ALBERT

Description: Challenges for Wireless Mesh Networks to provide reliable carrier-grade services Advances in Radio Science, 9, 377-382, 2011 Author(s): D. von Hugo and N. Bayer Provision of mobile and wireless services today within a competitive environment and driven by a huge amount of steadily emerging new services and applications is both challenge and chance for radio network operators. Deployment and operation of an infrastructure for mobile and wireless broadband connectivity generally requires planning effort and large investments. A promising approach to reduce expenses for radio access networking is offered by Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs). Here traditional dedicated backhaul connections to each access point are replaced by wireless multi-hop links between neighbouring access nodes and few gateways to the backbone employing standard radio technology. Such a solution provides at the same time high flexibility in both deployment and the amount of offered capacity and shall reduce overall expenses. On the other hand currently available mesh solutions do not provide carrier grade service quality and reliability and often fail to cope with high traffic load. EU project CARMEN (CARrier grade MEsh Networks) was initiated to incorporate different heterogeneous technologies and new protocols to allow for reliable transmission over "best effort" radio channels, to support a reliable mobility and network management, self-configuration and dynamic resource usage, and thus to offer a permanent or temporary broadband access at high cost efficiency. The contribution provides an overview on preliminary project results with focus on main technical challenges from a research and implementation point of view. Especially impact of mesh topology on the overall system performance in terms of throughput and connection reliability and aspects of a dedicated hybrid mobility management solution will be discussed.

Description: Meteor radar measurements of mean winds and tides over Collm (51.3° N, 13° E) and comparison with LF drift measurements 2005–2007 Advances in Radio Science, 9, 335-341, 2011 Author(s): C. Jacobi An all-sky VHF meteor radar (MR) has been continuously operated at Collm (51.3° N, 13° E) since summer 2004. The radar measures meteor parameters, diffusion coefficients, and horizontal winds in the mesopause region. There exists a temporal overlap of the MR wind measurements with co-located low-frequency (LF) ionospheric drift measurements until 2007. Comparison of MR and LF semidiurnal tidal phases allows to empirically determine the virtual height overestimation of LF reflection heights due to the group retardation of LF waves. LF reference heights have to be reduced by up to 20 km to match real heights. Correction of LF heights for group retardation allows to determine the wind underestimation by the LF method compared with meteor radar measurements and opens the possibility to continue long-term trend analysis using mesosphere/lower thermosphere winds.

Description: IP-based mobility management for heterogeneous wireless access Advances in Radio Science, 10, 319-325, 2012 Author(s): H. J. Einsiedler and D. von Hugo Future high quality communication services will be offered in an integrated or converged network infrastructure maintaining both fixed wireless and mobile access via multi-mode user terminals. A support of various scenarios of user and/or terminal mobility within a common IP-based infrastructure requires intelligently designed control protocols. A major challenge is to provide seamless (i.e. lossless and low delay) handover between different radio cells and operator domains to enable continuation of unicast and multicast sessions while using network resources most efficiently. IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) is specifying related IP mobility management protocols to be applicable also to a flat architecture as envisaged by Next Generation (Mobile) Networks (NGNs/NGMNs). The contribution will describe operator requirements towards such an approach. Both single-domain and multi-domain scenarios will be discussed based on federation ideas. Already existing solutions are taken into consideration and application of solution proposals towards a Distributed Mobility Management (DMM) currently under evaluation within IETF will be outlined.

Description: STF Optimierung von single-bit CT ΣΔ Modulatoren basierend auf skalierten Filterkoeffizienten Advances in Radio Science, 10, 313-317, 2012 Author(s): C. Widemann, C. Zorn, T. Brückner, M. Ortmanns, and W. Mathis Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Signalübertragungsverhalten von single-bit continuous-time (CT) ΣΔ Modulatoren. Dabei liegt der Fokus der Untersuchung auf dem Peaking der Signaltransferfunktion (STF). Dieser Effekt kann die Performance und die Stabilität des Gesamtsystems negativ beeinflussen, da bei auftretendem STF-Peaking Signale außerhalb des Signalbands verstärkt werden. In dieser Arbeit wird ein neuer Ansatz zur Reduktion des Peakings vorgestellt, der auf der Optimierung der Systemdynamik basiert. Dabei werden die Filterkoeffizienten des Modulators systematisch angepasst. Anhand eines Beispielsystems wird gezeigt, dass der Ansatz genutzt werden kann, um das Übertragungsverhalten des Modulators abhängig vom Ausgangssystem zu verändern. So kann entweder die Systemsperformance verbessert werden, ohne Peaking in der STF zu erzeugen, oder das STF-Peaking reduziert werden, ohne die Systemperformance stark zu beeinflussen.

Description: Differential Algebraic Equations of MOS Circuits and Jump Behavior Advances in Radio Science, 10, 327-332, 2012 Author(s): P. Sarangapani, T. Thiessen, and W. Mathis Many nonlinear electronic circuits showing fast switching behavior exhibit jump effects which occurs when the state space of the electronic system contains a fold. This leads to difficulties during the simulation of these systems with standard circuit simulators. A method to overcome these problems is by regularization, where parasitic inductors and capacitors are added at the suitable locations. However, the transient solution will not be reliable if this regularization is not done in accordance with Tikhonov's Theorem. A geometric approach is taken to overcome these problems by explicitly computing the state space and jump points of the circuit. Until now, work has been done in analyzing example circuits exhibiting this behavior for BJT transistors. In this work we apply these methods to MOS circuits (Schmitt trigger, flip flop and multivibrator) and present the numerical results. To analyze the circuits we use the EKV drain current model as equivalent circuit model for the MOS transistors.

Description: 3-D transponder antennas for future SHF RFID applications Advances in Radio Science, 9, 401-405, 2011 Author(s): R. Zichner and R. R. Baumann The radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is omnipresent since a few years. Some of the most popular fields of application are the use for security tasks, for logistics and for the consumer segment. For example, chip card or key ring sized RFID transponders can allow wireless access to secured rooms. The number of applications for wireless data transmission for the identification and tracking of objects increases every year. There is a large development need for highly functional and inexpensive RFID transponders due to the ever-increasing demand on improved reliability, higher data rates and read and write ranges of the RFID systems. Therefore, research was performed on new 3-D transponder antennas for the Super High Frequency Band around 5.8 GHz. Additionally, wave propagation effects and the influence of different dielectric environments were considered. Parallel to the design of the novel antenna structures, the printing process for inexpensive manufacturing was investigated. The gained results are the basis for prospective RFID applications.

Description: Traditional protection ratios in FM sound broadcasting – still appropriate for interference management? Advances in Radio Science, 9, 391-396, 2011 Author(s): J. Philipp A detailed analysis of the measurement procedures recommended by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that – with proper definition of audio quality – the FM broadcasting system can provide an audio signal-to-noise ratio of no better than 40 dB, when the interference in the neighboring channels exhausts the limits established by the internationally agreed protection ratios. Thus any attempt to relax the protection, be it motivated by the desire to implement additional FM or new digital services in the FM band, would inevitably degrade reception quality of existing services to levels hardly acceptable by broadcast listeners.

Description: Equitable access to spectrum in further development of the Geneva 2006 frequency plan Advances in Radio Science, 9, 397-400, 2011 Author(s): J. Philipp Since the frequency plan of the Regional Radiocommunication Conference Geneva 2006 has come into force, many attempts have been made towards its enhancement. The preliminary results, however, seem not to be compliant with elementary principles of distribution justice. Therefore, the planning principles which lead to the observed imbalance will be scrutinized. Furthermore it will be shown that the utilization of spectrum can be advanced in a balanced way when the same (necessary) condition for "equitable access", which has been used by a group of middle European countries for the construction of the original frequency plan, is applied to plan refinements as well. The necessary condition mentioned consists simply in the parity of the number of coverages (constituted of disjoint allotments) configured in the plan for each country. In order to be able to plan enhancements, the concept of coverage number has to be generalized to the case of incomplete coverages of potentially overlapping allotments. The computation of coverage numbers is straightforward and renders the concept of coverage number parity a useful tool to be applied as a necessary condition in testing a frequency plan variant for equitable access.

Description: Some anomalies of mesosphere/lower thermosphere parameters during the recent solar minimum Advances in Radio Science, 9, 343-348, 2011 Author(s): Ch. Jacobi, P. Hoffmann, M. Placke, and G. Stober The recent solar minimum has been characterized by an anomalous strong decrease of thermospheric density since 2005. Here we analyze anomalies of mesosphere/lower thermosphere parameters possibly connected with this effect. In particular, nighttime mean LF reflection heights measured at Collm, Germany, show a very strong decrease after 2005, indicating a density decrease. This decrease is also visible in mean meteor heights measured with VHF meteor radar at Collm. This density decrease is accompanied by an increase of gravity wave (GW) amplitudes in the upper mesosphere and a decrease in the lower thermosphere. On the decadal scale, GWs are negatively correlated with the background zonal wind, but this correlation is modulated in the course of the solar cycle, indicating the combined effect of GW filtering and density decrease.

Description: Reduction of heat sink common-mode currents in switching mode power supply circuits Advances in Radio Science, 9, 317-321, 2011 Author(s): J. Kulanayagam, J. H. Hagmann, K. F. Hoffmann, and S. Dickmann In this paper, a new filter design for a heat sink is presented. The parasitic couplings between electric power devices and the heat sink are responsible for common-mode currents. The main focus is on the reduction of these currents to reduce the heat sink radiation. For this purpose a new filter design is proposed. In addition, experimental results are shown to validate the proposed filter.

Description: Betrachtungen zur Frequenzplanung für terrestrisches Fernsehen in den 50er Jahren in Mitteleuropa Advances in Radio Science, 9, 359-371, 2011 Author(s): U. Kühn Der Bericht beleuchtet die Entwicklung der Fernseh- und Rundfunknetze im Osten Deutschlands ab Anfang der 50er Jahre. Neben einer ausführlichen Darstellung der technischen Aspekte liegt ein weiterer Schwerpunkt auf der Darstellung der nötigen Zusammenarbeit mit den Arbeitsgruppen der angrenzenden Länder. Diese war, bedingt durch die politische Lage, gerade mit den Experten aus Westdeutschland oft schwierig. Die maßgeblich beteiligten Personen und ihre Arbeiten werden vorgestellt. Der Autor war in leitender Position an der Entwicklung in Ostdeutschland beteiligt und liefert mit diesem Bericht einen aus technischer und historischer Sicht wertvollen Beitrag zur Entwicklung des Rundfunks.

Description: Proposal for scalable models in EMC simulation Advances in Radio Science, 9, 329-334, 2011 Author(s): Á Leibinger and Á Hajdu In this paper a method "Component Series Modeling" (CoSeMod) is presented. This allows fast and easy implementation of scalable model generations for passive component series based on measurement data or specification provided by manufacturer. These can be used in circuit models for fast EMC analysis and optimization, especially in frequency ranges where conducted emission and susceptibility dominate. EMC tasks require high precision equivalent circuit models of components. Models generated with CoSeMod provide in many cases as high a quality as original (static) models do. One feature of scalability is that new netlisting is not needed after component changes. The process of model creation is based on similarities of the components of the same model series (packaging, manufacturing process, material etcetera). Required equations of the relationship between nominal and parasitic values are calculated by nonlinear regression. Model generation for unknown components of a known series is possible with interpolation. Implementation is possible with relatively simple actions made in circuit simulator Saber. An EMC application example of the implemented model is also shown in this paper.

