Domain-integral analysis of channel waveguides in anisotropicmultilayered media

A domain-integral equation method is presented to determine both propagation constants and the electromagnetic field distributions of guided surface wave modes in integrated optical waveguides. Both the waveguide and its multilayered embedding are anisotropic. The permittivity tensor of the embedding is assumed to be piecewise homogeneous. The kernels of the domain-integral equations consist of Green's tensors. The integral equations form an eigenvalue problem where the electric field strength represents the eigenvector. This problem is solved numerically by applying the method of moments. Numerical results are presented for an anisotropic ridge waveguide, embedded in an anisotropic multilayered medium     

Correction to effective index method for rectangular dielectricwaveguides

A new method for obtaining the propagation characteristics of dielectric waveguides is presented. The method is based on a linear combination of three approximations. A comparison with a rigorous analytical method shows that the method presented is very accurate, even in the cutoff region. The method is easy to implement and requires minimal computational effort     

Metal complexation properties of freshwater dissolved organic matter are explained by its aromaticity and by anthropogenic ligands

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters affects the fate and environmental effects of trace metals. We measured variability in the Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn affinity of 23 DOM samples isolated by reverse osmosis from freshwaters in natural, agricultural, and urban areas. Affinities at uniform pH and ionic composition were assayed at low, environmentally relevant free Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn activities. The C-normalized metal binding of DOM varied 4-fold (Cu) or about 10-fold (Cd, Ni, Zn) among samples. The dissolved organic carbon concentration ranged only 9-fold in the waters, illustrating that DOM quality is an equally important parameter for metal complexation as DOM quantity. The UV-absorbance of DOM explained metal affinity only for waters receiving few urban inputs, indicating that in those waters, aromatic humic substances are the dominant metal chelators. Larger metal affinities were found for DOM from waters with urban inputs. Aminopolycarboxylate ligands (mainly EDTA) were detected at concentrations up to 0.14 μM and partly explained the larger metal affinity. Nickel concentrations in these surface waters are strongly related to EDTA concentrations (R2=0.96) and this is underpinned by speciation calculations. It is concluded that metal complexation in waters with anthropogenic discharges is larger than that estimated with models that only take into account binding on humic substances.     

Domain integral equation analysis of integrated optical channel andridge waveguides in stratified media

A domain integral equation approach to computing both the propagation constants and the corresponding electromagnetic field distributions of guided waves in an integrated optical waveguide is discussed. The waveguide is embedded in a stratified medium. The refractive index of the waveguide may be graded, but the refractive indices of the layers of the stratified medium are assumed to be piecewise homogeneous. The waveguide is regarded as a perturbation of its embedding, so the electric field strength can be expressed in terms of domain integral representation. The kernel of this integral consists of a dyadic Green's function, which is constructed using an operator approach. By investigating the electric field strength within the waveguide, it is possible to derive an integral equation that represents an eigenvalue problem that is solved numerically by applying the method of moments. The application of the domain integral equation approach in combination with a numerically stable evaluation of the Green's kernel functions provides a new and valuable tool for the characterization of integrated optical waveguides embedded in stratified media. Numerical results for various channel and ridge waveguides are presented and are compared with those of other methods where possible     

Security of supply: Energy security solutions hinder development of sustainable infrastructures

Rolf de Vos (editor of Greenprices) and John Baken (manager of Ecofys) argue that the European focus on large-scale production and infrastructures to solve problems with the security of power supply is counterproductive. Instead of taking the opportunity to go forward and prepare Europe for a future sustainable and reliable power supply by means of decentralised power production units, it will throw us back years. Politicians should look forward and change the conditions in the liberalised market more in favour of decentralisation.     

Computational modeling of diffused channel waveguides using adomain integral equation

A domain integral equation is proposed for the computational modeling of diffused channel waveguides. In the modeling the propagation properties and the field distributions of the lower order guided modes are computed. The method is used to design the channel waveguides that are realized by an ion-exchange process in glass substrates. In particular, the method is applied to the design of ion-exchanged waveguides with low fiber/chip coupling losses. The aim is to realize modal distributions in the channel waveguides that closely match the rotationally symmetric field distributions of the HE₁₁ fiber mode. Some technological aspects of the realization of such ion-exchange waveguides are indicated, and various numerical results relevant to the design process are presented