http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7660 2013-05-22T17:31:16Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78548 Development of tunable terahertz quantum cascade wire lasers Qin, Qi, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology For a long time, terahertz (THz) radiation has been of great interest to scientific community because of its spectroscopic and imaging applications based on its unique properties, such as the capabilities to penetrate many materials which are opaque in other frequency range (e.g. packaging, plastics, paints and semiconductors), and spectroscopic signatures of many important materials. In this thesis, a continuously tunable THz wire QC laser, which comprises a QC laser with deep sub-wavelength transverse dimensions, and a movable side object, termed as "plunger", is demonstrated. This deep sub-wavelength cross-section results in a large fraction of mode propagating outside of the laser core (GaAs/A1₀.₁₅Ga₀.₈₅As material system). The frequency tuning is achieved by changing the transverse wave vector, using a plunger made by metal (metal plunger) or silicon (dielectric plunger). When nudged close to the wire laser core, the metal plunger can push modes to the opposite side of the waveguide. Confined by a metal-metal waveguide, the mode is squeezed and the transverse wave vector is increased, resulting in a blue-shifted frequency. In contrast, a silicon plunger can suck the mode out due to its similar refractive index to GaAs/Al₀.₁₅Ga₀.₈₅As material system of laser core. Thus a decreased transverse wave vector results in a redshifted frequency. Although a tuning record of 138GHz (3.6%) was achieved, a discontinuous tuning resulted from a jittering movement of the plungers due to its friction with the guiding system. To solve this problem, an improved plunger based on micro-mechanical system (MEMS) was implemented. This MEMS plunger uses a two-stage folded-beam flexure to isolate the misaligned external actuation. The plunger is attached with the flexure which suspends above a silicon substrate to eliminate friction. Eventually, this MEMS flexure was actuated by a mechanical system which comprised a lever to de-amplify the displacement of a linear mechanical feedthrough. This MEMS plunger enabled a restorable and frictionless movement which led to a continuous tuning range of 330GHz (8.6%) centered at ~3.85 THz. The challenges posted by the weak mode discrimination led to the development of comb-shape connectors which electrically connect the top metal of wire lasers and the side bonding pad. This design can significantly increase the mode discrimination by selectively guiding undesired mode into the lossy bonding pad. This robust design of single mode operation enables the initial lasing at a frequency far below the gain peak, which can potentially increase the tuning range significantly. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-188). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78547 A theoretical analysis of interstitial hydrogen : pressure-composition-temperature, chemical potential, enthalpy and entropy Orondo, Peter Omondi We provide a first principles analysis of the physics and thermodynamics of interstitial hydrogen in metal. By utilizing recent advances in Density Functional Theory (DFT) to get state energies of the metal-hydrogen system, we are able to model the absorption process fairly accurately. A connection to experiment is made via Pressure-Composition-Temperature (PCT) isotherms, and thermodynamic molar quantities. In the model, we understand the excess entropy of absorbed hydrogen in terms of the change in its accessible microstates. A connection is also made between the entropy and electronic states of interstitial hydrogen. However, our model indicates that this connection is too small to account for experimental results. Therefore, a conclusion is made that the entropy of absorbed hydrogen is mostly (non-ideal) configurational in nature. To model the latter in a manner consistent with experiment, we have explored a new model that posits a weak binding between clusters of hydrogen atoms at neighboring sites. We have developed a formulation and fitted the results to experimental data. We find a least squares fitting of the model to the entropy and enthalpy results in model parameters which seem physically reasonable. The resulting model appears to provide a natural physical explanation for the dependence of the excess entropy on loading. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 371-373). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78534 Generative models of brain connectivity for population studies Venkataraman, Archana, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Connectivity analysis focuses on the interaction between brain regions. Such relationships inform us about patterns of neural communication and may enhance our understanding of neurological disorders. This thesis proposes a generative framework that uses anatomical and functional connectivity information to find impairments within a clinical population. Anatomical connectivity is measured via Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI), and functional connectivity is assessed using resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). We first develop a probabilistic model to merge information from DWI tractography and resting-state fMRI correlations. Our formulation captures the interaction between hidden templates of anatomical and functional connectivity within the brain. We also present an intuitive extension to population studies and demonstrate that our model learns predictive differences between a control and a schizophrenia population. Furthermore, combining the two modalities yields better results than considering each one in isolation. Although our joint model identifies widespread connectivity patterns influenced by a neurological disorder, the results are difficult to interpret and integrate with our regioncentric knowledge of the brain. To alleviate this problem, we present a novel approach to identify regions associated with the disorder based on connectivity information. Specifically, we assume that impairments of the disorder localize to a small subset of brain regions, which we call disease foci, and affect neural communication to/from these regions. This allows us to aggregate pairwise connectivity changes into a region-based representation of the disease. Once again, we use a probabilistic formulation: latent variables specify a template organization of the brain, which we indirectly observe through resting-state fMRI correlations and DWI tractography. Our inference algorithm simultaneously identifies both the afflicted regions and the network of aberrant functional connectivity. Finally, we extend the region-based model to include multiple collections of foci, which we call disease clusters. Preliminary results suggest that as the number of clusters increases, the refined model explains progressively more of the functional differences between the populations. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-139). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78533 Energy aware network coding in wireless networks Shi, Xiaomeng, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy is one of the most important considerations in designing reliable low-power wireless communication networks. We focus on the problem of energy aware network coding. In particular, we investigate practical energy efficient network code design for wireless body area networks (WBAN). We first consider converge-cast in a star-shaped topology, in which a central base station (BS), or hub, manages and communicates directly with a set of nodes. We then consider a wireless-relay channel, in which a relay node assists in the transmission of data from a source to a destination. This wireless relay channel can be seen as a simplified extended star network, where nodes have relay capabilities. The objective is to investigate the use of network coding in these scenarios, with the goal of achieving reliability under low-energy and lower-power constraints. More specifically, in a star network, we propose a simple network layer protocol, study the mean energy to complete uploads of given packets from the nodes to the BS using a Markov chain model, and show through numerical examples that when reception energy is taken into account, the incorporation of network coding offers reductions in energy use. The amount of achievable gains depends on the number of nodes in the network, the degree of asymmetry in channel conditions experienced by different nodes, and the relative difference between transmitting and receiving power at the nodes. We also demonstrate the compatibility of the proposed scheme with the IEEE 802.15.6 WBAN standard by describing ways of incorporating network coding into systems compliant to the standard. For a wireless relay channel, we explore the strategic use of network coding according to both throughput and energy metrics. In the relay channel, a single source communicates to a single sink through the aid of a half-duplex relay. The fluid flow model is used to describe the case where both the source and the relay are coding, and Markov chain models are proposed to describe packet evolution if only the source or only the relay is coding. Although we do not attempt to explicitly categorize the optimal network coding strategies in the relay channel under different system parameters, we provide a framework for deciding whether and where to code, taking into account of throughput maximization and energy depletion constraints. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-104). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z