Description: Advanced parametrical modelling of 24 GHz radar sensor IC packaging components Advances in Radio Science, 9, 383-389, 2011 Author(s): R. Kazemzadeh, W. John, J. Wellmann, U. B. Bala, and A. Thiede This paper deals with the development of an advanced parametrical modelling concept for packaging components of a 24 GHz radar sensor IC used in automotive driver assistance systems. For fast and efficient design of packages for system-in-package modules (SiP), a simplified model for the description of parasitic electromagnetic effects within the package is desirable, as 3-D field computation becomes inefficient due to the high density of conductive elements of the various signal paths in the package. By using lumped element models for the characterization of the conductive components, a fast indication of the design's signal-quality can be gained, but so far does not offer enough flexibility to cover the whole range of geometric arrangements of signal paths in a contemporary package. This work pursues to meet the challenge of developing a flexible and fast package modelling concept by defining parametric lumped-element models for all basic signal path components, e.g. bond wires, vias, strip lines, bumps and balls.

Description: Classifying user states in next generation networks Advances in Radio Science, 9, 373-376, 2011 Author(s): Y. He and A. Bilgic In this paper we apply a classification method to learn geographic regions using Location Based Services (LBS) in IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). We assume that the information in Local Network (cellular network) can be freely exchanged with Global IP Network (IMS) and the information can be gathered in a data base. LBS in the IMS also provide location information for the data sets. Statistic classification methods are applied to the data sets in the data base. Depending on the information provided by the users, they are divided into different user groups (event classes) using Type Filters (TF). Then discriminant analysis is applied to the position information offered by LBS in IMS to determine the geographic regions of the different classes. The learned geographic regions can be used to inform the users in this region or other regions over IMS. This kind of service can be used for any location-based events.

Description: Multi beam observations of cosmic radio noise using a VHF radar with beam forming by a Butler matrix Advances in Radio Science, 9, 349-357, 2011 Author(s): T. Renkwitz, W. Singer, R. Latteck, and M. Rapp The Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) in Kühlungsborn started to install a new MST radar on the North-Norwegian island Andøya (69.30° N, 16.04° E) in 2009. The new Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) replaces the previous ALWIN radar which has been successfully operated for more than 10 years. The MAARSY radar provides increased temporal and spatial resolution combined with a flexible sequential point-to-point steering of the radar beam. To increase the spatiotemporal resolution of the observations a 16-port Butler matrix has been built and implemented to the radar. In conjunction with 64 Yagi antennas of the former ALWIN antenna array the Butler matrix simultaneously provides 16 individual beams. The beam forming capability of the Butler matrix arrangement has been verified observing the galactic cosmic radio noise of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. Furthermore, this multi beam configuration has been used in passive experiments to estimate the cosmic noise absorption at 53.5 MHz during events of enhanced solar and geomagnetic activity as indicators for enhanced ionization at altitudes below 90 km. These observations are well correlated with simultaneous observations of corresponding beams of the co-located imaging riometer AIRIS (69.14° N, 16.02° E) at 38.2 MHz. In addition, enhanced cosmic noise absorption goes along with enhanced electron densities at altitudes below about 90 km as observed with the co-located Saura MF radar using differential absorption and differential phase measurements.

Description: Accelerating the numerical computation of indirect lightning effects by means of vector fitting Advances in Radio Science, 9, 323-328, 2011 Author(s): J. Anatzki and F. Gronwald In the context of numerical computation of indirect lightning effects it is customary to use volume-discretizing methods in time domain, such as the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method, the Finite Integration Technique (FIT), or the Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) method. If standard lightning electromagnetic pulses (LEMPs) of tenths of microseconds duration are used as excitations, these methods require long computation times, as implied by the Courant criterion. It is proposed to use shorter pulse forms and to compare the transfer functions obtained by different pulse durations by means of macromodels that are obtained from the vector fitting method. Numerical computation of lightning related transfer functions of a canonical structure indicate that the duration of the exciting pulse can typically be shortened by at least one order of magnitude if compared to a standard pulse.

Description: Measurement and evaluation of radar cross section for furniture in an indoor propagation channel Advances in Radio Science, 12, 273-278, 2014 Author(s): M. M. Maw, P. Supanakoon, S. Promwong, and J. Takada This paper has attempted to evaluate the radar cross section (RCS) of two furniture items in an indoor environment in a frequency range of 3–7 GHz of the ultra-wideband (UWB) range. The RCS evaluation is achieved through an extended version of the radar equation that incorporates the channel transfer function of scattering. The time-gating method was applied to remove the multipath effect, a phenomenon which typically occurs in the indoor environment. Two double-ridged waveguide horn antennas for both vertical and horizontal polarizations were used to obtain the transfer function of scattering of the furniture prior to analysis in order to derive their bistatic RCS. The RCS results validate the applicability of the proposed extended radar equation to the indoor propagation prediction.

Description: An extended mode-matching model for improved relative permittivity measurements using a split-cylinder resonator Advances in Radio Science, 12, 267-272, 2014 Author(s): S. Zinal and U. Arz In this paper we present an extended mode-matching model for a split-cylinder resonator involving TE and TM resonant modes. The new model enhances the known TE 0np mode-matching model by improving mode identification and distortion analysis and providing better frequency range coverage for relative permittivity estimation. In order to verify the new model, measured spectra of several substrate materials are analyzed and the estimation results are compared with those of the TE 0np mode-matching model.

Description: Ionospheric research in Germany prior to Karl Rawer Advances in Radio Science, 12, 225-230, 2014 Author(s): K. Schlegel This brief historical review summarizes the work and achievements of German researchers on ionospheric problems before Karl Rawer started his scientific career in 1937.

Description: Planetary radio astronomy: Earth, giant planets, and beyond Advances in Radio Science, 12, 211-220, 2014 Author(s): H. O. Rucker, M. Panchenko, and C. Weber The magnetospheric phenomenon of non-thermal radio emission is known since the serendipitous discovery of Jupiter as radio planet in 1955, opening the new field of "Planetary Radio Astronomy". Continuous ground-based observations and, in particular, space-borne measurements have meanwhile produced a comprehensive picture of a fascinating research area. Space missions as the Voyagers to the Giant Planets, specifically Voyager 2 further to Uranus and Neptune, Galileo orbiting Jupiter, and now Cassini in orbit around Saturn since July 2004, provide a huge amount of radio data, well embedded in other experiments monitoring space plasmas and magnetic fields. The present paper as a condensation of a presentation at the Kleinheubacher Tagung 2013 in honour of the 100th anniversary of Prof. Karl Rawer, provides an introduction into the generation mechanism of non-thermal planetary radio waves and highlights some new features of planetary radio emission detected in the recent past. As one of the most sophisticated spacecraft, Cassini, now in space for more than 16 years and still in excellent health, enabled for the first time a seasonal overview of the magnetospheric variations and their implications for the generation of radio emission. Presently most puzzling is the seasonally variable rotational modulation of Saturn kilometric radio emission (SKR) as seen by Cassini, compared with early Voyager observations. The cyclotron maser instability is the fundamental mechanism under which generation and sufficient amplification of non-thermal radio emission is most likely. Considering these physical processes, further theoretical investigations have been started to investigate the conditions and possibilities of non-thermal radio emission from exoplanets, from potential radio planets in extrasolar systems.

Description: Probability of occurrence of planetary ionosphere storms associated with the magnetosphere disturbance storm time events Advances in Radio Science, 12, 261-266, 2014 Author(s): T. L. Gulyaeva, F. Arikan, and I. Stanislawska The ionospheric W index allows to distinguish state of the ionosphere and plasmasphere from quiet conditions ( W = 0 or ±1) to intense storm ( W = ±4) ranging the plasma density enhancements (positive phase) or plasma density depletions (negative phase) regarding the quiet ionosphere. The global W index maps are produced for a period 1999–2014 from Global Ionospheric Maps of Total Electron Content, GIM-TEC, designed by Jet Propulson Laboratory, converted from geographic frame (−87.5:2.5:87.5° in latitude, −180:5:180° in longitude) to geomagnetic frame (−85:5:85° in magnetic latitude, −180:5:180° in magnetic longitude). The probability of occurrence of planetary ionosphere storm during the magnetic disturbance storm time, Dst, event is evaluated with the superposed epoch analysis for 77 intense storms (Dst ≤ −100 nT) and 230 moderate storms (−100 〈 Dst ≤ −50 nT) with start time, t 0 , defined at Dst storm main phase onset. It is found that the intensity of negative storm, iW - , exceeds the intensity of positive storm, iW + , by 1.5–2 times. An empirical formula of iW + and iW - in terms of peak Dst is deduced exhibiting an opposite trends of relation of intensity of ionosphere-plasmasphere storm with regard to intensity of Dst storm.

Description: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) solar spectral irradiance (SSI) for ionospheric application – history and contemporary state-of-art Advances in Radio Science, 12, 251-260, 2014 Author(s): G. Schmidtke, Ch. Jacobi, B. Nikutowski, and Ch. Erhardt After a historical survey of space related EUV measurements in Germany and the role of Karl Rawer in pursuing this work, we describe present developments in EUV spectroscopy and provide a brief outlook on future activities. The group of Karl Rawer has performed the first scientific space project in Western Europe on 19th October 1954. Then it was decided to include the field of solar EUV spectroscopy in ionospheric investigations. Starting in 1957 an intensified development of instrumentation was going on to explore solar EUV radiation, atmospheric airglow and auroral emissions until the institute had to stop space activities in the early nineteen-eighties. EUV spectroscopy was continued outside of the institute during eight years. This area of work was supported again by the institute developing the Auto-Calibrating Spectrometers (SolACES) for a mission on the International Space Station (ISS). After more than six years in space the instrument is still in operation. Meanwhile the work on the primary task also to validate EUV data available from other space missions has made good progress. The first results of validating those data and combine them into one set of EUV solar spectral irradiance are very promising. It will be recommended for using it by the science and application community. Moreover, a new low-cost type of an EUV spectrometer is presented for monitoring the solar EUV radiation. It shall be further developed for providing EUV-TEC data to be applied in ionospheric models replacing the Covington index F 10.7 . Applying these data for example in the GNSS signal evaluation a more accurate determination of GNSS receiver positions is expected for correcting the propagation delays of navigation signals traveling through the ionosphere from space to earth. – Latest results in the field of solar EUV spectroscopy are discussed, too.

Description: Kleinheubach-U.R.S.I.: 48~years home for the German-Austrian Beacon Satellite Community (BSC) Advances in Radio Science, 12, 237-239, 2014 Author(s): G. K. Hartmann No abstract available.

