Visualization of high‐speed phenomena using an acousto‐optic laser deflector

An acousto‐optic laser deflector was used for visualization of high‐speed phenomena, such as shock waves and density perturbations accompanying an impulse discharge, or shock waves generated by laser‐induced breakdown in air. Using a continuous wave laser as the light source, shadowgraphs of shock waves and density perturbations were obtained at shutter speeds down to 1µs. Results showed that shock waves propagated at a speed of 417 m/s in the case of an impulse discharge, and 485 m/s in the case of laser‐induced breakdown. Prebreakdown phenomena such as leaders progressing from the high‐voltage electrode were also visualized. Compared to conventional high‐speed imaging techniques, this method is useful when using a laser light source, since the acousto‐optic crystal can accommodate high‐intensity laser light. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 154(3): 9–15, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20279     

A quasi‐planar incident wave excitation for time‐domain scattering analysis of periodic structures

We present a quasi‐planar incident wave excitation for time‐domain scattering analysis of periodic structures. It uses a particular superposition of plane waves that yields an incident wave with the same periodicity as the periodic structure itself. The duration of the incident wave is controlled by means of its frequency spectrum or, equivalently, the angular spread in its constituting plane waves. Accuracy and convergence properties of the method are demonstrated by scattering computations for a planar dielectric half‐space. Equipped with the proposed source, a time‐domain solver based on linear elements yields an error of roughly 1% for a resolution of 20 points per wavelength and second‐order convergence is achieved for smooth scatterers. Computations of the scattering characteristics for a sinusoidal surface and a random rough surface show similar performance. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polarity Effect and Electromagnetic Radiation of Partial Discharge Accompanying Growth of Electrical Tree

We have investigated the characteristics of radiated electromagnetic (EM) waves from positive and negative partial discharges (PD) in epoxy resin and cross‐linked polyethylene. We found that there is a correlation among the EM level from PD, the positive PD current, and electrical trees. Therefore, the growth of an electrical tree produces a lot of positive PD. We have also investigated the characteristics of the frequency region of EM waves from PD in air, insulating oil, and liquid epoxy in addition to the above insulators. EM waves were detected in the frequency region of 40 MHz to 300 MHz from positive and negative PD in epoxy resin and cross‐linked polyethylene. EM waves were also detected in the frequency region of 40 MHz to 150 MHz from positive and negative PD in air. In the case of insulating oil and liquid epoxy, EM waves were detected in the frequency regions of 40 MHz to 150 MHz from positive PD, and 40 MHz to 250 MHz from negative PD. The frequency region differed depending on the material and the discharge polarity. Our investigation indicates that the cause is differences in electric field strength at the time of PD occurrence.     

Characteristics of creeping discharge developed in a narrow gap between insulators and effect of a backside electrode

Discharge characteristics have been investigated for a needle–plane electrode configuration containing insulating barriers with a narrow gap which has been placed between the needle and the plane. The characteristics of creeping discharge developed in the narrow gap of the barrier filled with SF₆ are especially considered. In the case of a configuration with a backside electrode below the needle, the corona generated from the needle easily extended to the gap. On the other hand, for a configuration without a backside electrode, the corona has hardly extended to the gap, and on increasing the applied voltage the corona developed greatly in the gap. This difference in corona extension should affect the flashover characteristics in the present system. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(2): 27–36, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10248     

Characteristics of N2/SF6 mixture gas in creeping discharge developing in narrow gap with backside electrode

The flashover voltage with a backside electrode was found to be lower than that without the backside electrode. Under microsecond pulse voltage application, we describe the characteristics of a creeping discharge developed in the narrow gap with the backside electrode. Using a CCD camera and ultrahigh‐speed camera, we observed the corona extension processes. The lowest flashover voltage was found to be obtained at positive polarity with a SF₆ content D = 3%. In the corona extension obtained using an ultrahigh‐speed camera, peculiar differences were observed in the corona extension process. The corona extension increased, and rapid flashover was observed at D = 3%. Using a CCD camera, small coronas were detected from the backside electrode. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 158(2): 31–38, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20431     

