Forum for Science, Industry and Business

Photonic crystals to improve microwave circuits

The principal aim of this PhD paper was the application of the new concepts and ideas of Photonic Crystals and Photonic Bandgap (PBG) to microwave and millimetric circuits and, more concretely, to microstrip circuits which is the most common technology in current use in flat microwave circuits.

Thus, for this thesis, the techniques for optimising the functioning of PBG structures in microstrip technology were studied and the various practical applications of these devices were analysed. For example, a number of microwave circuit designs have been presented which have enhanced functions thanks to the introduction of PBG structures (filters, resonators, oscillators). The results obtained have been very satisfactory and have given rise to structures with highly interesting optimised functions.

These filters, resonators and oscillators optimised through the introduction of PBG structures can provide significant improvements to those currently used in satellite communications. These new designs can contribute to the perfecting of communication between earth stations and the satellite without having to increase the complexity of either the part installed in the home or of the satellite and, thus, can enhance the quality of communication without provoking an increase in the cost of the service.

Iñaki Casado Redin | Basque Research
Further information:
http://www.unavarra.es

Im Focus: Future electronic components to be printed like newspapers

A new manufacturing technique uses a process similar to newspaper printing to form smoother and more flexible metals for making ultrafast electronic devices.

The low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools already used in industry for manufacturing metals on a large scale, but uses...

Im Focus: First evidence on the source of extragalactic particles

For the first time ever, scientists have determined the cosmic origin of highest-energy neutrinos. A research group led by IceCube scientist Elisa Resconi, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center SFB1258 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an important piece of evidence that the particles detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole originate from a galaxy four billion light-years away from Earth.

To rule out other origins with certainty, the team led by neutrino physicist Elisa Resconi from the Technical University of Munich and multi-wavelength...

Im Focus: Magnetic vortices: Two independent magnetic skyrmion phases discovered in a single material

For the first time a team of researchers have discovered two different phases of magnetic skyrmions in a single material. Physicists of the Technical Universities of Munich and Dresden and the University of Cologne can now better study and understand the properties of these magnetic structures, which are important for both basic research and applications.

Whirlpools are an everyday experience in a bath tub: When the water is drained a circular vortex is formed. Typically, such whirls are rather stable. Similar...

Im Focus: Breaking the bond: To take part or not?

Physicists working with Roland Wester at the University of Innsbruck have investigated if and how chemical reactions can be influenced by targeted vibrational excitation of the reactants. They were able to demonstrate that excitation with a laser beam does not affect the efficiency of a chemical exchange reaction and that the excited molecular group acts only as a spectator in the reaction.

A frequently used reaction in organic chemistry is nucleophilic substitution. It plays, for example, an important role in in the synthesis of new chemical...

Im Focus: New 2D Spectroscopy Methods

Optical spectroscopy allows investigating the energy structure and dynamic properties of complex quantum systems. Researchers from the University of Würzburg present two new approaches of coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy.

"Put an excitation into the system and observe how it evolves." According to physicist Professor Tobias Brixner, this is the credo of optical spectroscopy....