Description: Remote sensing and modeling of lightning caused long recovery events within the lower ionosphere using VLF/LF radio wave propagation Advances in Radio Science, 12, 241-250, 2014 Author(s): E. D. Schmitter On the 4 November 2012 at 3:04:27 UT a strong lightning in the midst of the North Sea affected the propagation conditions of VLF/LF transmitter radio signals from NRK (Iceland, 37.5 kHz) and GBZ (UK, 19.58 kHz) received at 5246° N 8° E (NW Germany). The amplitude and phase dips show a recovery time of 6–12 min pointing to a LOng Recovery Early VLF (LORE) event. Clear assignment of the causative return stroke in space and time was possible with data from the WWLLN (Worldwide Lightning Location Network). Based on a return stroke current model the electric field is calculated and an excess electron density distribution which decays over time in the lower ionosphere is derived. Ionization, attachment and recombination processes are modeled in detail. Entering the electron density distribution in VLF/LF radio wave propagation calculations using the LWPC (Long Wavelength Propagation Capability) code allows to model the VLF/LF amplitude and phase behavior by adjusting the return stroke current moment. The results endorse and quantify the conception of lower ionosphere EMP heating by strong – but not necessarily extremely strong – return strokes of both polarities.

Description: Karl Rawer: space research and international cooperation – Laudation on the occasion of the 100 th birthday of Professor Karl Rawer Advances in Radio Science, 12, 221-223, 2014 Author(s): B. W. Reinisch This laudation is given in honor of the 100 th birthday of Prof. Karl Rawer which happens to coincide with the 45th anniversary of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). The ionosphere was discovered during Karl Rawer's lifetime, and he has dedicated his professional life to its exploration. World Wars I and II shaped his early life, but they also launched his career as one of the eminent geophysical scientists of the twentieth century. The paper looks back at Karl Rawer's life and his pioneering work and leadership in advancing and shaping the exploration of the ionosphere.

Description: The International Reference Ionosphere: Rawer's IRI and its status today Advances in Radio Science, 12, 231-236, 2014 Author(s): D. Bilitza When the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) initiated the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) project in 1968 it wisely selected K. Rawer as its first Chairperson. With a solid footing and good contacts in both the ground-based and space-based ionospheric communities he was ideally suited to pull together colleagues and data from both communities to help build the first version of the IRI. He assembled a team of 20+ international ionospheric experts in the IRI Working Group and chaired and directed the group from 1968 to 1984. The working group has now grown to 63 members and the IRI model has undergone many revisions as new data became available and new modeling techniques were applied. This paper was presented during a special session of the Kleinheubach Tagung 2013 in honor of K. Rawer's 100th birthday. It will review the current status of the IRI model and project and the international recognition it has achieved. It is quite fitting that this year we not only celebrate K. Rawer's 100th birthday but also the exciting news that his favorite science endeavor, IRI, has been internationally recognized as an ISO (International Standardization Organization) standard. The IRI homepage is at http://irimodel.org .

Description: Terdiurnal signatures in sporadic E layers at midlatitudes Advances in Radio Science, 11, 333-339, 2013 Author(s): T. Fytterer, C. Arras, and C. Jacobi Global Positioning System radio occultation measurements by the FORMOsa SATellite mission-3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate satellites were used to analyse the behaviour of the signature of the terdiurnal tide in sporadic E ( E S ) layers at midlatitudes (43–63° N). According to theory, the occurrence of E S is expected when the vertical zonal wind shear, which is mainly owing to solar tides, is negative. 4 yr means, based on 3-monthly running mean zonal means from December 2006–November 2010, were constructed for the terdiurnal oscillation in the occurrence frequency of E S . Comparison of the results with VHF meteor radar observations of the terdiurnal tide and the 8 h oscillation in the vertical zonal wind shear at Collm, Germany (51.3° N, 13° E) shows a clear correspondence between the 8 h in E S and in wind shear signature.

Description: Investigation of horizontal structures at mesospheric altitudes using coherent radar imaging Advances in Radio Science, 11, 319-325, 2013 Author(s): S. Sommer, G. Stober, C. Schult, M. Zecha, and R. Latteck The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) in Northern Norway (69.30°N, 16.04°E) was used to perform interferometric observations of Polar Mesosperic Summer Echoes (PMSE) in June 2012. Coherent Radar Imaging (CRI) using Capon's method was applied allowing a high spatial resolution. The algorithm was validated by simulation and trajectories of meteor head echoes. Both data sets show a good correspondence with the algorithm. Using this algorithm, the aspect sensitivity of PMSE was analysed in a case study, making use of the capability of CRI to resolve the pattern within the beam volume. No correction of the beam pattern was made yet. It was found in this case study, that no large variations in the scattering width and the scattering center occured apart from a very short period of time at the upper edge of the PMSE.

Description: Quantitative data analysis of ESAR data Advances in Radio Science, 11, 291-295, 2013 Author(s): N. Phruksahiran and M. Chandra A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data processing uses the backscattered electromagnetic wave to map radar reflectivity of the ground surface. The polarization property in radar remote sensing was used successfully in many applications, especially in target decomposition. This paper presents a case study to the experiments which are performed on ESAR L-Band full polarized data sets from German Aerospace Center (DLR) to demonstrate the potential of coherent target decomposition and the possibility of using the weather radar measurement parameter, such as the differential reflectivity and the linear depolarization ratio to obtain the quantitative information of the ground surface. The raw data of ESAR has been processed by the SAR simulator developed using MATLAB program code with Range-Doppler algorithm.

Description: New experiments to validate the radiation pattern of the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) Advances in Radio Science, 11, 283-289, 2013 Author(s): T. Renkwitz, G. Stober, R. Latteck, W. Singer, and M. Rapp The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) is a monostatic radar with an active phased array antenna designed for studies of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Its design in particular the flexible beam forming and steering capability makes it to a powerful instrument to perform observations with high angular and temporal resolution. The knowledge of the actual radiation pattern is crucial to configure and analyze experiments carried out with the radar. The simulated radiation pattern is evaluated by the observation of cosmic radio emissions which are compared to a Global Sky temperature Maps model consisting of the most recent, thorough and accurate radio astronomy surveys. Additionally to these passive receive-only experiments active two-way experiments are presented, which corroborate the findings of the passive experiments.

Description: Single-element based ultra-wideband antenna array concepts for wireless high-precision 2-D local positioning Advances in Radio Science, 11, 297-305, 2013 Author(s): M. Gardill, G. Fischer, R. Weigel, and A. Koelpin We generally categorize the approaches for ultra-wideband antenna array design, and consequently propose simplified concepts for antenna arrays for a high-precision, ultra-wideband FMCW radar 2-D local positioning system to obtain robustness against multi path interference, perform angle of arrival analysis, as well as instantaneous heading estimation. We focus on low-cost and mechanical robust, industrial-application ready antennas. The antenna arrays are optimized for operation in the 5 GHz to 8 GHz frequency range and are designed towards supporting full omnidirectional 360° as well as partial half-plane direction of arrival estimation. Two different concepts for vehicle- as well as wall-mounted antenna array systems are proposed and discussed. We propose a wideband unidirectional bow-tie antenna array element having 97% impedance and 37% pattern bandwidth and a robust vehicle mounted omnidirectional antenna element having more than 85% impedance and pattern bandwidth.

Description: Application of postured human model for SAR measurements Advances in Radio Science, 11, 347-352, 2013 Author(s): M. Vuchkovikj, I. Munteanu, and T. Weiland In the last two decades, the increasing number of electronic devices used in day-to-day life led to a growing interest in the study of the electromagnetic field interaction with biological tissues. The design of medical devices and wireless communication devices such as mobile phones benefits a lot from the bio-electromagnetic simulations in which digital human models are used. The digital human models currently available have an upright position which limits the research activities in realistic scenarios, where postured human bodies must be considered. For this reason, a software application called "BodyFlex for CST STUDIO SUITE" was developed. In its current version, this application can deform the voxel-based human model named HUGO (Dipp GmbH, 2010) to allow the generation of common postures that people use in normal life, ensuring the continuity of tissues and conserving the mass to an acceptable level. This paper describes the enhancement of the "BodyFlex" application, which is related to the movements of the forearm and the wrist of a digital human model. One of the electromagnetic applications in which the forearm and the wrist movement of a voxel based human model has a significant meaning is the measurement of the specific absorption rate (SAR) when a model is exposed to a radio frequency electromagnetic field produced by a mobile phone. Current SAR measurements of the exposure from mobile phones are performed with the SAM (Specific Anthropomorphic Mannequin) phantom which is filled with a dispersive but homogeneous material. We are interested what happens with the SAR values if a realistic inhomogeneous human model is used. To this aim, two human models, a homogeneous and an inhomogeneous one, in two simulation scenarios are used, in order to examine and observe the differences in the results for the SAR values.

Description: Enhanced sporadic E occurrence rates during the Geminid meteor showers 2006–2010 Advances in Radio Science, 11, 313-318, 2013 Author(s): C. Jacobi, C. Arras, and J. Wickert Northern Hemisphere midlatitude sporadic E ( E s ) layer occurrence rates derived from FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC GPS radio occultation (RO) measurements during the Geminid meteor showers 2006–2010 are compared with meteor rates obtained with the Collm (51.3° N, 13.0° E) VHF meteor radar. In most years, E s rates increase after the shower, with a short delay of few days. This indicates a possible link between meteor influx and the production of metallic ions that may form E s . There is an indication that the increase propagates downward, probably partly caused by tidal wind shear. However, the correlation between E s rates and meteor flux varies from year to year. A strong correlation is found especially in 2009, while in 2010 E s rates even decrease during the shower. This indicates that additional processes significantly influence E s occurrence also during meteor showers. A possible effect of the semidiurnal tide is found. During years with weaker tidal wind shear, the correlation between E s and meteor rates is even weaker.

Description: Comparison of the Extended Kalman Filter and the Unscented Kalman Filter for Magnetocardiography activation time imaging Advances in Radio Science, 11, 341-346, 2013 Author(s): H. Ahrens, F. Argin, and L. Klinkenbusch The non-invasive and radiation-free imaging of the electrical activity of the heart with Electrocardiography (ECG) or Magnetocardiography (MCG) can be helpful for physicians for instance in the localization of the origin of cardiac arrhythmia. In this paper we compare two Kalman Filter algorithms for the solution of a nonlinear state-space model and for the subsequent imaging of the activation/depolarization times of the heart muscle: the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). The algorithms are compared for simulations of a (6×6) magnetometer array, a torso model with piecewise homogeneous conductivities, 946 current dipoles located in a small part of the heart (apex), and several noise levels. It is found that for all tested noise levels the convergence of the activation times is faster for the UKF.