Observations of seismic electromagnetic phenomena in VHF band by dual frequency method

Seismic electromagnetic (EM) phenomena have been observed at many laboratories with specially designed systems. Recently we can utilize radio receivers, personal computers, and communication systems with higher performances and reasonable cost. It is possible to observe seismic EM phenomena not only by specially designed systems but also by a simple observation system integrated by these devices and systems. We have created an observation system for seismic EM phenomena with them in the very high frequency (VHF) band, from 76 MHz to 90 MHz, assigned for FM broadcasting exclusive use in Japan. We are surrounded by many EM waves, such as broadcasting, communication usage, and man‐made noises. Thus, we have newly developed the dual frequency observation method. In this paper, we describe an observation method that can identify whether a received signal is a broadband EM wave or an artificial FM radio wave. Next, the observation results for broadband EM waves from galactic noise and solar flares are presented. Then, the observation results for FM radio waves reflected from sporadic E layer and the Leonid meteors are shown. Finally, the observation results for the detected broadband EM waves associated with the Geiyo earthquake are described. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 155(4): 36–44, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20350     

Estimation of effective magnetic field in ferromagnetic alloys by magnetoacoustic effect

The magnetic field strength in a nickel rod with an applied uniform external field is studied by transmitting ultrasonic waves. In nondestructive testing (NDT), longitudinal plane waves are transmitted from an ultrasonic transducer to the object, which is characterized by alternating regions of compression and dilation. If the objects are ferromagnetic materials, the compression waves generate the magnetoelastic energy in magnetic substances, which are equivalent to the magnetic anisotropy field. This field passes through magnetic substances with the velocity of ultrasound and is observed as the electromotive force (emf) induced in the sensing coil. As the ultrasonic waves are transmitted continuously to a rod specimen, the ultrasonic stationary wave is formed in it and the high‐frequency magnetic field is generated in nodes of the stationary state by the inverse effect of magnetostriction, then the emf is induced in the nodes. In this paper the strength of the effective magnetic field in the nickel rod is estimated by measuring the electromotive force induced by ultrasonic waves passing through magnetic materials. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 140(1): 1–7, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10025     

Partial discharge measurement in a long distance SF6 gasinsulated transmission line (GIL)

We evaluated the generation, radiation, and propagation characteristics of partial discharge (PD) signals in 275 kV full-scale SF₆ gas insulated transmission line (GIL) model with a length of 168 m. We analyzed the correlation between the PD current pulse and the radiating electromagnetic wave by comparing their frequency spectrums. In addition, simultaneous measurement was performed on the current pulse waveform of a single PD and the corresponding electromagnetic wave as propagated in GIL, with the phase gate control method. As a result, the PD signal attenuation rate of 50 MHz and 300 MHz for the propagation of 100 m was obtained as 2.5 dB and 8.7 dB, respectively. Furthermore, by selecting an appropriate measuring frequency, even a 1~2 pC PD could be detected at the measuring site 168 m away from the PD source in the GIL     

Development of a laser wavefront sensor for measurement of discharges in air

A laser wavefront sensor of the Shack‐Hartmann type capable of simultaneous measurement at two wavelengths was constructed. The sensor uses a single optical path, and is suited for applications such as high‐voltage discharges in air, in which large insulation distances are necessary. The sensor was used to detect optical path differences due to an impulse discharge in air across a needle–plane electrode gap of gap length 17 mm. Optical path differences were measured at laser wavelengths of 532 and 1064 nm at 1.6 µs after insulation breakdown across the gap. From the difference in optical path differences at the two wavelengths, a line‐integrated electron density distribution in the direction perpendicular to the gap was obtained near the high‐voltage electrode. The distribution had a peak value of 1.4 × 10²⁰m^?2 and a full width at half maximum of 4.4 mm. Because of the coverage of a large observation area including the entire gap, the spatial resolution was 1.4 mm, which was inadequate to obtain the precise form of the electron density distribution. However, the results show the possibility of applying laser wavefront sensing to electron density measurement. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(4): 10–17, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10247     

