Contributions to engineering electromagnetics

Date
2017-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The dissertation presents an overview of the publications of the candidate, and his research group, on engineering electromagnetics — in particular computational electromagnetics (CEM) — which have advanced the field in a number of aspects. They have also impacted materially on local and now international industry. Applications discussed focus initially on primarily defence work, moving through a period of development of advanced CEM methods (many subsequently incorporated in commercial software) to his appointment to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) South African Research Chair in Engineering Electromagnetics in 2011, in support of South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope and SKA program. The golden thread of his work has been modelling full-wave electromagnetic fields in increasingly complex environments. This has now expanded to include work on applying these methods to antenna design in the context of radio astronomy. His recent work also addresses other topics in applied engineering electromagnetics, including calibration and imaging for radio astronomy (some of which leverages CEM simulations) as well as antenna metrology and electromagnetic wave propagation modelling.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif bied ’n oorsig van die publikasies van die kandidaat, en sy navorsingsgroep, op eletromagnetiese ingenieurswese — spesifiek die rekenaar oplossing van elektromagnetiese probleme — wat die veld in verskeie aspekte bevorder het. Die werk het ook wesenlike impak op plaaslike en internasionale industrie gehad. Toepassings wat bespreek word fokus vir eers meestal op verdegigingswerk, gevolg deur ’n periodie van ontwikkeling van gevorderde rekenaar simulasie tegnieke (waarvan baie later in kommersiële sagteware ingelyf is) tot sy aanstelling in die Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Suid Afrikaanse Leerstoel in elektromagnetiese ingenieurswese in 2011, ter ondersteuning van Suid Afrika se MeerKAT radioteleskoop en SKA program. Die goue draad van sy werk is die modelleering van volgolf elektromagnetiese velde in omgewings van toenemende kompleksiteit. Dit het nou uitgebrei om werk op die toepassing van hierdie tegnieke vir antenneontwerp in die konteks van radioastronomie in te sluit. Sy onlangse werk pak ook ander onderwerpe in toegepaste eletromagnetiese ingenieurswese aan, insluitend kalibrasie en beeldvorming vir radio astronomie (van hierdie maak gebruik van rekenaar simulasies) asook antenne metingstegnieke en die modelleering van elektromagnetiese golfvoortplanting.
Description
Thesis (DEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2017.
Keywords
Electromagnetics, UCTD, Electromagnetics -- Computation, Electromagnetic waves, Propagation of radio waves
Citation