Description: Data analysis of low frequency transmitter signals received at a midlatitude site with regard to planetary wave activity Advances in Radio Science, 10, 279-284, 2012 Author(s): E. D. Schmitter More than 2 yr of continuously recorded signal amplitude data from the MSK transmitters NRK/TFK (37.5 kHz, Iceland) and NSY (45.9 kHz, Sicily) received at (52° N 8° E) in the time range from August 2009 to September 2011 are analyzed with regard to planetary wave activity. Wavelet analysis of the day/night amplitude ratio reveals clear evidence of quasi 16 day periods mainly during winter time as well as traces of 5 and 10 day periods on both paths. The amplitude ratio is well correlated to the typical stratospheric (10 hPa) seasonal temperature profile – more clearly to be seen on the northern path. The results are in line and an extension of manifold research with regard of ionospheric absorption phenomena caused by atmospheric wave activity. Continuous monitoring of transmitters in the 40 kHz frequency range proved as an inexpensive tool for investigating mesospheric response to forcing from below.

Description: Statistics of long-term ionospheric measurements Advances in Radio Science, 10, 255-258, 2012 Author(s): T. Damboldt and P. Suessmann It is shown that after elimination of the dominant influence of solar activity, the height hmF2 of the maximum ionisation of the ionosphere (which is inversely linearly related to M(3000)F2 as described for example by the Shimazaki formula) shows a marked decrease during the recent solar minimum (2005 to 2009) of about 20 km. This is in accordance with results of studies of the decreased neutral density of the lower thermosphere and the density decrease at about 400 km during the unusual recent solar minimum. It is also shown that there is a trend reversal in the height of the ionosphere hmF2 in about 1963/1964 with a negative trend from 1942 to 1963 and a positive trend from 1964 to 2005. This is in contrast to the results reported in most other publications of ionospheric long-term trends. There is no significant trend in foF2 and, particularly, none of the effects described above for hmF2 could be found in foF2.

Description: Numerical modeling of solar wind influences on the dynamics of the high-latitude upper atmosphere Advances in Radio Science, 10, 299-312, 2012 Author(s): M. Förster, B. E. Prokhorov, A. A. Namgaladze, and M. Holschneider Neutral thermospheric wind patterns at high latitudes obtained from cross-track acceleration measurements of the CHAMP satellite above both polar regions are used to deduce statistical neutral wind vorticity distributions and were analyzed in their dependence on the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). The average pattern confirms the large duskside anticyclonic vortex seen in the average wind pattern and reveals a positive (cyclonic) vorticity on the dawnside, which is almost equal in magnitude to the duskside negative one. The IMF dependence of the vorticity pattern resembles the characteristic field-aligned current (FAC) and ionospheric plasma drift pattern known from various statistical studies obtained under the same sorting conditions as, e.g., the EDI Cluster statistical drift pattern. There is evidence for hemispheric differences in the average magnitudes of the statistical patterns both for plasma drift and even more for the neutral wind vorticity. The paper aims at a better understanding of the globally interconnected complex plasma physical and electrodynamic processes of Earth's upper atmosphere by means of first-principle numerical modeling using the Upper Atmosphere Model (UAM). The simulations of, e.g., thermospheric neutral wind and mass density at high latitudes are compared with CHAMP observations for varying IMF conditions. They show an immediate response of the upper atmosphere and its high sensitivity to IMF changes in strength and orientation.

Description: Planetary wave characteristics of gravity wave modulation from 30–130 km Advances in Radio Science, 10, 271-277, 2012 Author(s): P. Hoffmann and Ch. Jacobi Fast gravity waves (GW) have an important impact on the momentum transfer between the middle and upper atmosphere. Experiments with a circulation model indicate a penetration of high phase speed GW into the thermosphere as well as an indirect propagation of planetary waves by the modulation GW of momentum fluxes into the thermosphere. Planetary wave characteristics derived from middle atmosphere SABER temperatures, GW potential energy and ionospheric GPS-TEC data at midlatitudes reveal a possible correspondence of PW signatures in the middle atmosphere and ionosphere in winter around solar maximum (2002–2005). In the case of the westward propagating 16-day wave with zonal wavenumber 1 a possible connection could be found in data analysis (November–December 2003) and model simulation. Accordingly, GW with high phase speeds might play an essential role in the transfer of PW and other meteorological disturbances up to the ionospheric F-region.

Description: MAARSY – the new MST radar on Andøya: first results of spaced antenna and Doppler measurements of atmospheric winds in the troposphere and mesosphere using a partial array Advances in Radio Science, 10, 291-298, 2012 Author(s): G. Stober, R. Latteck, M. Rapp, W. Singer, and M. Zecha MST radars have been used to study the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere over decades. These radars have proven to be a valuable tool to investigate atmospheric dynamics. MAARSY, the new MST radar at the island of Andøya uses a phased array antenna and is able to perform spaced antenna and Doppler measurements at the same time with high temporal and spatial resolution. Here we present first wind observations using the initial expansion stage during summer 2010. The tropospheric spaced antenna and Doppler beam swinging experiments are compared to radiosonde measurements, which were launched at the nearby Andøya Rocket Range (ARR). The mesospheric wind observations are evaluated versus common volume meteor radar wind measurements. The beam steering capabilities of MAARSY are demonstrated by performing systematic scans of polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) using 25 and 91 beam directions. These wind observations permit to evaluate the new radar against independent measurements from radiosondes and meteor radar measurements to demonstrate its capabilities to provide reliable wind data from the troposphere up to the mesosphere.

Description: Validation of the radiation pattern of the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) Advances in Radio Science, 10, 245-253, 2012 Author(s): T. Renkwitz, W. Singer, R. Latteck, G. Stober, and M. Rapp In 2009/2010 the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) installed a new powerful VHF radar on the island Andøya in Northern Norway (69.30° N, 16.04° E). The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) allows studies with high spatial and temporal resolution in the troposphere/lower stratosphere and in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere of the Arctic atmosphere. The monostatic radar is operated at 53.5 MHz with an active phased array antenna consisting of 433 Yagi antennas. Each individual antenna is connected to its own transceiver with independent phase control and a scalable power output of up to 2 kW, which implies high flexibility of beam forming and beam steering. During the design phase of MAARSY several model studies have been carried out in order to estimate the radiation pattern for various combinations of beam forming and steering. However, parameters like mutual coupling, active impedance and ground parameters have an impact on the radiation pattern, but can hardly be measured. Hence, experiments need to be designed to verify the model results. For this purpose, the radar has occasionally been used in passive mode, monitoring the noise power received from both distinct cosmic noise sources like e.g. Cassiopeia A and Cygnus A, and the diffuse cosmic background noise. The analysis of the collected dataset enables us to verify beam forming and steering attempts. These results document the current status of the radar during its development and provide valuable information for further improvement.

Description: The 8-h tide in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere over Collm (51.3° N; 13.0° E), 2004–2011 Advances in Radio Science, 10, 265-270, 2012 Author(s): Ch. Jacobi and T. Fytterer The horizontal winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) at heights of about 80–100 km have been measured continuously since summer 2004 using an all-sky 36.2 MHz VHF meteor radar at Collm, Germany (51.3° N, 13° E). A climatology of the 8-h solar tide has been constructed from these data. The amplitude shows a seasonal behaviour with maximum values during the equinoxes, and it is generally increasing with altitude. The largest amplitudes are measured in autumn, partly reaching values up to 15 m s −1 . The phase, defined as the time of maximum eastward or northward wind, respectively, has earlier values in winter and later ones in summer. Except for summer, the phase difference between the zonal and meridional components is close to +2 h, indicating circular polarization of the tidal components. The vertical wavelengths are short in summer (~20 km) but significantly longer during the rest of the year. The terdiurnal tide is generally assumed to originate from either a terdiurnal component of solar heating or nonlinear interaction between the diurnal and semidiurnal tide. Analysing monthly means reveals positive correlation during the spring maximum, but negative correlation in autumn.

Description: Horizontally resolved structures of radar backscatter from polar mesospheric layers Advances in Radio Science, 10, 285-290, 2012 Author(s): R. Latteck, W. Singer, M. Rapp, T. Renkwitz, and G. Stober The Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn, Germany (IAP) installed a new powerful VHF radar on the North-Norwegian island Andøya (69.30° N, 16.04° E) from 2009 to 2011. The new Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) replaces the existing ALWIN radar which has been in continuous operation on Andøya for more than 10 yr. MAARSY is a monostatic radar operated at 53.5 MHz with an active phased array antenna consisting of 433 Yagi antennas each connected to its own transceiver with independent control of frequency, phase and power of the transmitted signal. This arrangement provides a very high flexibility of beam forming and beam steering. It allows classical beam swinging operation as well as experiments with simultaneous multiple beams and the use of modern interferometric applications for improved studies of the Arctic atmosphere from the troposphere up to the lower thermosphere with high spatial-temporal resolution. The installation of the antenna was completed in August 2009. An initial expansion stage of 196 transceiver modules was installed in spring 2010, upgraded to 343 transceiver modules in December 2010 and the installation of the radar was completed in spring 2011. Beside standard observations of tropospheric winds and Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes, multi-beam experiments using up to 91 beams quasi-simultaneously in the mesosphere have been carried out using the different expansion stages of the system during campaigns in 2010 and 2011. These results provided a first insight into the horizontal variability of Polar Mesosphere Summer and Winter Echoes in an area of about 80 km by 80 km with time resolutions between 3 and 9 min.

Description: EUV-TEC proxy to describe ionospheric variability using satellite-borne solar EUV measurements Advances in Radio Science, 10, 259-263, 2012 Author(s): C. Unglaub, Ch. Jacobi, G. Schmidtke, B. Nikutowski, and R. Brunner An updated version of a proxy, termed EUV-TEC, describing the global total primary photoionisation is calculated from satellite-borne EUV measurements assuming a model atmosphere consisting of four major atmospheric constituents. Regional number densities of the background atmosphere are taken from the NRLMSISE-00 climatology. For calculation the Lambert-Beer law is used to describe the decrease of the radiation along their way through the atmosphere. The EUV-TEC proxy thus describes the ionospheric response to solar EUV radiation and its variability. EUV-TEC is compared against the global mean total electron content (TEC), a fundamental ionospheric parameter created from vertical TEC maps derived from GPS data. Strong correlation between these indices is found on different time scales. Results show that the EUV-TEC proxy represents the ionsopheric variability better than the conventional solar index F10.7 does, especially during high and moderate solar activity.

Description: Numerical modeling for heatsink emissions in power electronics Advances in Radio Science, 10, 239-243, 2012 Author(s): J. Kulanayagam, J. H. Hagmann, S. Schenke, K. F. Hoffmann, and S. Dickmann The parasitic coupling between power semiconductors and the heat sink is responsible for noise current in Switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS) systems. In this paper, the variations in the radiation characteristics of heatsinks are investigated with respect to their geometries by use of numerical models. Analyses are facilitated by using a mopole antenna as an EMI receiver and by using simplified heatsink models as EMI transmitters to model the heatsink radiated emissions. In addition, the analysis is confirmed using laboratory measurements.