Sterilization of E. coli by underwater pulsed streamer discharges in a continuous flow system

Underwater pulsed streamer discharges using a wire‐to‐cylinder electrode contained in a 42‐mm‐diameter glass tube were investigated with respect to its spatial spread associated with voltage waveforms. A discharge reactor with a continuous flow system was employed to sterilize E. coli suspended in saline water (10 mS/m). The discharge electrode consisted of a 0.1‐mm‐diameter metal wire for the high voltage and a mesh cylinder for the ground electrode. Tens of disk‐shaped discharges emerged from the wire electrode and propagated toward the cylinder as long as the voltage lasted. The spatial expanse of the discharge was proportional to the cube of the pulse duration and to the amplitude of the voltage. The sterilization experiment showed that the survival ratio of bacteria over discharges was proportional to the average number of the exposures to the discharges while in the reactor. The minimum ratio of surviving bacteria was only 15% under 130 exposures, which corresponds to an energy expenditure of 35 J/ml. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 164(1): 1–7, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20554     

Time‐harmonic electromagnetic field analysis in multisphere model by Gumerov's method of two scalar potentials

Time‐harmonic electromagnetic fields in multisphere models were calculated by the method of two scalar potentials proposed by Gumerov. The analyzed models were an eccentric two‐sphere model and a ten‐sphere model including the brain core and a pair of eyeballs. The applied fields were a plane wave and a dipole magnetic field, and the frequency was 1.8 or 2.0 GHz. The truncation degree p of the multipole and local expansion had values of up to 170 to 200. The peak power density on the x–y plane and the absorbed power in each tissue almost monotonically converged as p increased. These results demonstrate the usefulness of Gumerov's method. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(2): 1–10, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002–eej.21224     

A VHF interferometry system for detecting anomalous propagation of FM radio broadcasting waves related to earthquakes and some preliminary results

Earthquake‐related anomalous electromagnetic phenomena have been reported in various frequency ranges over the past few decades. Investigation of the anomalous propagation of VHF transmitter waves is a promising approach to short‐term prediction and crustal activity monitoring. Anomalous propagation is believed to be generated by disturbances of the atmosphere above the epicenter or along the propagation path prior to large earthquakes. Consequently, over‐the‐horizon propagation has been received. A recent study shows that the appearance of anomalies was signi?cantly enhanced within 5 days of earthquakes with M ≥4.8. However, there is no information on the scattering location, that is, on the direction of wave arrival. Therefore, a simple interferometer system for VHF radio waves to identify the space‐time position of earthquake‐related atmospheric disturbances has been developed and installed at Chiba University. This paper describes the newly developed interferometer system and presents the results of fundamental tests to evaluate the performance of the new interferometer at Chiba. Data on over‐the‐horizon propagation of VHF radio waves obtained from 1‐year continuous measurement at Chiba are described. These are possible radio duct propagations and possible earthquake‐related anomalous propagations. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 183(1): 16–24, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.22303     

