RF & Microwave Engineering Blog Posts
Benchmark Model Results Agree with Fresnel Equations
Bright idea: When a ray of light (an electromagnetic wave) propagating through free space hits a dielectric medium, part of the light will be transmitted and part will be reflected.
Modeling Electromagnetic Waves and Periodic Structures
Oftentimes, it is of interest to model an EM wave (light, microwaves) incident upon periodic structures, such as diffraction gratings, metamaterials, and frequency selective surfaces.
The Linac-MR Project: Tumor Tracking and Treatment
Not too long ago, my colleague Jennifer wrote a blog post about the Cross Cancer Institute, and the research being conducted there into the design of a new device for treating cancerous tumors. The device, known as the Linac-MR, is revolutionary due to its ability to both image and treat cancer cells simultaneously — a capability that had previously been regarded as near impossible due to the conflicting physics interactions involved. Such a device would allow for extremely precise radiation […]
Research on Microwave Heating and Chemical Applications
There were many interesting posters at this year’s COMSOL Conference in Boston. A couple that caught my eye involved microwave heating and chemical applications. One of them showcases the use of microwave irradiation to speed up chemical reactions. Another — one of the recipients of the Best Poster award — used simulations to optimize their microreactor design with respect to microwave propagation.
Wilkinson Power Divider Simulation
A Wilkinson power divider is a common three-port power splitter circuit that is used to split an input signal into two equal output signals, or to combine two signals into one. Unlike resistive or T-junction power dividers, a Wilkinson power divider allows for nearly complete isolation between the two ports and adds no resistive losses to the power split. Because of these characteristics, a Wilkinson divider is widely used in radio communication systems due to its ability to prevent crosstalk […]
Spiral Resonator Filter Design Analysis
Wireless systems are growing increasingly thinner and more advanced. In order to keep this trend going, engineers must consider how to optimize the designs of the components that make up data transmission systems. One such component is the spiral resonator, which allows the system to communicate properly by filtering out unwanted frequencies and letting the appropriate ones through. Spiral resonator filter design can be analyzed and optimized using simulation software, as seen in a recent story from AltaSim Technologies.
Perfect Imaging, From Theory to Reality via Simulations
Perfect imaging refers to the idea of producing images with details below the diffraction limit, where even the smallest elements can be resolved to unlimited sharpness regardless of the wavelength of light being used. While just a theory 150 years ago, research has brought us closer to reality over the years. Now, by way of simulation, researchers at Cedint Polytechnic University of Madrid in Spain are taking it one step further.
Hybrid Linac-MR for Real-Time Image-Guided Radiotherapy
A team of medical physicists at the Cross Cancer Institute in Alberta, Canada has come up with an innovative approach to treat cancer. In affiliation with The Linac-MR Project, the team led by Gino Fallone aims to improve the accuracy of cancer treatment by reducing damage to healthy tissue surrounding a tumor site, while ensuring the tumor receives the intended radiation dose. They are accomplishing this through the development of a hybrid linear particle accelerator (Linac) integrated with magnetic resonance […]