Description: Advantages of the new model of IRI (IRI-Plas) to simulate the ionospheric electron density: case of the European area Advances in Radio Science, 11, 307-311, 2013 Author(s): O. A. Maltseva, G. A. Zhbankov, and N. S. Mozhaeva Satellite telecommunications, positioning and navigation systems require knowledge of the electron distribution in height Ne(h) to high-altitude orbits of satellites. One of the possibilities to construct such profiles is associated with the use of the ionospheric total electron content TEC. This paper is devoted to three advantages of the IRI-Plas model. They include introduction of the topside basis scale height Hsc, expansion of the IRI model to the plasmasphere, ingestion of experimental values of TEC. Testing of this model according to different satellite experiments (CHAMP, DMSP) shows the high efficiency of this model. The method of adaptation of the IRI-Plas model to the plasma frequency at altitudes of CHAMP and DMSP satellites allows us to produce behavior of Ne(h)-profiles during the disturbances, as well as to refine the values of TEC, which determine the accuracy of positioning. Results were obtained using data of the European area.

Description: Occurrence frequencies of polar mesosphere summer echoes observed at 69° N during a full solar cycle Advances in Radio Science, 11, 327-332, 2013 Author(s): R. Latteck and J. Bremer Polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) are strong enhancements of received signal power at very high radar frequencies occurring at altitudes between about 80 and 95 km at polar latitudes during summer. PMSE are caused by inhomogeneities in the electron density of the radar Bragg scale within the plasma of the cold summer mesopause region in the presence of negatively charged ice particles. Thus the occurrence of PMSE contains information about mesospheric temperature and water vapour content but also depends on the ionisation due to solar wave radiation and precipitating high energetic particles. Continuous and homogeneous observations of PMSE have been done on the North-Norwegian island Andøya (69.3° N, 16.0° E) from 1999 until 2008 using the ALWIN VHF radar at 53.5 MHz. In 2009 the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn, Germany (IAP) started the installation of the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) at the same location. The observation of mesospheric echoes could be continued in spring 2010 starting with an initial stage of expansion of MAARSY and is carried out with the completed installation of the radar since May 2011. Since both the ALWIN radar and MAARSY are calibrated, the received echo strength of PMSE from 14 yr of mesospheric observations could be converted to absolute signal power. Occurrence frequencies based on different common thresholds of PMSE echo strength were used for investigations of the solar and geomagnetic control of the PMSE as well as of possible long-term changes. The PMSE are positively correlated with the solar Lyman α radiation and the geomagnetic activity. The occurrence frequencies of the PMSE show slightly positive trends but with marginal significance levels.

Description: FMCW sparse array imaging and restoration for microwave gauging Advances in Radio Science, 10, 333-339, 2012 Author(s): S. Kolb and R. Stolle The application of imaging radar to microwave level gauging represents a prospect of increasing the reliability of target detection. The aperture size of the used sensor determines the underlying azimuthal resolution. In consequence, when FMCW-based multistatic radar (FMCW: frequency modulated continuous wave) is used, the number of antennas dictates this essential property of an imaging system. The application of a sparse array leads to an improvement of the azimuthal resolution by keeping the number of array elements constant with the cost of increased side lobe level. Therefore, ambiguities occur within the imaging process. This problem can be modelled by a point spread function (PSF) which is common in image processing. Hence, an inverse system to the imaging system is needed to restore unique information of existing targets within the observed radar scenario. In general, the process of imaging is of ill-conditioned nature and therefore appropriate algorithms have to be applied. The present paper first develops the degradation model, namely PSF, of an imaging system based on a uniform linear array in time domain. As a result, range and azimuth dimensions are interdependent and the process of imaging has to be reformulated in one dimension. Matrix-based approaches can be adopted in this way. The second part applies two computational methods to the given inverse problem, namely quadratic and non-quadratic regularization. Notably, the second one exhibits an ability to suppress ambiguities. This can be demonstrated with the results of both, simulations and measurements, and enables sparse array imaging to localize point targets more unambiguously.

Description: During the last decade, modern Pedestrian Detection Systems made massive use of the steadily growing numbers of high-performance image acquisition sensors. Within our naturalistic driving environment, a lot of different and heterogeneous scenes occur that are caused by varying illumination and weather conditions. Unfortunately, current systems do not work properly under these hardened conditions. The aim of this article is to investigate and evaluate observed video scenes from an open source dataset by using various image features in order to create a basis for robust and more accurate object detection.

Description: In this contribution, efficiency enhancement of a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) for Long Term Evolution (LTE) base stations using envelope tracking is investigated. The dynamically adapted drain bias voltage is provided by a three-level class-G modulator. The potential of this bias modulator is demonstrated with a class AB PA built in gallium nitride (GaN) technology with an operation frequency of 2.75 GHz, a maximum output power of 41 dBm and a peak power-added efficiency (PAE) of 60%. When driven by an LTE signal with a bandwidth of 20 MHz, overall system efficiency can be increased from 17% with a constant supply voltage up to 29% with envelope tracking. This is accompanied by a reduction of linearity. Adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) decreases by 10 dB in the first and by 18 dB in the second adjacent channel, respectively. Error vector magnitude (EVM) increases from 9% up to 29%.

Description: The ionospheric W index allows to distinguish state of the ionosphere and plasmasphere from quiet conditions (W = 0 or ±1) to intense storm (W = ±4) ranging the plasma density enhancements (positive phase) or plasma density depletions (negative phase) regarding the quiet ionosphere. The global W index maps are produced for a period 1999–2014 from Global Ionospheric Maps of Total Electron Content, GIM-TEC, designed by Jet Propulson Laboratory, converted from geographic frame (−87.5:2.5:87.5° in latitude, −180:5:180° in longitude) to geomagnetic frame (−85:5:85° in magnetic latitude, −180:5:180° in magnetic longitude). The probability of occurrence of planetary ionosphere storm during the magnetic disturbance storm time, Dst, event is evaluated with the superposed epoch analysis for 77 intense storms (Dst ≤ −100 nT) and 230 moderate storms (−100 〈 Dst ≤ −50 nT) with start time, t0, defined at Dst storm main phase onset. It is found that the intensity of negative storm, iW-, exceeds the intensity of positive storm, iW+, by 1.5–2 times. An empirical formula of iW+ and iW- in terms of peak Dst is deduced exhibiting an opposite trends of relation of intensity of ionosphere-plasmasphere storm with regard to intensity of Dst storm.

Description: This paper investigates the impact of an error-prone buffer memory on a channel decoder as employed in modern digital communication systems. On one hand this work is motivated by the fact that energy efficient decoder implementations may not only be achieved by optimizations on algorithmic level, but also by chip-level modifications. One of such modifications is so called aggressive voltage scaling of buffer memories, which, while achieving reduced power consumption, also injects errors into the likelihood values used during the decoding process. On the other hand, it has been recognized that the ongoing increase of integration density with smaller structures makes integrated circuits more sensitive to process variations during manufacturing, and to voltage and temperature variations. This may lead to a paradigm shift from 100 %-reliable operation to fault tolerant signal processing. Both reasons are the motivation to discuss the required co-design of algorithms and underlying circuits. For an error-prone receive buffer of a Turbo decoder the influence of quantizer design and index assignment on the error resilience of the decoding algorithm is discussed. It is shown that a suitable design of both enables a compensation of hardware induced bits errors with rates up to 1 % without increasing the computational complexity of the decoder.

Description: The quasi 2 day wave (QTDW) over Collm (51° N, 13° E) has been studied between September 2004 and September 2013 using a VHF meteor radar. The 9 year mean amplitudes show a strong summer maximum with several irregular bursts and much weaker winter maxima. In summer, the meridional amplitude is slightly larger than the zonal one with about 15 m s−1 at 91 km height. Phase differences are slightly higher than 90°, which indicates a polarization that is nearly circular. On an average the QTDW is amplified after a maximum of zonal wind shear. This can be realized in the summer mesospheric jet where the zonal wind component has its minimum or, in other words, the easterly jet maximizes. Thus, instability is found as a likely forcing mechanism. QTDW amplitudes exhibit considerable inter-annual variability. In particular, there is a possible relation between the QTDW amplitude and the 11-year solar cycle in winter but not in summer.

Description: Bei dem Entwurf von anwendungsspezifischen integrierten Schaltungen muss ein Entwickler zusätzliche Funktionen integrieren und die zunehmende Komplexität bewältigen. Für die Reduzierung der Kosten bleibt weiterhin die Verkürzung der benötigten Entwicklungszeit ein Ziel. Ein entscheidender Faktor dabei ist die zuverlässige Absicherung von Entwurfsentscheidungen in einer frühen Entwurfsphase. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird eine Methode vorgestellt, die eine Bewertung von Entwurfsentscheidungen bei Systemmodellen mittels automatisch ermittelter Indikatoren ermöglichen soll. Die Systemmodelle können mit der Entwurfsumgebung MATLAB/Simulink oder in SystemC beschrieben sein.

Description: A complex-source beam (CSB) is used to investigate the electromagnetic scattering and diffraction by the tip of a perfectly conducting semi-infinite circular cone. The boundary value problem is defined by assigning a complex-valued source coordinate in the spherical-multipole expansion of the field due to a Hertzian dipole in the presence of the PEC circular cone. Since the incident CSB field can be interpreted as a localized plane wave illuminating the tip, the classical exact tip scattering problem can be analysed by an eigenfunction expansion without having the convergence problems in case of a full plane wave incident field. The numerical evaluation includes corresponding near- and far-fields.

Description: Northern Hemisphere midlatitude sporadic E (Es) layer occurrence rates derived from FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC GPS radio occultation (RO) measurements during the Geminid meteor showers 2006–2010 are compared with meteor rates obtained with the Collm (51.3° N, 13.0° E) VHF meteor radar. In most years, Es rates increase after the shower, with a short delay of few days. This indicates a possible link between meteor influx and the production of metallic ions that may form Es. There is an indication that the increase propagates downward, probably partly caused by tidal wind shear. However, the correlation between Es rates and meteor flux varies from year to year. A strong correlation is found especially in 2009, while in 2010 Es rates even decrease during the shower. This indicates that additional processes significantly influence Es occurrence also during meteor showers. A possible effect of the semidiurnal tide is found. During years with weaker tidal wind shear, the correlation between Es and meteor rates is even weaker.

Description: In modern CMOS integrated Systems-on-Chip global temperature variations arise as well as local fluctuations in regions of high activity, resulting in the arise of local hot spots. This in turn can greatly affect reliability and life-time of a chip. Economically affordable processor packaging cannot be provided for the worst case hot spot scenario. In a multicore system a reciprocal influence between the temperatures of neighbouring cores occur leading to increasing core temperature compared to a single core. This results in the need to monitor and regulate the operating temperature during runtime in order to keep it at tolerable values. This can be done in an easy way in an invasive architecture. In this paper the temperature distributions of cores in a multicore system are simulated for various scenarios. Different task allocation techniques and application characteristics as well as different physical conditions such as package types, material parameters and cooling all result in different system power scenarios. The impact of different scenarios which affect the system temperature scenario is investigated. The results are analysed and compared to determine the worst case scenario. With regard to simulation results and practicability the best temperature levelling measures are chosen.