Streamer current in a three-electrode system

A study has been conducted on positive streamer discharges in air at atmospheric conditions for a three-electrode system, The electrode system consisted of two parallel planes (one grounded and one supplied with a negative dc voltage) and a small, insulated needle, sticking out from the center of the grounded plane. A triggering positive square impulse voltage of 5 μs duration was applied to the insulated needle and the currents associated with the streamer discharge were measured simultaneously on all three electrodes. During the streamer propagation, the current measured at the needle was the conduction current while the other two were the displacement (or capacitive) currents generated by the movement of charge in the electrode gap. The objective of this study is to identify the three currents and to investigate if simple representations of the streamer can reproduce the displacement currents measured at the plane electrodes. Two models for the streamer were applied: (1) a charged sphere moving in the background field and (2) a channel with a constant voltage gradient extending in the gap. In both models it was assumed that the streamer propagated with a constant velocity, which was estimated from the measurements. The motion of the streamer was simulated by a series of electrostatic calculations, using a field calculation program. Comparison of the measurements with the simulations indicates that the charge of the streamer is confined to a spherical region (i.e. streamer head) and it is increasing continuously during its advancement in the electrode gap. A discussion on advantages and disadvantages with the two investigated models (sphere vs. channel with potential gradient) is conducted, and a possible hybrid model is suggested. In the proposed model, features from both considered streamer representations are included     

Small Conductive Particle Detection with a Microwave Resonant Cavity

The recent miniaturization and increased complexity of electrical devices have increased the influence of impurities on device performance, especially the influence of small conductive particles with a size on the order of micrometers. Therefore, the inspection of devices during the manufacturing process has become important. In this study, changes in the resonance properties of a microwave cavity were used to detect a metal particle. The decrease in the resonant frequency for a 100‐µm stainless steel sphere was about 0.1 MHz, which was less than 1 ppm of the resonant frequency used. This frequency change is too small to detect directly in the output of a particle detector. Transmission measurements (the scattering parameter S21) at a frequency that was a few megahertz higher than the resonant frequency where the S21 changes sharply were used to magnify signal changes resulting from the introduction of a small conductive particle. A resonant frequency of 13.3 GHz and a frequency 3 MHz higher were chosen for obtaining measurements in the present study. By applying a filtering technique, it was shown that the minimum detectable sphere size is around 50 µm. This sensitivity was experimentally shown to be uneven along the long axis of the cavity. The unevenness was related to the electrical field strength of the standing wave at the resonant frequency. For practical industrial inspection of devices, multiple frequencies should be employed in view of the present discussion. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(2): 61–67, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22490     

Variations in discharge current waveforms and their power spectra injected from contact discharges of ESD‐gun with different arrangements

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has prescribed an immunity test (IEC61000‐4‐2) of electronic equipment against electrostatic discharges (ESDs), in which a discharge current to be injected onto equipment under test is specified. As for the waveform, however, not the whole waveform but only the rise time, the first peak, and the current amplitudes at 30 and 60 ns are given in the time domain together with their uncertainties, which are required to check on the condition that an ESD generator (ESD‐gun) shall be arranged vertically to an IEC‐recommended calibration target and its earth return wire is kept away as far as possible from a vertical ground plane (IEC standard arrangement). In this study, to clarify how arrangements of an ESD‐gun and its earth return wire affect discharge currents, we measured discharge current waveforms for contact discharges of an ESD‐gun onto an IEC calibration target with respect to various inclinations of the ESD‐gun and arrangements of its earth return wire, and also calculated their current power spectra normalized to that of the discharge current for the IEC standard arrangement. As a result, we found that inclinations of the ESD gun affect the first peak current, which increases current power spectra by 14 dB at frequencies over 300 MHz, and that arrangements of the return wire influence the current waveforms between the first and second peaks, which provides variations in power spectra by ±12 dB in the frequency range from 10 MHz to 200 MHz. This finding suggests that arrangements of an ESD‐gun and its earth return wire are likely to cause different immunity test results. It was also found that in comparison with measured discharge currents for the standard arrangement, the calculated waveform of a discharge current from a formula, which has been included in the recent standard, has a more gentle falling waveform, and produces power spectra of +15 dB in the frequency range from 10 MHz to 200 MHz and –12 dB at frequencies over 300 MHz. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 180(1): 9–14, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21270     

