealing their attributes, development and potential interplay with the legal rights examined above, this chapter considers the extent to which a joint effort of law and technology could make a difference to our quest for data protection

Topological Photonic Phase in Chiral Hyperbolic Metamaterials

Recently the possibility of achieving one-way backscatter immune transportation of light by mimicking the topological order present within certain solid state systems, such as topological insulators, has received much attention. Thus far however, demonstrations of non-trivial topology in photonics have relied on photonic crystals with precisely engineered lattice structures, periodic on the scale of the operational wavelength and composed of finely tuned, complex materials. Here we propose a novel effective medium approach towards achieving topologically protected photonic surface states robust against disorder on all length scales and for a wide range of material parameters. Remarkably, the non-trivial topology of our metamaterial design results from the Berry curvature arising from the transversality of electromagnetic waves in a homogeneous medium. Our investigation therefore acts to bridge the gap between the advancing field of topological band theory and classical optical phenomena such as the Spin Hall effect of light. The effective medium route to topological phases will pave the way for highly compact one-way transportation of electromagnetic waves in integrated photonic circuits.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. To appear in PR