Description: The far-field behavior of an antenna under test (AUT) can be obtained by exciting the AUT with a plane wave. In a measurement, it is sufficient if the plane wave is artificially generated in the vicinity of the AUT. This can be achieved by using a virtual antenna array formed by a probe antenna which is sequentially sampling the radiating near-field of the AUT at different positions. For this purpose, an optimal filter for the virtual antenna array is computed in a preprocessing step. Applying this filter to the near-field measurements, the far-field of the AUT is obtained according to the propagation direction and polarization of the synthesized plane wave. This means that the near-field far-field transformation (NFFFT) is achieved simply by filtering the near-field measurement data. Taking the radiation characteristic of the probe antenna into account during the synthesis process, its influence on the NFFFT is compensated. The principle of the plane-wave synthesis and its application to the NFFFT is presented in detail in this paper. Furthermore, the method is verified by performing transformations of simulated near-field measurement data and of near-field data measured in an anechoic chamber.

Description: Global Positioning System radio occultation measurements by the FORMOsa SATellite mission-3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate satellites were used to analyse the behaviour of the signature of the terdiurnal tide in sporadic E (ES) layers at midlatitudes (43–63° N). According to theory, the occurrence of ES is expected when the vertical zonal wind shear, which is mainly owing to solar tides, is negative. 4 yr means, based on 3-monthly running mean zonal means from December 2006–November 2010, were constructed for the terdiurnal oscillation in the occurrence frequency of ES. Comparison of the results with VHF meteor radar observations of the terdiurnal tide and the 8 h oscillation in the vertical zonal wind shear at Collm, Germany (51.3° N, 13° E) shows a clear correspondence between the 8 h in ES and in wind shear signature.

Description: Almost always noise figure is measured today by using a matched noise source delivering two different but known noise temperatures (Y factor method). In commercially available noise sources these temperatures are characterized by the excess noise ratio (ENR) value, describing the ratio of equivalent noise power when switched on related to the noise power of a resistor at a temperature of 290 K (switched off). For a typical ENR value of 5 dB that means a hot temperature Th=1207 K and a cold temperature Tc = 290 K.

Description: Die Kenntnis des eigenen Standortes an jedem Punkt der Erde und zu jeder Zeit ist eine wichtige Voraussetzung für viele Anwendungen sowohl im Straßenverkehr als auch zur Orientierung einzelner Personen. Wurde bisher das bekannte GPS vorwiegend eingesetzt, so existiert mit GLONASS und entsprechenden Mehrsystemempfängern die Möglichkeit der Nutzung von mehreren Satellitensystemen. Dadurch erhöht sich augenblicklich die Anzahl zur Verfügung stehender Satelliten, wodurch sich bestimmte Positionierungseigenschaften wie Verfügbarkeit, Integrität und Genauigkeit verbessern lassen.

Description: In this contribution a coherent relation between the algebraic and the transform-based reconstruction technique for computed tomography is introduced using the mathematical means of two-dimensional signal processing. There are two advantages arising from that approach. First, the algebraic reconstruction technique can now be used efficiently regarding memory usage without considerations concerning the handling of large sparse matrices. Second, the relation grants a more intuitive understanding as to the convergence characteristics of the iterative method. Besides the gain in theoretical insight these advantages offer new possibilities for application-specific fine tuning of reconstruction techniques.

Description: Elektrische Leitungen und Kabel stellen häufig die Haupteinfallstore für elektromagnetische Felder in die daran angeschlossenen Geräte und Systeme dar. Für die Einkopplung einer ebenen Welle kann der in eine Leitung eingekoppelte Strom unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen mit Hilfe der Leitungstheorie sehr effizient bestimmt werden. Er hängt dabei von den Abmessungen der Leitung, den Leitungsabschlüssen sowie der Amplitude, der Wellenlänge und der Einfallsrichtung der ebenen Welle ab. In dieser Arbeit wird die Abhängigkeit der Einkopplung von der Einfallsrichtung näher untersucht. Dazu werden Richtdiagramme der Einkopplung berechnet, dargestellt und hinsichtlich der mittleren und maximalen Einkopplung über alle Einfallsrichtungen und Polarisationen ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse werden genutzt, um die maximale Direktivität der Einkopplung in eine Leitung zu bestimmen. Fasst man die Einkopplung externer Felder in eine Leitung als einen Störfestigkeitstest auf, so kann die maximale Direktivität benutzt werden, um einen Vergleich zwischen unterschiedlichen Messumgebungen wie Absorberhallen und Modenverwirbelungskammern herzustellen.

Description: The development of a flexible software defined RFID is discused. Commercial reader systems only allow a top level view on the communication and restrict the variation for many transmission parameters. Recently a software reader from the CGran project was proposed which uses the GNU Radio environment in combination with an USRP front end. Because most of the signal processing is done on a common host PC, this reader offers high flexibility, but also has several disadvantages. One of the main hardware limitations is the usage of only one separated antenna per transmit and receive path. Commercial readers usually use four antennas which are time multiplexed and can be used as transmitter and receiver. In this work a HF multiplexer for the USRP device is introduced. With this extension up to four transmit and receive antennas can be used in combination with the software reader. It is shown that the multiplexer achieves good read rates for a switching interval of 100 ms. Using this multiplexer the read range of the system decrease compared to the basic software reader, but distances over two meters can still be realized without additional hardware extensions.

Description: A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data processing uses the backscattered electromagnetic wave to map radar reflectivity of the ground surface. The polarization property in radar remote sensing was used successfully in many applications, especially in target decomposition. This paper presents a case study to the experiments which are performed on ESAR L-Band full polarized data sets from German Aerospace Center (DLR) to demonstrate the potential of coherent target decomposition and the possibility of using the weather radar measurement parameter, such as the differential reflectivity and the linear depolarization ratio to obtain the quantitative information of the ground surface. The raw data of ESAR has been processed by the SAR simulator developed using MATLAB program code with Range-Doppler algorithm.

Description: Polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) are strong enhancements of received signal power at very high radar frequencies occurring at altitudes between about 80 and 95 km at polar latitudes during summer. PMSE are caused by inhomogeneities in the electron density of the radar Bragg scale within the plasma of the cold summer mesopause region in the presence of negatively charged ice particles. Thus the occurrence of PMSE contains information about mesospheric temperature and water vapour content but also depends on the ionisation due to solar wave radiation and precipitating high energetic particles. Continuous and homogeneous observations of PMSE have been done on the North-Norwegian island Andøya (69.3° N, 16.0° E) from 1999 until 2008 using the ALWIN VHF radar at 53.5 MHz. In 2009 the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn, Germany (IAP) started the installation of the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) at the same location. The observation of mesospheric echoes could be continued in spring 2010 starting with an initial stage of expansion of MAARSY and is carried out with the completed installation of the radar since May 2011. Since both the ALWIN radar and MAARSY are calibrated, the received echo strength of PMSE from 14 yr of mesospheric observations could be converted to absolute signal power. Occurrence frequencies based on different common thresholds of PMSE echo strength were used for investigations of the solar and geomagnetic control of the PMSE as well as of possible long-term changes. The PMSE are positively correlated with the solar Lyman α radiation and the geomagnetic activity. The occurrence frequencies of the PMSE show slightly positive trends but with marginal significance levels.

Description: An updated version of a proxy, termed EUV-TEC, describing the global total primary photoionisation is calculated from satellite-borne EUV measurements assuming a model atmosphere consisting of four major atmospheric constituents. Regional number densities of the background atmosphere are taken from the NRLMSISE-00 climatology. For calculation the Lambert-Beer law is used to describe the decrease of the radiation along their way through the atmosphere. The EUV-TEC proxy thus describes the ionospheric response to solar EUV radiation and its variability. EUV-TEC is compared against the global mean total electron content (TEC), a fundamental ionospheric parameter created from vertical TEC maps derived from GPS data. Strong correlation between these indices is found on different time scales. Results show that the EUV-TEC proxy represents the ionsopheric variability better than the conventional solar index F10.7 does, especially during high and moderate solar activity.

Description: It is shown that after elimination of the dominant influence of solar activity, the height hmF2 of the maximum ionisation of the ionosphere (which is inversely linearly related to M(3000)F2 as described for example by the Shimazaki formula) shows a marked decrease during the recent solar minimum (2005 to 2009) of about 20 km. This is in accordance with results of studies of the decreased neutral density of the lower thermosphere and the density decrease at about 400 km during the unusual recent solar minimum. It is also shown that there is a trend reversal in the height of the ionosphere hmF2 in about 1963/1964 with a negative trend from 1942 to 1963 and a positive trend from 1964 to 2005. This is in contrast to the results reported in most other publications of ionospheric long-term trends. There is no significant trend in foF2 and, particularly, none of the effects described above for hmF2 could be found in foF2.

Description: Fast gravity waves (GW) have an important impact on the momentum transfer between the middle and upper atmosphere. Experiments with a circulation model indicate a penetration of high phase speed GW into the thermosphere as well as an indirect propagation of planetary waves by the modulation GW of momentum fluxes into the thermosphere. Planetary wave characteristics derived from middle atmosphere SABER temperatures, GW potential energy and ionospheric GPS-TEC data at midlatitudes reveal a possible correspondence of PW signatures in the middle atmosphere and ionosphere in winter around solar maximum (2002–2005). In the case of the westward propagating 16-day wave with zonal wavenumber 1 a possible connection could be found in data analysis (November–December 2003) and model simulation. Accordingly, GW with high phase speeds might play an essential role in the transfer of PW and other meteorological disturbances up to the ionospheric F-region.

Description: A matrix-based approach for implementation of deterministic ray tracing is suggested and presented in this paper. The frequency-independent feature of the ray tracing in addition to the matrix-based implementation results in a reliable fast simulator for understanding the behavior of the electromagnetic fields in the vicinity of a collision avoidance radar. Results of this technique are in a good agreement with the results from method of moments integral equation solutions while the computations are about 100 times faster.

Description: We present a multi-user cooperative mobile transponder system which enables cars to localize pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users in order to improve traffic safety. The system operates at a center frequency of 5.768 GHz, offering the ability to test precision localization technology at frequencies close to the newly designated automotive safety related bands around 5.9 GHz. By carrying out a roundtrip time of flight measurement, the sensor can determine the distance from the onboard localization unit of a car to a road user who is equipped with an active transponder, employing the idea of a secondary radar and pulse compression. The onboard unit sends out a pseudo noise coded interrogation pulse, which is answered by one or more transponders after a short waiting time. Each transponder uses a different waiting time in order to allow for time division multiple access. We present the system setup as well as range measurement results, achieving an accuracy up to centimeters for the distance measurement and a range in the order of hundred meters. We also discuss the effect of clock drift and offset on distance accuracy for different waiting times and show how the system can be improved to further increase precision in a multiuser environment.

Description: The determination of the meteoroid flux is still a scientifically challenging task. This paper focusses on the impact of extraterrestrial noise sources as well as atmospheric phenomena on the observation of specular meteor echoes. The effect of cosmic radio noise on the meteor detection process is estimated by computing the relative difference between radio loud and radio quiet areas and comparing the monthly averaged meteor flux for fixed signal-to-noise ratios or fixed electron line density measurements. Related to the cosmic radio noise is the influence of D-layer absorption or interference with sporadic E-layers, which can lead to apparent day-to-day variation of the meteor flux of 15–20%.