Equivalent circuits for small signal performance of spin ½ particles

A quantum system composed of a large number of non‐interacting spin ½ particles, biased by a large constant magnetic field along the z‐axis and excited by a small circularly polarized electromagnetic wave in the xy‐plane is considered. Its small signal reflectance about the equilibrium state resulting from the biasing field and a pumping activity is calculated in the complex frequency plane. It is suggested that the equilibrium state can be locally passive or active depending on the pumping sign and level. Equivalent circuits containing imaginary resistors, i.e. frequency independent reactances, are presented for both passive and active cases. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of electrode material on pressure‐rise due to arc in a closed chamber

This paper describes the phenomenon of internal pressure‐rise due to arcs ignited between metal rod electrodes in air. First, the internal pressure‐rises in a closed chamber due to arcs were measured at currents within the range of 1 to 12.5 kA. The rod electrodes were made of copper, iron, and aluminum, and were 20 mm in diameter. The measurements showed that the maximum pressure‐rise distinctly differed with each electrode material at the same total arc energy, namely, the maximum pressure‐rise was the highest in the case of the aluminum electrode and was the lowest in the case of the iron electrode. Next, to quantitatively verify this difference, the internal pressure‐rise was estimated, taking into account the energy balance in the closed chamber on each electrode material. It was found that the estimated pressure‐rise approximately agreed with the above experimental results by taking into consideration oxidation reactions of the electrodes, melting and vaporization of the electrodes, and radiation loss of the arcs under certain realistic assumptions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 174(4): 9–18, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21071     

Factors affecting corona on twin-point gaps under dc and ac HV

The factors affecting corona formation on twin-point/plane gaps are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In the theoretical analysis, an electrostatic field computation program based on the charge simulation method was used to get the electric field profile on the plate for different gap lengths and interspacings between the two points. Also, the effect of voltage level, air pressure and gap length on the number of axial streamers occurring across the critical field line was introduced for a constant time duration. The variation of the integral of the ionization coefficient with the axial length from the point was studied. Finally, a study of the effect of air pressure and gap length on both the corona inception voltage and critical length was presented. Corona formation in single and twin-point/plane gaps also was investigated experimentally under both high direct and alternating voltages. There are many factors affecting such corona formation. The investigated factors were the interspacing between the two points, gap length between the point and the plane, ambient temperature, relative humidity, polarity or frequency of the applied voltage, and electrode material. In order to study and explain such phenomena, a photographic investigation together with a simultaneous measurement of both the applied voltage and the corona current were introduced. Curve fitting of the dc corona current vs. gap length and voltage for both single and twin-point/plane gaps gave the conventional relationship, but in case of twin point the power of the gap length varies between 1.2 and 1.3     

An analysis of spark paths in air using 3-dimensional imageprocessing

A video camera has been used to record the path of spark breakdowns across a positive point/plane air gap. By using a prism as a mirror, two images were obtained from which the path could be determined in three dimensions by subsequent computer processing and analysis. Some 80 images were analyzed for each of five angular positions of the point electrode's axis, the gap remaining constant. The fractal dimension of each path was determined and found to increase slightly with the inclination of the pointed electrode. Each spark appeared to have propagated semi-randomly in a direction which included a `memory' factor, i.e. it tended to follow the previous direction while moving monotonically towards the opposite electrode. This was confirmed by considering a projection of the spark path onto the plane electrode which was found to form a semi-random walk in which each step was influenced by the previous step. These, and other analysis, suggest that the development of spark paths in air by successive steps is in a direction suggested by an angular probability distribution related to the field at the tip of the propagating leader     

Multiresolution model of electromagnetic wave propagation in dispersive materials

A multiresolution time‐domain (MRTD) technique based on Haar wavelets has been applied to model the propagation of waves in dispersive materials, using a discretization of the convolution equation that governs the behaviour of the media. To validate the method, the reflection coefficient at the interface between air and several different linear dispersive media, as well as the propagation of a plane wave towards a non‐linear dispersive medium have been calculated and compared with other numerical techniques and theoretical results. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.