Description: This paper focuses on the estimation of the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of signals impinging on a sensor array. A novel method of array geometry optimization is presented that improves the DOA estimation performance compared to the standard uniform linear array (ULA) with half wavelength element spacing. Typically, array optimization only affects the beam pattern of a specific steering direction. In this work, the proposed objective function incorporates, on the one hand, a priori knowledge about the signal's DOA in terms of a probability density function. By this means, the array can be adjusted to external conditions. On the other hand, a modified beam pattern expression that is valid for all possible signal directions is taken into account. By controlling the side lobe level and the beam width of this new function, DOA ambiguities, which lead to large DOA estimation errors, can be avoided. In addition, the DOA fine error variance is minimized. Using a globally convergent evolution strategy, the geometry optimization provides array geometries that significantly outperform the standard ULA with respect to DOA estimation performance. To show the quality of the algorithm, four optimum geometries are presented. Their DOA mean squared error is evaluated using the well known deterministic Maximum Likelihood estimator and compared to the standard ULA and theoretical lower bounds.

Description: The Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn, Germany (IAP) is installing a new powerful VHF radar on the North-Norwegian island Andøya (69.30° N, 16.04° E) in 2009/2010. The new Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) replaces the existing ALWIN radar which has been operated continuously on Andøya for more than 10 years. The new system is a monostatic radar operated at 53.5 MHz with an active phased array antenna consisting of 433 Yagi antennas. The 3-element Yagi antennas are arranged in an equilateral triangle grid forming a circular aperture of approximately 6300 m2. Each individual antenna is connected to its own transceiver with independent phase control and a scalable output up to 2 kW. This arrangement allows very high flexibility of beam forming and beam steering with a symmetric radar beam of a minimum half power beam width of 3.6°, a maximum directive gain of 33.5 dB and a total transmitted peak power of approximately 800 kW. The IF signals of each 7 transceivers connected to each 7 antennas arranged in a hexagon are combined to 61 receiving channels. Selected channels or combinations of IF signals are sent to a 16-channel data acquisition system with 25 m sampling resolution and 16-bit digitization specified which will be upgraded to 64 channels in the final stage. The high flexibility of the new system allows classical Doppler beam swinging as well as experiments with simultaneously formed multiple beams and the use of modern interferometric applications for improved studies of the Arctic atmosphere from the troposphere up to the lower thermosphere with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Description: Due to the vastly increasing use of wireless services in the car, such as WiFi, Car2Car and LTE, the requirements on bandwidth and radiation pattern of the roof antenna systems become more challenging. In this work, a design concept for multi-band roof antenna systems is presented. We aim to get a higher bandwidth and an almost circular radiation pattern on the horizontal plane. Moreover, the antenna length is considered in order to fulfill the requirements set by construction ECE-regulations (ECE, 2010). The applicability of the design concept is not limited to multi-band roof antennas, it can also be used for a general wideband antenna design. For illustration of this concept, a multi-band roof antenna with a bandwidth of 780 MHz to 5.9 GHz and a near circular radiation pattern with an average gain of G = 3 dBi (at 5.9 GHz) on the horizontal plane is designed. The simulation and measurement results are presented.

Description: There are many reasons, why electric drive systems will be used in future more frequently in transportation systems. The electrification allows a flexible use of different energy sources and thus creates a greater independence from fossil energy. However, electric drive systems are a challenge for the manufacturers of transportation systems. The electrical powertrain can not only be exposed to interferences, it may also emit interferences into components and communication cables in the vicinity. This can be a high risk for the drive system and for the passengers. For that reason, an EMC study of an electrical powertrain for transportation systems is presented. There the interference at the unshielded high-voltage cable (HV-cable) is characterized. The analysis of the influence of position variation of the communication cable with respect to the unshielded HV-cables is one main aspect. Different optimizations have been added to the test setup.

Description: In the wireless communication, the variation of the transmission delay is called jitter and is one of the variables responsible for the degradation of the service quality. Jitter is present in every section of the transmission system. Its stochastic behavior depends on the technology implemented in the system and the service provided by the system. This paper focuses on mathematical modeling and phenomenological analysis of the jitter encountered by the real-time services in a wireless network. Using the data made available to the public by the wireless industry, we explore the stochastic characterizations of the jitter in a wireless IP networks. Within the scope of real-time service, we studied the relation between delay, jitter and the inter-packet time. Evaluation of the sample data indicates a long range dependence of the inter-packet time of the received packets in a real-time connection. The result helps understanding the transmission delay encountered by the real-time service over wireless IP networks.

Description: The need for uncooled infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPA) for imaging systems has increased since the beginning of the nineties. Examples for the application of IRFPAs are thermography, pedestrian detection for automotives, fire fighting, and infrared spectroscopy. It is very important to have a correct electro-optical model for the simulation of the microbolometer during the development of the readout integrated circuit (ROIC) used for IRFPAs. The microbolometer as the sensing element absorbs infrared radiation which leads to a change of its temperature due to a very good thermal insulation. In conjunction with a high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the sensing material (typical vanadium oxide or amorphous silicon) this temperature change results in a change of the electrical resistance. During readout, electrical power is dissipated in the microbolometer, which increases the temperature continuously. The standard model for the electro-optical simulation of a microbolometer includes the radiation emitted by an observed blackbody, radiation emitted by the substrate, radiation emitted by the microbolometer itself to the surrounding, a heat loss through the legs which connect the microbolometer electrically and mechanically to the substrate, and the electrical power dissipation during readout of the microbolometer (Wood, 1997). The improved model presented in this paper takes a closer look on additional radiation effects in a real IR camera system, for example the radiation emitted by the casing and the lens. The proposed model will consider that some parts of the radiation that is reflected from the casing and the substrate is also absorbed by the microbolometer. Finally, the proposed model will include that some fraction of the radiation is transmitted through the microbolometer at first and then absorbed after the reflection at the surface of the substrate. Compared to the standard model temperature and resistance of the microbolometer can be modelled more realistically when these higher order effects are taken into account. A Verilog-A model for electronic circuit simulations is developed based on the improved thermal model of the microbolometer. Finally, a simulation result of a simple circuit is presented.

Description: Object recognition is a very interesting task with multiple applications and for that reason it has been dealt with very intensively in the last years. In particular, the application to naval ship pictures may facilitate the work of the coastguards or the navy. However, this type of images entails some difficulties due to their specific environment. Water reflects the light and as a consequence, some areas may presumably show different brightness and color. Waves from wind or moving ships pose a problem due to the additional edges that they produce. The camouflage of ships in the military context is also an issue to take into account. Therefore, it is difficult to propose a simple method that is valid for every image. A discussion about which techniques may solve these problems is presented and finally a combined solution based on contour recognition is suggested. Test images are preprocessed by histogram stretching. Then, the Canny method is applied to the image and to the reference contour in order to obtain not only their edges, but also their respective orientations. The problem of recognizing the reference contour within the detected edges is addressed by making use of the Generalized Hough Transform (GHT).

Description: We present a transition from a contact structure built on highly-conductive silicon to a coplanar waveguide (CPW) fabricated in membrane technology. Test structures were fabricated and measured. The silicon-to-membrane transition is suitable for on-wafer probing and provides less than −10 dB measured reflection in the frequency range from 1 to 110 GHz. Measured and calculated values of the propagation constant of the membrane CPW agree well in the entire frequency range.

Description: The multipole representation of Magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals is known as a useful tool for distinguishing between magnetic fields arising from the brain and external disturbances. In this contribution we extend this concept and show that a closed double-layer surface with magnetometer probes is better suited to determine the corresponding multipole amplitudes αlm than a conventional single-layer surface with gradiometers and magnetometer probes. For two different source configurations we show that the αlm rapidly converge to the exact values. This proof of concept motivates to further optimize the geometry of the double-layer surface and the sensors' positions.

Description: A phase-locked loop (PLL) based frequency synthesizer capable of generating highly linear broadband frequency sweeps as signal source of a high resolution 80 GHz FMCW radar system is presented. The system achieves a wide output range of 24.5 GHz starting from 68 GHz up to 92.5 GHz. High frequencies allow the use of small antennas for small antenna beam angles. The wide bandwidth results in a radar system with a very high range resolution of below 1.5 cm. Furthermore, the presented synthesizer provides a very low phase noise performance of −80 dBc/Hz at 80 GHz carrier frequency and 10 kHz offset, which enables high precision distance measurements with low range errors. This is achieved by using two nested phase-looked loops with high order loop filters. The use of a fractional PLL divider and a high phase frequency discriminator (PFD) frequency assures an excellent ramp linearity.

Description: In this paper a parametric modeling technique for a fast polynomial extraction of the physically relevant parameters of inductively coupled RFID/NFC (radio frequency identification/near field communication) antennas is presented. The polynomial model equations are obtained by means of a three-step procedure: first, full Partial Element Equivalent Circuit (PEEC) antenna models are determined by means of a number of parametric simulations within the input parameter range of a certain antenna class. Based on these models, the RLC antenna parameters are extracted in a subsequent model reduction step. Employing these parameters, polynomial equations describing the antenna parameter with respect to (w.r.t.) the overall antenna input parameter range are extracted by means of polynomial interpolation and approximation of the change of the polynomials' coefficients. The described approach is compared to the results of a reference PEEC solver with regard to accuracy and computation effort.

Description: A new kind of a modular multi-purpose robot system is developed to measure the spatial field distributions of very large as well as of small and crowded areas. The probe is automatically placed at a number of pre-defined positions where measurements are carried out. The advantages of this system are its very low influence on the measured field as well as its wide area of possible applications. In addition, the initial costs are quite low. In this paper the theory underlying the measurement principle is explained. The accuracy is analyzed and sample measurements are presented.

Description: In the context of parameter estimation, subspace-based methods like ESPRIT have become common. They require a subspace separation e.g. based on eigenvalue/-vector decomposition. In time-varying environments, this can be done by subspace trackers. One class of these is based on the PAST algorithm. Our non-linear parameter estimation algorithm DaPT builds on-top of the ESPRIT algorithm. Evaluation of the different variants of the PAST algorithm shows which variant of the PAST algorithm is worthwhile in the context of frequency estimation.

Description: In many countries the electromagnetic field strength in the proximity of licensed amateur radio stations is limited to ensure public safety. If the station antenna(s) and/or the environmental situation are complex, only measurement results are acceptable as proof, and proper calibration of the field strength meters ("radiation monitors") is mandatory. A system and a procedure are described here, enabling calibration of such "radiation monitors" at a high quality level and traceable to the SI units, but with low-budget amateur equipment.

Description: Near-field measurements are established techniques to obtain the far-field radiation pattern of an Antenna Under Test via near-field measurements and subsequent near-field far-field transformation. For measurements acquired in echoic environments, additional post-processing is required to eliminate the effects of multipath signals in the resulting far-field pattern. One of such methods models the measurement environment as a multiple source scenario whereby the collected near-field data is attributed to the AUT and some scattering centers in the vicinity of the AUT. In this way, the contributions of the AUT at the probe can be separated from those of the disturbers during the near-field far-field transformation if the disturber locations are known. In this paper, we present ways of modeling the scattering centers on equivalent surfaces such that echo suppression is possible with only partial or no information about the geometry of the scatterers.

Description: A detailed analysis of the measurement procedures recommended by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that – with proper definition of audio quality – the FM broadcasting system can provide an audio signal-to-noise ratio of no better than 40 dB, when the interference in the neighboring channels exhausts the limits established by the internationally agreed protection ratios. Thus any attempt to relax the protection, be it motivated by the desire to implement additional FM or new digital services in the FM band, would inevitably degrade reception quality of existing services to levels hardly acceptable by broadcast listeners.

Description: In the future, sensors will enable a large variety of new services in different domains. Important application areas are service adaptations in fixed and mobile environments, ambient assisted living, home automation, traffic management, as well as management of smart grids. All these applications will share a common property, the usage of networked sensors and actuators. To ensure an efficient deployment of such sensor-actuator networks, concepts and frameworks for managing and distributing sensor data as well as for triggering actuators need to be developed. In this paper, we present an architecture for integrating sensors and actuators into the future Internet. In our concept, all sensors and actuators are connected via gateways to the Internet, that will be used as comprehensive transport medium. Additionally, an entity is needed for registering all sensors and actuators, and managing sensor data requests. We decided to use a hierarchical structure, comparable to the Domain Name Service. This approach realizes a cost-efficient architecture disposing of "plug and play" capabilities and accounting for privacy issues.

Description: This paper investigates the performance of the 60 GHz IEEE 802.15.3c physical layer (PHY) specification in terms of bit error rate (BER) against signal to noise ratio. Two PHY modes of the standard have been implemented and simulated, i.e., Single Carrier and High Speed Interface. The first mode uses single carrier (SC) block transmission and the second mode uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). One of the main issues in the new 60 GHz standards is multipath propagation, which plays an important role in the link quality. Thus, we have tested the PHY with the IEEE standard channel model, ray tracing simulations and real 60 GHz measurements.

Description: A high-speed photo detector IC for application in Blu-ray/DVD/CD drives is presented. Bandwidths for the highest gain of 254 MHz and 221 MHz for 405 nm (Blu-ray) and 635 nm (DVD) wavelengths, respectively, were achieved by applying novel design methodologies. The combination of this outstanding speed performance with its low power dissipation of 192 mW at 5V supply and the low noise power of −72 dBm at 300 MHz makes it the best in literature reported optical transceiver IC for Blu-ray and Blu-ray/DVD/CD multi drives. Beside the excellent performance results, the usage of the novel design methodologies gave us an increased design efficiency with 25% compared to earlier similar design processes.

Description: The radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is omnipresent since a few years. Some of the most popular fields of application are the use for security tasks, for logistics and for the consumer segment. For example, chip card or key ring sized RFID transponders can allow wireless access to secured rooms. The number of applications for wireless data transmission for the identification and tracking of objects increases every year. There is a large development need for highly functional and inexpensive RFID transponders due to the ever-increasing demand on improved reliability, higher data rates and read and write ranges of the RFID systems. Therefore, research was performed on new 3-D transponder antennas for the Super High Frequency Band around 5.8 GHz. Additionally, wave propagation effects and the influence of different dielectric environments were considered. Parallel to the design of the novel antenna structures, the printing process for inexpensive manufacturing was investigated. The gained results are the basis for prospective RFID applications.

Description: The conventional sensing scheme of single-ended read-only-ports as integrated in 8T-SRAM cells suffers from low performance compared to double-ended complementary sensing schemes. In the proposed sensing scheme the pre-charge voltage of the single-ended read-bit-line is set to a level above the threshold voltage of the sensing device with an adjustable margin. This margin is minimized to speed up the read access on the one hand and kept large enough to provide a sufficient bit-line noise margin on the other hand. The pre-charge voltage level of the proposed sensing circuit tracks the threshold voltage of the sensing device under process variations in order to maintain a minimum required bit-line noise margin. To avoid unnecessary bit-line discharging, the proposed sensing scheme employs a modified 8T-SRAM cell. Compared to the conventional 8T-SRAM cell, the read port of the proposed cell provides a virtual ground line running in parallel to the bit-lines. An internal driver of the sensing circuit releases the virtual ground line during the evaluation period to prevent the charge dissipation resulting in a raised voltage level. The reduced pre-charge level and the increased virtual ground lead to a reduced bit-line voltage swing and thus a bit-line power reduction. Access time, energy dissipation, and noise margin of the proposed sensing circuit are compared with conventional sensing circuits from the literature for different numbers of memory cells connected to the bit-line. It is shown, that for a specific number of memory cells per bit-line the proposed circuit achieves fastest access time at low power operation.

Description: In food industry, most finished products are scanned by X-ray for contaminations. These X-ray machines continuously scan the product passing through. To minimize the required X-ray power, a Time, Delay and Integration (TDI) CCD sensor is used to capture the image. While the product moves across the sensor area, the angle of the X-rays changes during the pass. This can be compensated for by adjusting the sensor shift speed to focus on a single plane of the product. If the product has a significant thickness, the image will show artifacts due to the laminographic effect. In this contribution we demonstrate that by the use of inverse filtering images which are focused on planes of different height can be generated out of a single X-ray image.

Description: In this paper, a new filter design for a heat sink is presented. The parasitic couplings between electric power devices and the heat sink are responsible for common-mode currents. The main focus is on the reduction of these currents to reduce the heat sink radiation. For this purpose a new filter design is proposed. In addition, experimental results are shown to validate the proposed filter.

Description: Power dissipation besides chip area is still one main optimization issue in high performance CMOS design. Regarding high throughput building blocks for digital signal processing architectures which are optimized down to the physical level a complementary two-phase clocking scheme (CTPC) is often advantageous concerning ATE-efficiency. The clock system dissipates a significant part of overall power up to more than 50% in some applications. One efficient power saving strategy for CTPC signal generation is the charge balancing technique. To achieve high efficiency with this approach a careful optimization of timing relations within the control is inevitable. However, as in modern CMOS processes device variations increase, timing relations between sensitive control signals can be affected seriously. In order to compensate for the influence of global and local variations in this work, an adaptive control system for charge balancing in a CTPC generator is presented. An adjustment for the degree of charge recycling is performed in each clock cycle. In the case of insufficient recycling the delay elements which define duration and timing position of the recycling pulse are corrected by switchable timing units. In a benchmark with the conventional clock generation system, a power reduction gain of up to 24.7% could be achieved. This means saving in power of more than 12% for a complete number-crunching building block.

Description: Device scaling, the driving force of CMOS technology, led to continuous decrease in the energy level representing logic states. The resulting small noise margins in combination with increasing problems regarding the supply voltage stability and process variability creates a design conflict between efficiency and reliability. This conflict is expected to rise more in future technologies. Current research approaches on fault-tolerance architectures and countermeasures at circuit level, unfortunately, cause a significant area and energy penalty without guaranteeing absence of errors. To overcome this problem, it seems to be attractive to tolerate bit errors at circuit level and employ error handling methods at higher system levels. To do this, an estimate of the bit error rate (BER) at circuit level is necessary. Due to the size of the circuits, Monte Carlo simulation suffers from impractical runtimes. Therefore the needed modeling scheme is proposed. The model allows a probabilistic estimation of error rates at circuit level taking into account statistical effects ranging from supply noise and electromagnetic coupling to process variability within reasonable runtimes.

Description: Die kontinuierlich fortschreitende Miniaturisierung in integrierten Schaltungen führt zu einem Anstieg des intrinsischen Rauschens. Um den Einfluss von intrinsischem Rauschen auf die Zuverlässigkeit zukünftiger digitaler Schaltungen analysieren zu können, werden Methoden benötigt, die auf CAD-Verfahren wie Analogsimulation statt auf abschätzenden Berechnungen beruhen. Dieser Beitrag stellt eine neue Methode vor, die den Einfluss von intrinsischem Rauschen in digitalen Schaltungen für eine gegebene Prozesstechnologie analysieren kann. Die Amplituden von thermischen, 1/f und Schrotrauschen werden mit Hilfe eines SPICE Simulators bestimmt. Anschließend wird der Einfluss des Rauschens auf die Schaltungszuverlässigkeit durch Simulation analysiert. Zusätzlich zur Analyse werden Möglichkeiten aufgezeigt, wie die durch Rauschen hervorgerufenen Effekte im Schaltungsentwurf mit berücksichtigt werden können. Im Gegensatz zum Stand der Technik kann die vorgestellte Methode auf beliebige Logikimplementierungen und Prozesstechnologien angewendet werden. Zusätzlich wird gezeigt, dass bisherige Ansätze den Einfluss von Rauschen bis um das Vierfache überschätzen.

Description: Laser radar (lidar) sensors provide outstanding angular resolution along with highly accurate range measurements and thus they were proposed as a part of a high performance perception system for advanced driver assistant functions. Based on optical signal transmission and reception, laser radar systems are influenced by weather phenomena. This work provides an overview on the different physical principles responsible for laser radar signal disturbance and theoretical investigations for estimation of their influence. Finally, the transmission models are applied for signal generation in a newly developed laser radar target simulator providing – to our knowledge – worldwide first HIL test capability for automotive laser radar systems.

Description: Electric field singularities at sharp metallic edges or at a dielectric contact line can be described analytically by asymptotic expressions. The a priori known form of the field distribution in the vicinity of these edges can be used to construct numerical methods with improved accuracy. This contribution focuses on a modified Finite Integration Technique and on a Discontinuous Galerkin Method with singular approximation functions. Both methods are able to handle field singularities at perfectly electric conducting as well as at dielectric edges. The numerical accuracy of these methods is investigated in a number of simulation examples including static and dynamic field problems.

Description: Up to now, SAR systems are a well known possibility for long-range detection. Applying them for short-range applications with wide-beam antennas, of course, does not increase the resolution but the probability to detect hidden targets with an anisotropic radar cross section significantly in comparison to other detection systems. Working with an appropriate wavelength even improves the possiblity to look through natural cover like grass. An application is detecting fawn while pasture mowing. The main issue in such applications is the antenna's motion in range direction as it is carried by cars or traction engines. If motion is not compensated, the phase cannot be reconstructed correctly, the resolution gets poorer and, in worst case, the target even disappears. Conventional methods for motion compensation either fail for wide beam antennas, since for contributions of wide angles the phase reconstruction is incorrect, or is not applicable for realtime data processing, because the processing time due to interpolation or similar steps is very high. We present a method of image reconstruction regarding motion of the antenna as well as wide beamwidth. This method is analyzed concerning processing time in comparison to the conventional image reconstruction. In our system we use a combination of algorithms. There is shown a comparison for different algorithms dependent of the antenna's motion and aperture angle.